(05-26-2023, 12:21 PM)TheRedneck Wrote: Oh, come on now! No one here is into bee-keeping?
TheRedneck
- Beekeeping takes some effort to get going.
- Honey collection/storage/distribution is way more work than most would think.
- If, what you're really after is the honey, better to save on the effort and just go buy all that you will ever want to eat. The stuff doesn't go bad.
If you're still set on having bees:
Bees live in a house. A house has to have a good foundation. Do not fail or it will cost you.
Bees will get to know you (what you sound like moving around too).
If you feed them (and you will have to), they will trust you and you will only get stung once in a blue moon. The trust phase only requires a minuscule amount of sugar syrup. Walk up and feed them. Go out with your dog running all around you and feed them. Ride up on a horse and feed them. Drive up on your lawnmower and feed them. Drive up on your tractor and feed them. You probably get the point of this exercise.
In the winter, feed them 'pollen patties'. They like water, so don't make them waste time looking for it.All you really need to control them is a smoker. You can go $$crazy$$ on bee clothing, but eventually it's just not worth the trouble and you realize you wound up wasting money. All you have to do is 'listen' to the hive and you'll hear what the bees are saying. When you find the hive tool you like the best ... buy two more ...
Spread out your hives if you've got the room. I've got two (barely connected) rectangular fields that are 100 acres each. I've run four hives (3 honey supers and two deep supers each) total over the past two years and I haven't 'seen' any of them swarm (yet). I've got eight more complete hives out in the barn to catch splits and set out next spring. These still need a lot of work before they're ready to go outside.
Bees get sick. There's a lot of video to watch on YouTube. You'll hear a million different Voodoo stories. Only had to treat for mites. Every prospective beekeeper should plan for that. Several different ways. Some do it differently. Any of 'em seem to be effective if you ask me.
If you're still gonna go down this path, I'd strongly recommend buying your first hive off of Amazon. Get one that comes pre-treated with beeswax. My buddy's a woodworker (and generally one of the handiest guys you could ever meet). He made me all of the components off the Amazon model's design. And, while he's crazy precise, I can assure you the bees are going to seal up any 'craftsmanship drafts'. All of my subsequent hives are painted to keep them preserved. They're cut from white pine. Bees double. Make sure you have enough hives at the ready for this. And, you can't have too many spare frames.
Buy foundation sheets for the interior frames and understand how they fit before you make the frames. Also, start collecting beeswax now if you can (flea market). Bees are better scavengers than a US Army Platoon Sergeant. They'll get a jump on making the comb if you provide old beeswax to build with.
I get about 12gal of honey from one of my hives. That ... is ... a ... butt-ton ... of honey!! I made the mistake of harvesting twice a long time ago. I know other beekeepers get away with it, but you might 'kill' a hive inadvertently like I did. So, I leave them their second harvest and worry about them dying a lot less when it gets cold. Did I say, "Treat for mites?"
All of my neighbors have ALL of the honey they'll probably ever desire. I care for the bees because everyone's crops around here are improved. There are only two other beekeepers I'm aware of around here for miles. They sell their excess honey at the flea market. Not a good way to make money for me. Sterilizing glass jars is more than it's worth to me. I might change my mind if I run all 12 of those hives and they get full fast ... and if I can find a commercial buyer.
I let the preacher know when I'm bringing in honey the following week. I've got two 5gal buckets with honey spouts (those were my biggest investment). I've never brought them back home completely empty. Some people think it's a miracle that they never seem to run dry ... even the time some greedy yahoo dumped out two gallons of water and filled 'em up.
What else ya wanna know?