Any beekeepers out there?

[raeoflyte]

Stories, recommendations?  What kind of hive do you have and are you using it for honey, beeswax, both, etc?  How much did you spend for set up and then for maintenance?  

[Tennesseer]

Raeoflyte-check Facebook if no one can give you an answer here.  There are Facebook sites dedicated to bee keeping individuals and organizations.  A friend of mine is a bee keeper and she goes to these sites.

[billisonboard]

Here is a bee story: 14 million spilled bees on I-5: 

[moneymaven]

Rae - check out a local hive here (Beeyond the Hive). I think they have visits you can arrange to their property.

[olderburgher]

Be careful of facebook beekeeping sites. There is a lot of bad info there. If you are interested in beekeeping join a beekeeping club in your area. I did, took courses they taught and learned a great deal. We've kept bees for 4 years and enjoyed it. We tke a little honey but not a gross amount and are in it as a fun hobby not professionals.

[Phoenix84]

Apr 18, 2015 9:24:14 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Stories, recommendations?  What kind of hive do you have and are you using it for honey, beeswax, both, etc?  How much did you spend for set up and then for maintenance?  

That sounds like a Minnisotapaintlady question. Doesn't raising chickens qualify you to raise bees?

[Tennesseer]

Speaking of bees: I was in my backyard yesterday and saw a roiling mass of some type of insects heading my way. I was curious as they were a bit far away yet I could see them.

Once the got closer, I started hearing the hum of their wings. I was now getting concerned about my safety. As they slowly crossed my property, the hum of their wings got louder and louder. I thought about going into the house and wait for them to pass but then I noticed they were now moving away and slowly flying toward and over my neighbor's home. The hum of their wings slowly diminished in sound. They finally cleared my and my neighbor's property.

There were easily three to four thousand bees in search of a new home. I am not afraid of bugs, bees, spiders and the like. But that mass of bees did scare me a bit.

[flutterby]

I used to keep bees. I'd say start with Italians since they're all around pretty docile and hardy. You can order them from different places, but I think you're too late for this year. Three pounds of bees is about 10,000 bees and includes the queen for about $175. By the end of summer, their number will grow to 50,000 or so. Normal time to order is December, if I remember correctly, and then they're delivered about now. Yes, they come through the mail. The UPS guy will love you.  Unless you have someone (or yourself) who can build a hive to exact measurements, order one. Dadant and Mann Lake are good sources. You'll also want a bee suit, smoker, etc. Also, Beekeeping for Dummies  is a good, entertaining read and covers a lot of common questions and problems that may come up.

I started just because I thought it would be fun. We harvested some of the honey, which was great for my son's allergies. And my flowers never bloomed so well!

[CarolinaKat]

Apr 20, 2015 20:34:18 GMT -5 flutterby said:

I used to keep bees. I'd say start with Italians since they're all around pretty docile and hardy. You can order them from different places, but I think you're too late for this year. Three pounds of bees is about 10,000 bees and includes the queen for about $175. By the end of summer, their number will grow to 50,000 or so. Normal time to order is December, if I remember correctly, and then they're delivered about now. Yes, they come through the mail. The UPS guy will love you.  Unless you have someone (or yourself) who can build a hive to exact measurements, order one. Dadant and Mann Lake are good sources. You'll also want a bee suit, smoker, etc. Also, Beekeeping for Dummies  is a good, entertaining read and covers a lot of common questions and problems that may come up.

I started just because I thought it would be fun. We harvested some of the honey, which was great for my son's allergies. And my flowers never bloomed so well!

This is so cool. Did you have more than one hive?

[olderburgher]

Further thoughts. If you find local beekeepers with bees for sale they may run about $175.00 f0r a "Nuc". A Nuc is an already reproducing small hive usually only 5 frames of bees.  Packages of bees generally come from the south and are 3 lbs. and a mated queen but they aren't in a hive but only a screened box. You need to have your hive built and ready for them when they arrive. Generally where we live someone goes to Georgia at the end of March and brings back a load of packages which have been ordered through the local beekeepers club. If you want to keep bees this year you need to get into such a club to see if there are any bees available to purchase still for 2015. You may be too late for a package this year but not for a Nuc, for example. Be careful of packages sent through the mail. USPS doesn't take any better care of a package of live bees then they do of a box of books so there may be delays in delivery or storage of the bees in a poor climate. You don't want a package of dead bees.

    Look for a local agent of one of the bee equipment manufactures. They may have in stock all the equipment you need. Another well know supplier is  Brushy Mountain.     

Consider getting the supplier's catalog. They may list grouping of equipment needed to begin keeping bees (Brushy Mountain does). Better still get a subscription to the magazine 'Bee Culture" It is filled with info on bees, equipment, etc. and finally take an intro course  for beekeeping from local beekeepers. They will know how local conditions will impact  keeping bees there.

[luckyme]

Apr 20, 2015 20:34:18 GMT -5 flutterby said:

I started just because I thought it would be fun. We harvested some of the honey, which was great for my son's allergies. And my flowers never bloomed so well!

My son has asthma and a few allergies.  I have heard that locally produced honey can be beneficial.  Guess it is worth a try.

Not too long ago they had a local news story about a few hives dying out this past winter.  We had a lot of nights with sub zero temps. 

[flutterby]

Apr 21, 2015 8:15:49 GMT -5 CarolinaKat said:

Apr 20, 2015 20:34:18 GMT -5 flutterby said:

I used to keep bees. I'd say start with Italians since they're all around pretty docile and hardy. You can order them from different places, but I think you're too late for this year. Three pounds of bees is about 10,000 bees and includes the queen for about $175. By the end of summer, their number will grow to 50,000 or so. Normal time to order is December, if I remember correctly, and then they're delivered about now. Yes, they come through the mail. The UPS guy will love you.  Unless you have someone (or yourself) who can build a hive to exact measurements, order one. Dadant and Mann Lake are good sources. You'll also want a bee suit, smoker, etc. Also, Beekeeping for Dummies  is a good, entertaining read and covers a lot of common questions and problems that may come up.

I started just because I thought it would be fun. We harvested some of the honey, which was great for my son's allergies. And my flowers never bloomed so well!

This is so cool. Did you have more than one hive?

I started with one hive. Had that for two years and it did great. Then got a second; that one struggled to take off. Added a third, but on that one the queen died or was killed by the workers, and they swarmed. At least I helped repopulate honey bees in the area.    

[flutterby]

Apr 21, 2015 18:06:36 GMT -5 luckyme said:

Apr 20, 2015 20:34:18 GMT -5 flutterby said:

I started just because I thought it would be fun. We harvested some of the honey, which was great for my son's allergies. And my flowers never bloomed so well!

My son has asthma and a few allergies.  I have heard that locally produced honey can be beneficial.  Guess it is worth a try.

Not too long ago they had a local news story about a few hives dying out this past winter.  We had a lot of nights with sub zero temps. 

The cold weather usually isn't the problem. It stays about 90 degrees inside the hive. It's when it gets damp inside, which is what happened to mine, and they all died.

My YDS gets seasonal allergies. I started giving him a teaspoon of the honey every morning. It made a huge difference! I'd highly recommend trying it, but make sure it's VERY local honey-like within 20 mile of your house, and unprocessed so it has the pollen in it.

[MN-Investor]

No advice to contribute, but this does bring back memories of my grandfather. Born in 1894, he started beekeeping in his teens. When I was was in my teens and at my grandparents' house, I answered the phone when they happened to be out. The caller, from Chicago, was calling to order honey from Grandpa for making mead. That's cool. Apparently, Grandpa was the largest provider of honey to Sioux Bee from the state of Wisconsin when I was growing up. Needless to say, we always had honey on the table.

[Deleted]

These guys invented a new hive with easier honey extraction www.wired.com/2015/02/flow-hive/

This site has beginner sets that might be lower cost to see how you like being a beekeeper www.honeybeesonline.com/beginners-bee-hive/  Looks like you have to spend about $400 in the first year for minimal set up and bees.

Someone that worked for me used to bring one of his hives to work to pollinate from a particular tree he liked that was next to our building. His hive was all stainless with frames inside. I don't see anything like that on line, so now I'm wondering if he built it. He's super handy and we had a machine shop on site, so he might have made it there! 

When I get my new house I might try bees if I find something with 1/2 acre of land. I'm pretty sure that guy that used to work for me would give me some lessons to get started. Otherwise I'll live pretty close to a place that sells local honey. Right now its an hour to get there, but I started buying it for allergies like someone else mentioned. 1 tsp a day. Both my kids (grown) are developing allergies for no apparent reason, so I bought them giant jars with instructions to eat a teaspoon a day.

[raeoflyte]

Dh was going to a class tonight at a local place that sells the equipment and the bees but it didn't work out.  They have another one on Saturday which we'll try to make it to, but if it doesn't work out we'll start getting prepped for next year.  

[Tennesseer]

raeoflyte-saw this article on MSN. I don't know if it will be of use to you though.

Hive Mentality: The Buzz About Local, Artisanal Honey