Last Year I Started Beekeeping - So Exciting

[madamwlf]

Well, I just installed my first package of bees into their new home!! It's great seeing bees flying around my yard. And did I mention I got my first bee sting in over 20 years as well!

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Woo Hoo Madamwolf!!! And yer killin me with the bee sting story. I'm in denial about the bee sting thing ~not gonna happen to me.

No bees here yet, but our supers are painted and ready. Beekeepers meeting tomorrow that DH will attend with DS while I am at 4H poultry with DD... Fun!

 

[sgtmom52]

We just picked up six packages today and will be installing them tomorrow. That will bring us up to 12 hives ~ for now. Swarm season is right around the corner and we hope to catch a few.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Julie, Yay! But here's the thing, , if you picked them up today and aren't enstalling them until tomorrow.... Um? Where exactly do you keep them? (yes, this is all new to me)

And what kind did you get? Or kinds??

And do the packaged bees come with a Queen?

 

[sgtmom52]

Julie, Yay! But here's the thing, , if you picked them up today and aren't enstalling them until tomorrow.... Um? Where exactly do you keep them? (yes, this is all new to me)
And what kind did you get? Or kinds??
And do the packaged bees come with a Queen?

We have them in our garage. As long as they are not too cold or hot they are fine for a few days. The apiary where we got them picked them up in Georgia and drove them to their apiary in Maryland on Thursday evening. We could have picked them up either Friday or Saturday. I drove about an hour each way from PA to MD to pick them up this morning.

The package boxes have a can of sugar syrup in them for feeding. We got 3 pound packages with Italian queens. The queens are the important thing ~ the breed of the package bees doesn't really matter as they only live about 4 to 6 weeks and will be entirely replaced by new bees from the eggs laid by the already mated queen. We already have both Italian & Russian hybrids. We had our choice of purchasing either Italian or Russian Queens from this apiary.

The Queens are included in the package and are housed in a small box (queen cage) inside the larger package box. This keeps her safe until the package is installed in the hive. Her box has one screened side which allows the bees int he package to feed her. She also has several "attendants" in her queen cage.

 

[HeartsHomeFarm]

So interesting reading this thread!! Beekeeping is on the list of endeavors my husband and I want to try out in a few years. Looking forward to it!

 

[themadchicken]

i traded a RIR rooster for some honey., but i am confused. its doesn't look like the honey you buy in the stores. the guy said it was crystallized and had to be warmed up. he said to put the containers in warm water and it would go liquidity like honey you buy from stores. does this sound normal. i would like try it but i am a little unsure.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Themadchicken, yes. Crystallized honey can be warmed and is as good as new. We don't have our hives up and running yet, so where can I find this man that will take roosters off my hands and give me honey in exchange?? <JK> but I do think you got a deal there.

 

[mixitup]

I am fascinated by this thread! I've wanted to try beekeeping for a few years now, but have to wait a few more years because of life circumstances. But, for now I have a few questions!

How much property do you have to have? How far away from the house should they be? What kind of placement should they be in? (forest, a few trees?) I don't understand some of the terms, but I have a couple of years to learn before I take the plunge. I'm working too much right now, but if I can get rid of one job within a year or two (I work one full time job from 3-11 pm and have a grooming shop that I run part time from 8-12:30), that would be my new endeavor. I'd like to be more self sustaining.

I'll have to start perusing the internet to find out what you guys are talking about!

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:Originally Posted by themadchicken

i traded a RIR rooster for some honey., but i am confused. its doesn't look like the honey you buy in the stores. the guy said it was crystallized and had to be warmed up. he said to put the containers in warm water and it would go liquidity like honey you buy from stores. does this sound normal. i would like try it but i am a little unsure.

You are lucky! You got raw unprocessed honey ~ the best! The grocery store honey is ultra filtered to remove pollen and then heated to a high temperature to prevent crystallization. Just warm it like you used to warm baby bottles (before microwaves). Stay away from using the microwave as it is very easy to overheat it, as it is a sugar and if overheated can be a dangerous burn hazard.