Bee Keeping

[Hakim]

Go gt 'em Brian! Actually my experience with bees was very interesting, and fun. But alas, one too many part time pursuits, which I dropped after a couple of years, simply because I didn't have the time to do it right. Not that bees require all that much time or care.

Don't be embarrassed about the "Dummies" book(s). They are always written by top experts on the subject, and usually are the best introuction one can find to any topic. I always tell people who are just starting out on any new subject that is somewhat complex, to "go get the Dummies book" on the topic.

Now if you had to start with the "... For Total Idiots" book, you might feel somewhat justified in your embarrassment. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[austi012]

There's a really good discussion board about beekeeping HERE . I too plan to keep bees as soon as I have a place to put them. The folks who contribute to that discussion board seem to be among the nicest anywhere.

cheers

Thaddeus

[DarelS]

Getting in a little late on this thread. My dad and I have kept a few hives on his land for the past 5 years. It's a lot of fun, very interesting, and doesn't require a LOT of work (as livestock go). We haven't tried to make any money on it, but the honey makes a great gift (what you don't eat yourself!) and Dad is convinced his fruit yields have increased since the hives have been there. I am probably going to establish some hives on my property in Missouri next year, to pollinate my just-planted fruit trees. Beekeepers in the Mid-South area are apparently doing pretty well, according to this article in last Sunday's paper: Mid-south Beekeepers

[BrianP]

I had to leave work early the other day because my bees came in. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

Anyway, apparently bees are a use or lose ‘em commodity, so I had to leave work early and drive to Cambridge to pick them up. My hive & various parts weren't even ready yet, so I had to beaver away for a few hours setting everything up. I put my beekeeper hat & veil on (no gloves, etc.) and opened the box with all the bees in it. I've never seen so many bees in my life.

I bought a ‘nuc’ and they give you 4 'frames' about 8 1/2 x 11 in a cardboard box which make a mini hive. I had to tear the box apart and remove these frames and put them in my wooden hive.

It was quite disconcerting to have all these bees flying around and crawling on my hands and arms, but its one of those thing you've just got to overcome: it would have gone from bad to worse very rapidly if I would have dropped a frame. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

Anyhow, I managed to transfer the little beasts and only got stung once. I forgot to tuck in my sweatshirt, and one of them 'got in' and crawled around until finding my armpit and deciding life wasn't worth living anymore. Fortunately, bee stings aren't a big problem for me - I seem relatively immune get a little pain and a swelling about twice the size of a mosquito bite.

So my bees are, apparently, happily ensconced in their new home. Time will tell if I managed to kill the queen or something, but there is a one week 'no peaking' rule.

Last night I got home and asked my youngest (5 years old) if he had seen the bees yet. He said, yes & “Albert (10) got stung”. I asked he “Did you get stung?” he said “No, I run faster than Albert!” [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I don’t know what Albert did to the bees, but all seems in order.

I actually videotaped the whole episode, and maybe I’ll pull a few stills off and post them if anybody is interested.

[gauthier]

Well the one hive that I got left after this winter,[last fall I had 7],swarmed,I got the swarm and hived it,so now I got two,but probably no honey this year,I'll put the new mite stuff on them this fall,called checmite,I believe my mites have become immune to aspian. RICHARD GAUTHIER

[gauthier]

You story about hiving your bee packages doesn't sound like mine.When I get a pack of bees the queen is in a little box in the package with the other bees,she has a couple of workers in there to feed her,her little box has a candy plug at on end,you hang that queen cage in the top frames,candy side up after running a needle through the candy,and the bees get her out in a day or two,that way shes not smothered and the bees calm down and adjust to her.Also I don't use a nuc when hiving packages,just your regular 10 frame hive,put one of those 1 gal. feeder buckets on top of the top inner board,the one with the hole in it,50/50 mix water suger,and put an empty hive body on top folowed by the hive top,than put your intrance reducer in with just little hole open and plug that hole up lightly with grass to keep them in for a day to get used to things,I also just do this in the evenings so they will be in there all night.After a couple of days I go up and check on them and release the queen if she hasn,t already been freed by the workers.It wouldn't hurt at this time to fill there bucket up,make sure you fill it all the way up to the top edge or it will all drain out at one time,and take the grass out if the bees havn't,and I bet they have.Then in a month or two you will need to add a second hive body,if the hive is doing good,you probably won't need to put a super on it this year because it will take them all year to get ready for winter and fill up their two hive bodies,then this fall medicate them,feed them,turn inner covers over big space down,put entrance reducers and mouse guards on,drill another entance hole below hand grab spots on front on both hive boxes.Now I don't wrap hives for winter,it might actually hurt down here in W.VA.,although it gets below zero at times and we have plenty of snow,ventilation is important and if you wrap you stop ventilation,but you are in CANADA right?,so do what people do in your area.One other thing,you need to get you a bee suit,that has attached hood and vail,they are expensive but worth every penny,the next time you go up you will be considered an intruder messing with their home and they will not be happy about that use plenty of smoke to,pine straw works very well if its good and dry. RICHARD GAUTHIER

[gauthier]

I just reread your story,you bought a nuke,I get it now,of course the queen was loose in the nuke,Ive always bought mine in packages,boxes with screened sides with 4 to 5 lb. of bees and the queen in her little cage.You'd think that I like to type as much as I'm doing here,me no like type.RICHARD GAUTHIER

[BrianP]

Yep, I bought a nuc. I didn't know it at the time, I just asked for bees, but I have since learned that nucs are the easiest for beginners. Unfortunately, I won't know for a while whether or not my queen is still alive.

So far, so good. I've got a hive top feeeder, and I can seen the bees coming and going through the restrictor. I understand that I can peek tomorrow to look if the bees are drawing comb, etc..

Interesting, based on your name (Gauthier) and your loss of most of your hives I figured you were from Quebec (where I am originally from). Apparently, they were invaded by resistant mites, and the new medication isn't legal there yet, so at least 50% of hives didn't make it through the winter.

Based on your comments, it sounds like I don't have any chance of getting any honey this year, or did I misunderstand? I was hoping at least for a few drops! Oh well, next year I'll order a few more bunches of bees.

[gauthier]

Yeah I know what you mean about my last name,I guess I'm one of those french hillbillys,terrible mix. You might get some honey this year but the bees come first,they need to full deep hive boxes,[nest,honey],and than some to start the winter off.Nucs would/should be easier to start,they already have some frams started and eggs and some honey stored,I've just always ordered mine and thats how they send them and they got to start from scratch,so if its a good year in your area,you might get a super,which would be plenty for your personal use or close to it.Yeah you need to get a couple more next year,it isn't to late this year if you can get them in a few weeks,I wouldn't think.I'm going to try it one more time next year and order two more packages I think.I'm sure there are closer places for you but BRUSHY MOUNTAIN BEE FARM in north carolinia is where I have ordered most of my stuff from,they got a good catalogue,1-800-233-7929,and I've always been satisfied ordering stuff from them. RICHARD GAUTHIER

[BrianP]

Well, I can't get another nuc, but am going to see if I can get a bunch - o - bees & a queen so I can have 2 hives.

You see, despite all the mad cow excitement (i.e. one cow in a big country with a disease that can spontaneously arise) as I understand it we haven't been allowed to by US bees for quite some time due to all the diseases in US bees. We get them eventually anyway (our bees do), but apparently we are relatively less affected since we only have Canuck bees. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]