Last Year I Started Beekeeping - So Exciting

[Avonlea22]

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+1

 

[Sooner]

What would be some tips for the first time bee keepers?

I have started out with two books, serching the internet & looking at catalogs to see pictures of the things they talk about in the books. I have been considering bee's for 2 yrs & it inital cost is what has slowed me down.

 

[pampered_poultry]

I would rather run upon 10 rattlesnakes than deal with one little bee hive.............


Not allergic....... just don't getting along with flying objects in my space.

 

[RaZ]

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Sounds like his mind was made up even before knowing the facts. I hope you can change his mind. Having bees would be a great learning experience for the grandkids. Especially if you have an observation hive.

For those of you who are afraid of bees, I can understand but bees will avoid you unless you are violating their space or disturbing them. Wasps and hornets are another story. Learn to identify the difference and you discover a fasinating aspect of nature.

Joining a club is probably the best way to get started. If there isn't a club nearby, contact your county extension office for information. Like raising our chickens, books and the internet will get you a lot of information (both good and bad) but if you really want to learn the art you need the hands-on experience.

Also check your local ordinance and laws. Where I live they have outlawed bees completely so I don't advertise that I keep hives in the backyard.

Good luck.

 

[Orpy Lady]

Today I squirted oxalic acid on the frames of the bees that are in the two hives. This treatment is necessary this time of year to help the bees get rid of varroa. There is a lot of research being done about this tiny bug that can attack and kill the complete hive. It is a tiny insect and not a virus. A strong healthy hive can cope with it, but this time of year being winter, you need to give the bees all the help you can. Varroa is increasing rapidly all over Great Britain and has also been found on the Continent, the bee population is declining in the world. We need bees to fertilise the crops, we need vast amounts of honey which is produced as a natural sweetner in industrial factories that make cakes and the like. No bees, no crops for the world, no crops for the world, no food, no food for the world - we die!!!! Sandy

 

[flgardengirl]

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Yeah my dh says the same thing..."I hate bees".."me and bees don't get along" that's too bad for him lol.

Did anyone see that article the other day on Yahoo where they found that parasitic flies are now thought to be partially responsible for colony collapse.

 

[skunknchatter]

I aquired a nearly dead hive (starvation and moist hive conditions) last spring from a neighbor. By the end of the summer it was thriving. My population was amazing and they made honey like the meant business. I really enjoyed them. I requeened them because the queen they raised was laying all over the place rather than in a nice tight formation. That seemed to solve the problem. But after stepping on two in bare feet and having my foot swell up like a volley ball and itch for 2 weeks I sold the hive (for a nice profit though

) I also had a crawling toddler that I was afraid would crawl over a bee (clover in our grass) and get stung. I plan on getting bees again either this spring or next now that I have better places to set my hive (away from me and the baby). Congrats on your bees! They are super fun. I did steal one frame of honey from them before they were sold and it is amazing!

 

[Orpy Lady]

oh such a shame,but then that could have been bees from elsewhere. We had bees on our lawn and we never had a bee hive then. Sandy

 

[Sooner]

Does anyone have experiance with bee's & horses??

 

[mothergoose]

We are hoping to get bee's this year too. We are huge gardeners and would love the added help it would give our plants not to mention our own honey...my family goes wild for fresh churned butter with honey (honey butter)! I will keep an eye on your thread as well.
Christie