Texas

[bnjrob]

Good Morning!

Here is a little something to brighten your day. My daughter posted this link on facebook. It is long but funny and even true.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620.html

 

[galanie]

Good Morning!

Here is a little something to brighten your day.  My daughter posted this link on facebook. It is long but funny and even true.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620.html

I didn't laugh because it's just too true! Having been raised by WWII vets, yep, I see it clearly. But yeah.. LOL.

 

[TexasLisa]

We must be sisters. I too want bees and goats. In fact I've already built a top bar hive. Just waiting for spring to order some. Hope it goes well!

The goats, well, I'll have to mull that one over more. Livestock of any kind is a commitment that I want to be really really sure I want to take on before I do it.

I am thinking about a top bar hive. I figure that is something I will be able to lift! Where are you planning on getting your bees?

I agree with your assessment on goats. If/When we decide to get goats, cows, or pigs we know we will be staying put. Right now, we have neighbors who will keep an eye on our flock while we are gone.

Lisa

 

[Italia]

Hey everyone. I'm popping in on my phone today. Keyboard on laptop fried. Has anyone entered pics for the calender contest? I was thinking about it. I have bee hives. I have some thoughts to share, but typing on this phone is not easy.lol

 

[erikk]

I am thinking about a top bar hive. I figure that is something I will be able to lift! Where are you planning on getting your bees?

Lisa

I have a mix of regular deep (~9 inches tall) and medium (~6 inches tall) beehive equipment. What some people do is have 2-3 deep boxes that are left alone for the bees to keep for themselves as brood rearing and winter honey storage area and put mediums or deeps above that for seasonal honey harvest.

Top Bar hives are great for being able to access easily but make it difficult if you end up wanting to trade equipment with a friend such as when you might want a frame of eggs if you think your hive is queen-less. Langstroth frames can also be easily tossed in the freezer during the plentiful months then pulled out and put back into the hive if you need to feed the bees when they're short on honey stores.

TBH vs Langstroth is a personal decision on what will work best for your situation but I just wanted to make sure everyone is aware that Langstroth hives come in different sizes.

If you're going to get Texas bees make sure you get a very good full-body suit. After 2-3 decades any Texas bees you encounter should be considered "Africanized". To some degree most Texas bees are African-hybrid, some with the mean streak and some not so much.

There's a good Yahoo Groups list that discusses organic, treatment-free beekeeping. I think it's called organicbeekeeping or something like that.

 

[galanie]

I have a mix of regular deep (~9 inches tall) and medium (~6 inches tall) beehive equipment. What some people do is have 2-3 deep boxes that are left alone for the bees to keep for themselves as brood rearing and winter honey storage area and put mediums or deeps above that for seasonal honey harvest.

Top Bar hives are great for being able to access easily but make it difficult if you end up wanting to trade equipment with a friend such as when you might want a frame of eggs if you think your hive is queen-less. Langstroth frames can also be easily tossed in the freezer during the plentiful months then pulled out and put back into the hive if you need to feed the bees when they're short on honey stores.

TBH vs Langstroth is a personal decision on what will work best for your situation but I just wanted to make sure everyone is aware that Langstroth hives come in different sizes.

If you're going to get Texas bees make sure you get a very good full-body suit. After 2-3 decades any Texas bees you encounter should be considered "Africanized". To some degree most Texas bees are African-hybrid, some with the mean streak and some not so much.

There's a good Yahoo Groups list that discusses organic, treatment-free beekeeping. I think it's called organicbeekeeping or something like that.

Thanks Erikk! My decision to do top bar hives grew from a desire to be able to easily make my own hives. Not that it's childs play, and not that I couldn't make a Langstroth if I really wanted to, but it just seems simpler. I like simple. I wasn't aware they came in different sizes but I was aware that you could add the extra boxes to them.

Didn't realize that Texas bees could really be that aggressive. The ones that would come around my Houston home were docile as could be. I could still cup them in my hands and then let them go after a minute w/out getting stung just like when I was a child in the 50's.

 

[Italia]

 

[Italia]

That photo above is right before she decided she had had enough and took off. Got all my shelving dusted in all those hard to reach spots.lol posted two other photos in the contest thread. Thought it would be cool to get a free calendar with one of my chickies in it. Gotta get keyboard fixed pronto.

 

[TammyTX]

Last week I got in "Beekeeping for Dummies" and "The Beekeepers Handbook" both I saw had good reviews on a Texas bee site. I haven't read them yet. There are a lot of cool beehive ideas here: http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2013/03/08/backyard-beekeeping-12-sweet-hive-designs/ including a DIY 55 gallon barrel type and someone who experimented with allowing bees to build in a glass bell jar so you can see them at work.

This past Spring we had a lot of honeybees on the arborvitae and they were noticeably smaller....are those the African bees?



Jungleexplorer - Did you know you can sell your greenhouse plans on Amazon? There is someone who did it with their coop plans, if I remember correctly. Edited: Did you check out Pixoto?




Italia - What a cute photo!! I keep meaning to get my camera out of the safe and take some shots, but every time I remember I'm not home!



Lisa - I have plans for retirement even though it's about three years off because if I don't have plans I'll just sit and rot! No one likes a rotted Tammy.

 

[LauriTX]

Hi again everyone! I haven't been on in a few days so I am lost and going to just pick up here...there were 921 new messages!!!! Anywho...I am waiting patiently for my young girls to start laying any day now...they are 17 weeks this week! My GLW's comb is starting to get bigger and turn red so I am thinking she will probably be first.