Beekeeping...

[level3Navigator]

I really want to get started with bee keeping. I've been reading about it for some time, but many books tend to wax philosophical and lack the voice of solid experience. So I thought I would start a thread here and see if others on the board have done any bee keeping and what advice you can give me to get started.

Any and all comments are welcome!

[prairiemom]

I feel the same frustration. I think I'm just going to have to find a local beekeeper and see if he will let me "apprentice" for a while.

[Kenneth]

I did beekeeping as a kid but I do not remember too much. I am thinking of buying hives again.

Here are some videos that even include how to install a package (bees) to a hive.

http://www.nebees.com/package.php

[cHeroKee]

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[level3Navigator]

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Sweet! Thanks...

[level3Navigator]

I did beekeeping as a kid but I do not remember too much. I am thinking of buying hives again.

Here are some videos that even include how to install a package (bees) to a hive.

http://www.nebees.com/package.php

Now that is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks, Kenneth!

[Kenneth]

You might like to look at these also... free magazines from a beekeeping school.

http://indianabeekeepingschool.com/downloadindex.shtml

[Kenneth]

And I found this site informative. They have a lot of lessons (I think it is up to 28 lessons now).

It is a blog and goes step by step and now that you seen the videos, these will make even more sense as you read them.

http://basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com/2007/09/lesson-one-in-beekeeping-introduction.html

[level3Navigator]

Returning and reporting back on this subject...

I went out and ordered a starter kit, but upon (short term) reflection wish that I had spent the money on raw materials to build my own. At least this will give me a good model to go off of. Should others be interested, the best pricing on a starter kit was here:

http://www.beekeepingstarterkit.com/product/M58101

The pricing was best for me due to shipping (from CA to UT) so your area might differ.

I also found some great plans for the DIY, although I think I will enjoy having a real live template, i.e. the starter kit, from which to work. The plans are here:

http://www.beesource.com/plans/langstroth.htm

I was also able to find some 2 lb. and 3 lb. bees / queen from Knight Honey in Lehi, UT. Prices seemed quite reasonable, but you had to pick them up yourself on a specific date (April 19th). Again, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) due to location, etc.:

http://www.knightfamilyhoney.com/packagedbees.html

I also found out that a semi-close neighbor had raised bees the previous year, and trotted on over last evening to get some direct experience. He tells me that he was able to get 86 gallons of honey out of a single hive last year. Wahoo! Now THAT is some great food storage... and it is self-renewing with a little work on my part!

Thanks to all for your help. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Kenneth]

I found this video site. This site actually has a lot of cool videos for beginners... things like raising chickens, to duck hunting, deer hunting, dyi projects and more...

http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/65_beekeeping.htm

Anyhow, check out these videos on beekeeping

[level3Navigator]

I found this video site. This site actually has a lot of cool videos for beginners... things like raising chickens, to duck hunting, deer hunting, dyi projects and more...

http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/65_beekeeping.htm

Anyhow, check out these videos on beekeeping

Sweet! (pun intended)

[Kenneth]

Which queen did you go with and why?

[level3Navigator]

Which queen did you go with and why?
I went with the Italian Queen as I have read that they are one of the most non-aggressive. Since I am setting this up in my backyard (1/2 acre, but still), I don't want them terrorizing the neighborhood. Except, perhaps, for those punk kids that come tooling down the paved horse path on their skateboards. :-)

And, also, I thought of Dolcezza and figured if one Italian is good, the other had got to be great, too!

[thor610]

I keep bees. I have done it for several years now, but it is only one hive and I am minimalist hand's on. I am a novice. The best advice is to find a local beekeeping association and join. Also, the Dummies book for Beekeeping is the only book I kept on beekeeping after having and reading several others.

[Julie]

A warning about bee keeping.
You need a license.
You need to make sure they have water close by
There are bee hives not too far from my house. I can hardly go outside because there are hundreds of honey bees in my yard. Why? for the water from my garden. Now what am I supposed to do about that? My kids are afraid they will be stung and the neighbors complain that they can't swim in their pool and their pool is full of dead bees and dying bees and they sting.
So the best thing for bees is to keep them as far away from people as possible.

[level3Navigator]

A warning about bee keeping.
You need a license.


That depends on the jurisdiction. In my city / state, I am not required to do so.



You need to make sure they have water close by


True, and I have done so, both with a pond / waterfall about a hundred feet away, and a hose bib that will be at a drip five feet away.



There are bee hives not too far from my house. I can hardly go outside because there are hundreds of honey bees in my yard. Why? for the water from my garden. Now what am I supposed to do about that? My kids are afraid they will be stung and the neighbors complain that they can't swim in their pool and their pool is full of dead bees and dying bees and they sting.
So the best thing for bees is to keep them as far away from people as possible.

Sorry to hear that you are having such a negative experience. On the flip side, it is nice that you are getting all of that pollination done on your garden and other plants. Honey bees, though, unless they have been africanized (i.e. killer bees), are generally not the stinging type, unlike wasps and yellow jackets. If they feel their hive is being threatened, then yes, they will be aggressive. I wouldn't ever closely approach a beehive from the "porch" side, but being in a seperate backyard should not be an issue for the bees.

I also note that many beekeepers (and their families) have built up an immunity to the bee venom, so that the sting doesn't result in as much (if any) swelling. I'll report back in a year or so and let you know if this is true. :-)

Of course, some people are allergic to bees, which is a different case. Is that the case with your family? If not, don't put the fear of God into your kids (or yourself) regarding bees. If the bees weren't there, you would have another (probably more aggresive) insect flying around, i.e. wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and other nasties. We can't live life cowering in a cave! :-) Especially in reagrd to such a beneficial insect as the mild mannered honey bee.

I also don't know the dynamics of your neighborhood. How large are the lots? How much fencing do you have? In my situation, I am located on and surrounded by horse property, with a 1/2 acre on each plot. My neighbor, who is on a 1/4 acre lot, rasied his bees right by the horsetrail. No one on the path ever got stung, although a neightbor boy about 200 yards away did a couple times, it is reported. But who knows whose bees (or hornets) those were.

[SNIX]

I am learning beekeeping. I just took an all day course at a local college on bio-dynamic beekeeping. A few things that really stuck with me are...

1. There is a lot you can learn about life by observing bees. The skep that was donned as the symbol of a growing nation of LDS in Utah was very apt.

2. You don't need all that stuff. You could spend thousands of dollars investing in a multitude of gadgets...that may or may not increase the quality of the experience...or you could just buy or make a box and go find a swarm. Like in those cave drawings above.

The man who is mentoring me in beekeeping wears no protective gear. I thought he was nuts until I did it too. An entire class of people stood in a swarm of bees being put into a box and no one was stung. He never buys bees...because he is contacted by local agencies when people complain about hives and swarms. His "natural" methods rarely are the victim of the colony collapse.

As far as preparedness goes...it seems wise to learn the most rudimentary methods. If you relocate to some other land...and have none of your "stuff" your skills may be hampered.

I recommend a book called "natural beekeeping". It discusses many of the methods my mentor uses.

[arbilad]

bump

[Gingersnap]

Just took a beginner beekeeping class today. I understand that local honey helps allergies go away. By eating a teaspoon of unheated honey daily, you are getting the local pollens. Sounds good to me. Visited a friend with honey bees and it was really not as scary as I thought it might be.

The class I attended was conducted by a master beekeeper - there are only five in our state and most are in their 80's. I think I'll start next spring - after taking classes through the winter and joining a bee club. Apparently, March is the best month to start a hive.

[arbilad]

I am looking forward to getting my bees next week. I know this is pretty late in the season, but I'm getting a colony nuc (short for nucleus) instead of package bees, as most people get and the lady I'm getting it from wanted to give the bees a chance to get established before shipping them.
I've also been looking into using essential oils to help manage the hive. For instance, cinnamon is supposed to help control american foul brood in hives.

[lurker]

I've got 2 Langstroth hives going strong and healthy. This spring my buddy and I built 8 top bar hives and they are now fully stocked with bees that have produced lots of comb. Top bar hives are easy to build from scrap lumber. Ours even have glass viewing ports to minimize tearing into the hives for inspections.

See this website for more info:
http://backyardhive.com/

I am also taking a queen-rearing class next Saturday. Our goal is to create our own nucs so we can stop buying packages and replace our own dead/unproductive queens.

Our goal is to build and stock 10 more hives per year for the next couple of years.

[arbilad]

Backyardhive.com is indeed a great resource. They had a booth at our stake preparedness fair last year. They have a lot of articles, they sell useful gear, and they seem like an all around good company.
I've already ordered several things from them.

[ktcottle]

Yesterday my friend and I spun and filtered 2.5 gallons of honey. It's not a lot, but it was definitely fun and a great first attempt for the both of us. The honey was very, very good. I'm amazed how different the taste is vs store bought honey. I wonder if location is a big factor.

[Gingersnap]

The master beekeeper that taught my Saturday class talked at length about using essential oils, drivert (sp?) sugar and vitamins to keep the bees healthy. He didn't mention cinnamon, but is coming out with a new book this November that should allow a person to learn all that is necessary to have a natural/healthy hive. Will update this thread with any info I can gather that will be helpful.

[arbilad]

There was a scientific study that cinnamon oil could be as effective as antibiotics for controlling american foul brood.
The essential oils I've heard mentioned most often in connection to bees are lavender, lemon grass, and tea tree oil.

[Dr.Jride]

There was a scientific study that cinnamon oil could be as effective as antibiotics for controlling american foul brood.
The essential oils I've heard mentioned most often in connection to bees are lavender, lemon grass, and tea tree oil.

Can you lead me to this scientific study? I've never heard anything about cinnamon oil.
I had two hives last year and produced about 12 gallons of honey. This year I'll have 4 hives. Trying a new queen called Sunkist Cordovan Italian that is supposed to run up the population in the hive to 120,000, double the normal count. I also have 1 hive that's from Beeweaver in Texas that has been bred to use NO chemicals. It did very well last year.

[arbilad]

http://www.bulletinofinsectology.org/pdfarticles/vol62-2009-093-097gende.pdf

[arbilad]

Considering that each bee, over her lifetime, makes a fraction of a teaspoon of honey, a lot of bees would help make a lot of honey.
Of course, I made a top bar hive, so it will hold significantly less bees than a langstroth hive would. But I'm not trying to go big my first year, I'm just trying to get the hang of beekeeping. I'm also getting bees from Zia Queen Bees; they're supposed to have calm and well behaved bees. They use essential oils as well. They will put a grease patty with wintergreen into the hive, for instance.
But I'm really setting my expectations low as far as honey, since I want to make sure that my bees have enough honey to overwinter without my feeding them, if possible.