Bee Keeping

[67rustavenger]

I searched and didn't find a Bee Keeping thread here.

I have two Bee hives this year. One is in my backyard and the other is at my son in laws ranch 40 miles away.
The backyard hive has a wild caught swarm of bees in it and the one at the ranch has bees purchased from California.

All these bees are of a European variety.

The caught swarm hive has a feeder jammed in the entry door to help the bees get established and encourage breeding. The liquid feed is from Harvest lane Honey in Utah. So far the bees have consumed 2 qrts. of the liquid feed. I think I'll keep this up for another 2 weeks then they are on their own for the time being. By then the neighbors gardens should be taking off with fresh flowers for these little girls (most Honey bees are female) to pollinate.

Anyone here have any experience keeping bees? If so maybe we can bounce ideas off each other from time to time.

Stay safe everyone.
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[zimblewinder]

26 hives. We do it easy here is Oz. The Eucalypts flower really late and different varieties have diverse flowering times, and then the acacias (wattles) kick in through winter. So as long as they have on a box of full frames come late Autumn, the clear warmer days to forage in winter will get them through to the first of spring. Some pros rip them off until they have to feed them through winter but I prefer to let them alone with the extra frames and they always come out of it in top condition and I can usually split off a swarm really early in Spring. Also the farmers here want boxes for pollination services in good health right at the beginning of spring so if you're bag feeding them through the winter they wont be up to scratch in time for service.

I occasionally bag feed a box when I move it at the wrong time. I make up a sugar syrup (look up the recipeon the net) in a zip lock bag with a few holes spiked in it, and put it on the inner top cover. Helps avoid attracting raiders at the entrance.

Tell me more about what flowers around you and when. You're ultimately going to get more brood if they can get out and load up on pollens. Feeding them too long can lead to under nutrition and ppor breeding/health.
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[wiscokid]

I'm on my sixth year keeping bees, I started with one colony and over the years have been up to as many as three with catching swarms. Other then last winter, the preceding two were real bad for my Italians, so I'm trying Russian hybrids and they seem to be going into their second season well, I just need some warmer temps to check and see how all those ladies are doing. I'm down for another source of information and am more than happy to share what I have learned.
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[heimlich]

I'd like to have some actual hives. Right now we have one under the house I grew up in that is on the water. Lots of salt air and flowers there.

My wife and I were in Canada a while back and were able to pick up some buckwheat honey. That stuff is just delicious. It's amazing that honey takes on the taste/smell of what it eats.
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[KTPhil]

When I lived in the boonies outside of L.A., we had a nearby beekeeper and that was mostly buckwheat honey, delicious!

I had a neighbor with one hive. In his case, the neighbors didn't even know... high hedges on either side, and the bees had an established flight path in and out that isn't get close to the property lines.

Those damn killer hornets are near you in WA state... not sure what you can do about that.

[Splitdog]

[mark tucker]

I had thought about it, but knowing me I would forget about them when they needed me. I have lotsa fruit,citurs,flowers,vedatables and such hear, not neer as many bees as in the past, but the ones that do come seem to do the job just fine. we also have the yeller jackets,wasp& dirt daubbers...not tomany dirt daubers.also some tiny bees of some sort...they dont like to be screwed with...at all. the bumbles&reg bees dont mind me and land on me quite offten and just walk around with me. humming birds are getting rare to see.I wish these dam wasp would go away. the rest I dont mind any at all.( as long as I see the tiny bees before they get me.... very few hornets hear for soome reason. I did look into all the stuff to do it and almost ordered it all.. Im sure my citurus would be some good hunny .

[Abscate]

Does it help to put up the fake hornet nests nearby to keep the scouts away?

I love watching the way bees cook the hornet scouts when they find the hive
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[coad]

There's a great old book from 100 years ago about owning a small farm called "Five Acres and Independence." There's chapters on raising chickens, and pigs, and all the things you can do to make a living with a small farm.

Then it gets to the chapter about bee keeping and it says, "A man can make a good living keeping bees. Unfortunately, for the time and effort involved he can make a better living doing just about anything else."

[67rustavenger]

The recommendation is to feed for the dormant month between fruit tree blooms and the take off of gardens veggies and flowers. The swarm capture was right as the fruit trees lost all their flowers. The hive was new to the swarm and I didn't want them to die off from lack of something to eat.

In my area we have mostly conifers and deciduous trees. I just looked outside and noticed that the neighbors Rhododendron trees are beginning to bloom. They get lots of flowers on them. The flowering plants are those that are resistant to drowning during the winter/spring rains.

My current problem is. The doorway feeder attracts ants. I can't treat them.
As it would very likely have an adverse affect on the bees.
I kinda like the idea that you use. With the pricked bag in the top of the hive. I'll have to remember that one.

The other issue I have is. While I have a garage full of tools for working on cars. I lack a simple torch to ignite the pellets for my smoker. It sounds dumb, I know. But it's an issue. No smoke = angry bees

Thanks for commenting.

[67rustavenger]

The "Murder hornets" are not likely to kill my bees.
Now if we were talking mites. Yea, those kill of colonies yearly.
We have Yellow Jackets here. Nasty little buggers. They try to invade the hives, The bees work as a team and fight them at the door way to the hive. It's a pitted battle. Where many bees die in an effort the rid the hive of the invader.

The other unexplained phenomena in the USA is colony collapse. My son in law lost 4 out of 5 hives last winter. These appeared to be healthy hives before the death. We have no idea what happened. He treats the bees for mites. We are puzzled on this one.

I guess it's all part of the learning of the novice bee keeper.

[zimblewinder]

With a swarm, I usually steal a frame of honey out of another hive and put that in with them straight away. I also never give them new frames to start. I put in old comb frames. Saves them some energy and they like the smell of old frames. The queen gets down to filling them up straight away too. Then if they still have itchy feet they're encouraged to stay while there is food available. Never had a swarm shoot through once its housed with me.

With the ants, put your box on four base pegs (blocks or half a brick each corner) on oil baths (a jar lid upside down with some vegetable oil in it - they don't like petroleum based products smell- try decanting some gasoline next to a beehive!). I never put a hive on the ground if I can avoid it. You'll be amazed what else gets in there to upset the ladies. Most of the time I just grab scrap pallets from the local industrial area

Just an important point, you see alot of old keepers on the net in a pair of shorts and singlet, no safety gear. I know of a keeper that lost his life when he dropped a box. He didn't have an allergy, just the massive toxic shock from the hive full of angry bees was enough to end him. So no matter how experienced or confident you are and how unreactive you are to stings, be safe.

[nsracing]

I have wanted to delve into this hobby of bee keeping. Maybe later when I have more land.

But looking into this activity might be a nice endeavor worthwhile.

[67rustavenger]

[nsracing]

I have watched tons of videos on YT years back - i can see myself doing this. All that lovely honey - good for you too and helps all the plants all over. Healthy all around. One of the best hobbies IMO>.

I am looking into buying a 60 acre farm property in middle KY -hope I get it. I am looking forward to a quiet farm life in my old age.

When I bought my other home in Nebraska, I found some bee keeping items in the garage the past owner had. Left me all kinds of plank woods and timbers and garage stuff. CAnnot wait to enjoy them in near future.

[bobhill8]

I've been keeping a hive or 2 for about ten years now. It's a challenge and I still have a lot to learn. Lots of different philosophies on how to do it. Very satisfying when it goes well but also incredibly frustrating when it doesn't. Sort of like working on old VW's. It's pretty special when you open up the hive and it's teeming with activity and they are just packing it with nectar, which is what is happening right now here in MA

[67rustavenger]

Neighbor yelled over the fence Monday evening, "Hey, do you know how to get a hold of the Bee guy?" I'm standing there blank stare on my face. John can see my hive through the fence. In my mind, I'm like, Duh!
Called my BIL and asked if he had time to capture a swarm. " Nope, busy for the next couple hours. But if you want it. There's a hive ready to go in my backyard."

Over the next few hours I prepared to and captured a swarm of bees from another neighbors hive.
The frustrating part of capturing bees here is, we have bamboo in the area. For some reason the bees like to swarm on that plant. What a pain to get without dumping the whole swarm on the ground when the bamboo breaks as it's bent over to drop the bees into a container for transfer to the new hive.
I managed to capture them and get them into their new home. I left the hive in John's yard as he expressed an interest in keeping bees too.

My SIL captured a swarm this week. Using a capture box he made from some old cedar fence boards. He hung it in a pine tree at his ranch last weekend and magically the bees came to it. The swarm capture box is similar to this,

Anyway, keep them buzzin and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!