Questions about beekeeping

[V Chic Chick]

I came home on Friday night to find a swarm attached to the catoniaster (sp?) that covers the garage. Knowing my neighbours across the road are beekeepers, I offered the swarm to them (they were very happy as one of their hives died out last year due to varroa), and they came with all the garb . . . three beekeepers in full veils and suits, at gone 10pm lol.

Still, watching them collect the swarm has got me a bit interested . . . how much day to day work do they require?
More / less than two chickens?
Can they be left for a week whilst we were on holiday?
How much honey does a hive produce (I read somewhere that one bee produces 4g of honey in it's lifetime . . . but how many bees are in a hive?)
Will they improve my fruit and veggie crops, given that there is already one hive in the garden of the house opposite . . . probably about 100m away?

TIA all.

 

[MarkR]

Depends on the time of year and how many hives you have. I have one now, and am getting three more next spring (see? I told you, it's better than crack!). Spring is busy, when I first set up my hive I was suited up and in it every five or so days. Summer slows down except for weekly inspections to see if you need to add supers, a bit later you have to be harvesting honey. Fall time, can get hectic (for me because I'm also headed back to work then (school teacher)), because you have to make sure they have enough honey to make it through the winter, and, if not, feed them and do any medications you're going to do. Winter can be slow, except you'll be in your shop building more hives, painting, and repairing old hive parts, reading whatever great bee book your buddies told you to read, and day dreaming about the spring. Then February hits, and you need to start doing stuff again. You can easily schedule your week away, I'd think. I think around here folks are saying they get between 30-40 lbs a year from a hive. Being my first year, if I get much for me, it'll be lower than that. It'd be nice to see 10 lbs, anything less, I'll leave for them over the winter.

All in all I'd say they're totally different. I'm out with the chickens everyday no matter what the weather, feeding, watering, collecting eggs. Clean out the coop every 4-6 weeks or so. I think my bees would get a little irritated if I poked through their home as much as I do the coop. They compliment each other well, though. They both take up relatively little space. Bees are definately more difficult to care for, but you're not doing it everyday (unless you really, really want to, and you will). I grew up with chickens so they seem really easy to me, though.

Mark