Beekeeping

[yobigd20]

There are some good sides to being stung, not by too many bees at the same time tough. Perhaps their sting hurts, but there are claims that the bee sting can be therapeutic. The sting stimulates adrenal glands to produce cortisol, a hormone with anti-inflammatory properties. One characteristic of bee venom is the presence of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. These facilitate bee venom transmission along neural pathways and promote healing in conditions involving nerve disorders. The therapy is difficult to administer.

There is a risk of too many stings in a short period of time and of anaphylactic shock, if one gets attacked by bees, and perhaps that is what scares so many people.

So you're saying that everyone could save a few bucks by skipping their acupuncture appointment and finding their local beehive and giving it a good swift kick to the sweet spot? Sounds like some good Saturday afternoon therapeutic fun.

Seriously though if you offered me a million bucks , still wouldn't do it lol.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

bee stings are strangely good. but painful

and what Bonnie says about not taking honey the first year is really good for the health of the colony.
I'll try and harvest some honey before TMConnect if I can.

 

[GasDoc]

I'd let your crew have until next spring to settle in, build up their reserves, etc. Use the summer to get to know your bees. (Others may disagree, I just like to see them winter over with their own honey, not relying on sugar water - there will be honey next spring and then they'll have wildflowers available to make more.)

So my plan was to add another breeding super at the end of May. Then, after another month, I was going to add another super with a queen excluder and use this for honey.

The suggestion is that I don't harvest this honey this year and let the bees store it for winter?

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

So my plan was to add another breeding super at the end of May. Then, after another month, I was going to add another super with a queen excluder and use this for honey.

The suggestion is that I don't harvest this honey this year and let the bees store it for winter?

I think that is best, or harvest a tiny amount and leave most for the bees.

sugar is so unnatural

 

[Auzie]

People value their health and sometimes there is no medical treatment available. In such circumstances, people become more open to alternative treatments.

I know someone who did bee sting therapy over almost a year. There was no medical treatment available to that person so bees were the only treatment available. First one needs to catch poor bees then get them to sting at a desired spot. Bees die after a sting. The stings are self administered on a daily basis. The dose (or number of stings/day) is gradually increased. The person is not doing it any more and seems to be in perfect health. :smile:

Lets hope that no one needs such treatment, but if one does get stung by a bee, there is an upside to it, unless a person is allergic.

 

[bonnie]

I think that is best, or harvest a tiny amount and leave most for the bees.

sugar is so unnatural

I'm not the only one who harvests once the wildflowers bloom in the spring? Yay. Props to you.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Just curious (not that I'll ever take to beekeeping): are special permits needed to do this? In denser urban settings, is it a cause for concern for neighbors?

 

[bonnie]

Nothing needed where I live, but I'm in a rural area. Usually bees need about a 6' clearance around the hive & they're up and outta there. They roam about 5 miles out from the hive, so you're going to find bees everywhere (you want to find bees everywhere!).

I would not be concerned in an urban setting if a neighbor had a hive or two, unless they had no water source for their bees and the bees found MY pool to be the next best alternative.

 

[Denarius]

Just curious (not that I'll ever take to beekeeping): are special permits needed to do this? In denser urban settings, is it a cause for concern for neighbors?

Most of the cities around here have passed laws allowing bees to be kept. We are required however to register our hives with the dept of agriculture. We are also required to keep a water source so they don't congregate at neighbors swimming pools.

Bees forage at such great distances you aren't going to notice much of a difference if a hive is next door 2 miles away.

 

[Al Sherman]

Just curious (not that I'll ever take to beekeeping): are special permits needed to do this? In denser urban settings, is it a cause for concern for neighbors?

Nothing here either. Though, we are pretty rural too. It's really not an issue anyway. I guess people who are unaware can freak out in neighborhoods. I'm pretty sure I saw a piece on "Sunday Morning" back in the Charles Kuralt days about beekeepers in Manhattan.
Because of Wasps, and Hornets, and particularly Yellow Jackets; honeybees get a bad rap being lumped in as generic "bees." Honeybees are actually gentle, and really not interested in stinging. They're all about the work. A very purpose driven life.
For a while we had a State employee that would come out and look at your hives if you thought there might be a contagious problem, but that position was eliminated due to money.
Most people literally have no idea how important honeybees are in agriculture.

 

[lorih]

This thread is fascinating, and just one more reason I appreciate the TMC community. Thoughtful, helpful, interesting people, always willing to share knowledge.

Thanks everyone for your contribution.

 

[slipdrive]

These threads are a fun relief from the norm. I love the idea of bees! At 6,000 ft in Colorado overwintering bees appears to be an increasing problem here though. I have several acquaintances who have consistently lost colonies. Could be lack of knowledge, pesticides, disease...but applause for their effort. As my task is keeping many fruit trees and flowering plants thriving, I have asked around if anyone would like to locate a few hives on the property. The compromise with my family is they would have to be outside the fence along the ditch. Then the search for a beekeeper prompted the issue of BEARS! I would have missed that one... Before bring in bees, they would require that I first contact the Dept. of Wildlife, who would coach me in building a bear fence, that is, an eight foot cinderblock bear wall enclosure! I knew the hive had to be skunk and raccoon proof, as they scratch and claw their way to a bee breakfast. But now Bears...
Still may pursue it, as the plants could really benefit, as well as the community. Nothing good is easy though ....

Good luck to all !!

 

[FlasherZ]

I don't think I'll have my first harvest yet.

Experienced beekeepers, what's the best case scenario. 3 months?

First year with a colony (especially when package delivery runs into May), I never expect to pull anything off the hive. I harvest once a year but subscribe to the more natural methods - I don't feed my bees throughout the year and leave them to forage flowers. If you feed them like crazy, you can get honey within a few months, but it's not really honey; they just stored the sugar syrup they ate.

 

[GasDoc]

First year with a colony (especially when package delivery runs into May), I never expect to pull anything off the hive. I harvest once a year but subscribe to the more natural methods - I don't feed my bees throughout the year and leave them to forage flowers. If you feed them like crazy, you can get honey within a few months, but it's not really honey; they just stored the sugar syrup they ate.

My hive is now full of my new bees and buzzing. I've got one quart of home made simple syrup feeding them. I think that I'll stop after they finish it and they can fend for themselves.

Hundreds of bees coming in and out of the three inch entrance and going for orientation flights!

 

[FlasherZ]

I'm afraid of bees. [...] I keep about 10 full cans of raid spread out around my house and the doors.

The one big difference between honeybees and wasps/yellowjackets is that wasps are carnivores and aggressive. Short of you stepping on one with bare feet or destroying a hive, bees are going to leave you alone. My sons pick them up off flowers and let them crawl on their hands and arms.

Carpenter bees may be annoying but most of them can't sting you. They're just destructive. The males are the protective ones that fly at you, but they're incapable of stinging. The females rarely do.

As mentioned upthread, I used to be horribly afraid of all stinging insects, but have learned to love the bees.

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My hive is now full of my new bees and buzzing. I've got one quart of home made simple syrup feeding them. I think that I'll stop after they finish it and they can fend for themselves.

Hundreds of bees coming in and out of the three inch entrance and going for orientation flights!

I should have clarified a bit - when you've installed a new package of bees into brand new woodware (without drawn comb), you *should* feed them for a while. They'll need it as they have to draw the wax and that's incredibly intensive for the bees. I feed new packages constantly for 2-3 weeks. I also add a bit of lemongrass extract to the sugar syrup because it has been shown to help reduce diseases in colonies.

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I'm not the only one who harvests once the wildflowers bloom in the spring? Yay. Props to you.

I don't, I find it stresses the colonies a bit too much to harvest twice. I have had hives with 6 supers before, though.

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I would not be concerned in an urban setting if a neighbor had a hive or two, unless they had no water source for their bees and the bees found MY pool to be the next best alternative.

For what it's worth, my bees have a pond less than 100 yards from them but still prefer to fly to my pool (200 yards) for the clean water. The bees love to drink from the misters that wet the slide. My boys have learned how to live with them, although some people that come over are apprehensive.

Then again, I have butterfly bushes a few yards from the pool and they're always full of bumblebees.

 

[Denarius]

I was finally able to inspect my hive. My girls have been busy! I've gone foundationless and they've already drawn out 4 frames, plus half of another 2. I also spotted eggs, so my queen has started laying!

I had to pull one piece of comb that ended up in the wrong place, but everything else was perfect!

 

[FlasherZ]

For a while we had a State employee that would come out and look at your hives if you thought there might be a contagious problem, but that position was eliminated due to money.
Most people literally have no idea how important honeybees are in agriculture.

Our state inspector covers 13 counties, but she's a fixture in the beekeeping community -- she's not just some state regulator type but a beekeeper herself.

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I had to pull one piece of come that ended up in the wrong place, but everything else was perfect!

Attached to the bottom of the queen cage, yes? That's pretty common on a package install. I keep the chunks of pristine wax to show kids at school.

 

[Denarius]

Attached to the bottom of the queen cage, yes? That's pretty common on a package install. I keep the chunks of pristine wax to show kids at school.

Actually no. I released my queen right away. The comb was between the last frame and the feeder attached to the side of the frame since there was a gap larger than "bee space."

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Our hive that swarmed last Friday is swarming again today. the bees all landed on a kiwi at the same height off the ground (4 ') . I was at an earth day event yesterday at a local natural foods store w/ my car and the beekeper who took my first swarm last Friday said they have completely drawn out a box already, the fastest bees he has ever seen!
Our hive is still so full and the are thousands of bees on the kiwi. We are just going to let them do what they want.

when we got them last spring we tried to feed them syrup but they didn't seem to want it
I have heard about the lemongrass, sounds good (+ tasty ;>

 

[FlasherZ]

Actually no. I released my queen right away. The comb was between the last frame and the feeder attached to the side of the frame since there was a gap larger than "bee space."

Interesting... well, you have a good chunk of wax. I decided against using frame feeders and instead use an upside down jar mounted in the hole of the inner cover (and an empty honey super to raise the outer cover over the jar).

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Our hive that swarmed last Friday is swarming again today. the bees all landed on a kiwi at the same height off the ground (4 ') .

Ugh, an afterswarm. Did you watch the queen hatch process / clean up any additional queen cells after the first swarm?