Honey Bees & chickens??????

[clio]

Quote:
I've beening keeping them for about 5 years now and have 7 hives this year expecting to add at least 3 more Langstroth and a top bar hive next spring. Plan on having at least 2 hives to start ~ they will become as addictive as chickens!

I would be happy to help you and answer any questions you have. I started by reading and joining my local beekeeping club . Some great books are Ross Conrad's Natural Beekeeping" and Kim Flottum's "The Backyard Beekeeper". Kim is also the editor of "Bee Culture" magazine. I have met both of these men (both were guest speakers at our club's meetings) and they are very interesting and knowledgeable about small scale beekeeping.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/sgtmom52/Beekeeping/hivewithbeesanimated.gif

My husband is a local beekeeper, and we have friends who have a five acre farm that has pumpkins, honeybees, chickens, and other farm animals. The chickens and the honeybees do not bother each other. Our hive is on top of the patio overhang, and the honeybees and our chickens have no problems.

I agree with Sgtmom52 - get some reading materials from the library and online, join your local beekeeping club. There are many, many beekeepers who are willing to mentor interested future beekeepers. You might also want to "shadow" a beekeeper to observe and learn what to do. Sometimes, there are community college classes and beekeeping stores, clubs, and individuals who give classes on beekeeping for beginners.

Beehives in backyards can give over a hundred pounds of honey a year

Beekeeping is sometimes less work than keeping chickens, but it is a very different kind of responsibility. Check into your city/county laws to see if beekeeping is allowed, and the number of hives allowed. Many people fear bees more than chickens, and some are allergic to bee stings. Investing in even hobby beekeeping is work, and there are predators which can turn hives over. The honeybee populations have been declining for many reasons; hives have had mite invasions.There are aggressive and there are also very calm bees.

Is there enough food to support your honeybees nearby? Gardens? Farmlands? You do have to tend to your hives even in the winter (no water flooding, have the bees prepared themselves for keeping warm with enough food, don't keep opening the hives to take peeks!) Equipment needs to be cleaned, replaced, repaired.

Above all, beekeeping, I would say, is not a "fad" nor a "toy" for those who are serious beekeepers. If a person gets tired of keeping bees, you should not just "abandon" them; there are local bee associations and beekeepers who are willing to take the hives and honeybees away.

Fresh, local honey is great for allergies and for eating!

 

[Liamm_1]

Quote:
I have certainly heard this too. I will say this autumn has been easier on my allergies than any in recent history, and I've been eating lots of honey from my backyard.

The part of that I don't really agree with is that most allergy causing pollens (evergreens, grasses, ragweeds etc) are not insect pollinated, they are wind pollinated. Thus bees never visit them or interact with them. It seems odd to me that honey would help with these sorts of allergies, which are the major causes of hay-fever, etc.

I'm not discounting the benefits, I'm just not entirely convinced. I do love the natural, unrefined, sweetener aspect though...

when you say you use lots of honey, what do you use it for?

 

[Dennis A]

We have seven hives on the south side of the coop, no problems. This a good site for bees.
Dennis
http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php

 

[Keara]

Make sure the hive is a few feet off the ground, this way the bee flight path will not be at chicken level. Give the chickens acsess to the area under the hive and they will eat the dead bees. THis will help to keep the hive hygenic.

We keep bees and chickens and have not had problems. I think the main concern would be that there are plenty of watering areas. If the bees and chickens have to share than that is were you could have difficulty.

 

[NHchicks]

Quote:
WOW! I was just going to ask if there were a site similar to backyardchickens for beekeepers! That site looks great.

So many of us chickenlovers also seem to be beelovers! I'm excited that so many people here seem to share my (nagging) interest in bees, and have actually started their beekeeping experience.

It must be some kind of gene that attracts us to both chickens and bees! Ha!

Thanx, all. I always thought my "thing" for honeybees was just a passing oddity. Now I'm going to give it more serious thought. The only thing that scares me is the thought of getting stung on a maybe regular basis. But I do have the perfect spot for beekeeping here, and in fact, a month ago my remaining wildflowers were swarming with bees, and my daughter and I did a mini science lesson on honeybees. I think it's time to take the next step.

 

[flgardengirl]

I have been thinking about keeping bees as well. I have the room and lots of plants around here, they wouldn't even have to go far lol. I am wondering about liability and what happens if someone comes on your property and gets stung from your bees? Where is a good place to learn about how to get started with bees?

 

[clio]

Quote:
You can take a class on beekeeping, read articles on websites, and join a local beekeeping group. Also, "shadow" some hobby beekeepers to see how they prepare their hives and maintain their bees.

Honeybees are not the same as the "African honeybees," the latter which are feral bees.

It is also a good idea to keep an emergency bee sting kit available if someone gets stung and gets a highly allergic reaction.

 

[Liamm_1]

....which brings me to the next logical question: When keeping bees, are stings inevitable? because that would certainly be a deal breaker for me here.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Unfortunately, yes. Even the calmest bees will nail you at some point no matter how careful you are working with them. If nothing else, you'll lean on one.

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

There is a "Beekeeping for Dummies" book that has been a straightforward resource for me. There is a lot of information online. There are beekeeper groups all over the country that can recommend classes near you.

And yes, stings do happen. Only once has an innocent bystander been stung in my yard. I rarely get stung even in the hives, but sometimes I get stung several times at once. Luckily I have very little reaction.