Let's see--

Here were our first two beehives their first year in our backyard apiary.







Now there are more hives and it's not nearly so pretty. No current pics.

Other beekeepers? Beekeeping questions?

Kitties

YOu know what?

More important than reading is finding your local beekeeper's association/club. Usually the County Agent knows who/when they meet, etc.

They can teach you more in a couple of hours than all the books you can read in a year.

Not saying research/books are bad, but you learn SO much more from going to these and they always have speakers from the local research universities and such. Here, we can drive an hour to KSU and they have the state apiarist housed there, with a bunch of research going on and all that.

You can get newsletters from your state association/state apiarist that tells you what's happening in your area and such.

I cannot say enough about keeping connected to your local club/association. It keeps your interest up, and you will find beekeeping mentors there who will help you get started, come out and look at your hives if you have questions/problems, help you go through your hives the first time and show you what to look for, etc. Heck, they even can help you learn to light your smoker so it keeps going. Not the easiest thing to do.

ETA: I'm BETTING that the local clubs run a "beginning beekeeping" class once a year or so. I bet it costs $20 or less to attend. ARound here, my association dues are $15 per year (and that includes state association membership and the newsletters and meetings/conferences they run). The "attendance fee" for our local club's regional "bee school"--an all day event with classes and workshops and a product expo--is $8.

Beekeepers, as a rule, are a cheap bunch.
Kitties

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By Waldo: Pretty sure you have to have hives inspected in this state. That's not a bad thing. The state apiarists are usually great guys--helpful--make suggestions, and can help you ward off disease and notice things you might not. I almost wish we had required annual inspections here, because it would keep beekeepers from abusing pesticides and building up immunity in the pests, which causes untold problems. But I know a lot of people would consider that intrusive. From my experience though, this kind of thing is not an intrusive 'gubmint out ta git ya' thing. It's helpful and friendly. They want to encourage beekeeping, not discourage it. And inspections here, if you request them, are done at no charge. Kitties

Absolutely. I was dead-set against having "the government in my business" when I first started. I later learned you WANT to register your colonies and have them inspected regularly. Most of the inspectors are GREAT guys and have tons of experience--which they are eager to share. They will teach you how to spot foul brood (and other diseases/parasites) and will teach you more in a couple of hours than you can learn by reading and your own experience in several years.

One other VERY IMPORTANT aspect of having your colonies registered is the ever-present threat of spraying insecticides. It is the responsiblity of sprayers to notify you and take action to protect your bees. They can't do this if you aren't registered. If you are registered and your bees are harmed, they are responsible for making it right. If not, you are SOL.

Great looking hives!

Originally Posted By thebeekeeper1: Absolutely. I was dead-set against having "the government in my business" when I first started. I later learned you WANT to register your colonies and have them inspected regularly. Most of the inspectors are GREAT guys and have tons of experience--which they are eager to share. They will teach you how to spot foul brood (and other diseases/parasites) and will teach you more in a couple of hours than you can learn by reading and your own experience in several years. One other VERY IMPORTANT aspect of having your colonies registered is the ever-present threat of spraying insecticides. It is the responsiblity of sprayers to notify you and take action to protect your bees. They can't do this if you aren't registered. If you are registered and your bees are harmed, they are responsible for making it right. If not, you are SOL. Great looking hives!

Thanks. Wish the hives looked as good now. I'm just hoping my poor girls have made it without me this summer.

And as to notifying about spraying? AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Like that's gonna happen here! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! No, seriously. I wish it would, but we don't get that. I'm surrounded by rowcroppers. I have told the main one (6000 acres) around me that I'd surely appreciate it if he'd let me know his spray schedule, and I'd shut up my bees the night before he sprays, but he hasn't, and I don't expect he will. I don't think they're liable here.

Fortunately, I haven't had a lot of trouble with that yet. Crossing fingers that soybean rust doesn't get so bad here that they have to start spraying during bloom time. THat'll be the end of my hives I'm guessing.

Originally Posted By raygixxer89: Who do I contact to get rid of a bee hive that is located inside a rotted railroad tie? I was outstide cutting some branches and was attacked and stung several times. I don't want to use poison because I would like to harvest the comb if possible.

The first question is, are they honeybees?

Are you CERTAIN they are honeybees?

Oh, and if they are honeybees, and you contact a beekeeper to come get the bees, and you plan to keep the comb with the honey, you won't get a very warm reception. REmoval of a swarm is something you normally will have to pay for. It's a LOT of work, and the beekeeper needs the comb to get the swarm set up in a hive.

Originally Posted By thebeekeeper1: Absolutely. I was dead-set against having "the government in my business" when I first started. I later learned you WANT to register your colonies and have them inspected regularly. Most of the inspectors are GREAT guys and have tons of experience--which they are eager to share. They will teach you how to spot foul brood (and other diseases/parasites) and will teach you more in a couple of hours than you can learn by reading and your own experience in several years. One other VERY IMPORTANT aspect of having your colonies registered is the ever-present threat of spraying insecticides. It is the responsiblity of sprayers to notify you and take action to protect your bees. They can't do this if you aren't registered. If you are registered and your bees are harmed, they are responsible for making it right. If not, you are SOL. Great looking hives!

Hey, uxb says you don't keep bees anymore?

Originally Posted By thebeekeeper1: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By thebeekeeper1: . Hey, uxb says you don't keep bees anymore? I have a half-dozen colonies--but I rarely work them.

Are they at your house? Have they held together even though you haven't worked them? This will be the first year I've ignored mine completely (fed some in the spring during the cold snap). I fully expect to lose them because of the unfortunately sucky work summer I'm having. Wondering how long they'll stay around without any maintenance. I lost two hives last year that swarmed, then had queen failure. Learned real quick what an ugly mess wax moths make. Ugh. I've killed the moths, but haven't cleaned the equipment yet. I dread it.

I fear that fate for the rest of my hives because of my neglect. Guilt prevails.

Originally Posted By thebeekeeper1: I had one at my house--which turned into three via swarming. I had two which died last winter and they were repopulated via swarming due to my neglect of not putting supers on the one strong one which remained. They all appear to be doing well now. I will feed next month as needed for the winter. I have several more at my farm in Missouri--I hived one swarm and otherwise haven't touched them. They haven't been worked for about three years. They don't NEED a beekeeper's touch, especially if they have two hive bodies and a super (or two)--it just helps.

My losses have been, to a one, failure to get a good replacement queen. I have to wonder about the queens I'm using. They're GREAT queens, but whether the drone stock is less fertile???? Once I get behind schedule and the queen swarms and the hive makes a new one, they fail. I have no idea whether they're simply not good replacements or if they never make it through the mating cycle or what. There's been a lot of discussion around here that overuse/improper use of chemicals in the big package/queen producers down south has resulted in infertile drones, or queens that are good only for three to six months rather than the two years or so that should be a normal average.

Anyhow, although my ideal would be to replace with a queen of my choice, I've failed to do so, and the replacement queens my colonies have produced have frequently not been viable.

Here is another question , in the last two weeks my swimming pool has been covered up with honey bees , once they get a bit of water they take off headed to a small set of woods I own . Do you think I have a swarm that set up in my woods ? I have taken the 4-wheeler around looking but can't find it but that doesn't mean there isn't one !

ETA: As many years as I have lived here I have never seen the pool have any honey bees trying to get water out of it ! I try to keep a towel hanging in the water so they don't just fall in , they were starting to clog my filter at first because there were so many , now the towel stays covered in them .

Originally Posted By KG5S: Here is another question , in the last two weeks my swimming pool has been covered up with honey bees , once they get a bit of water they take off headed to a small set of woods I own . Do you think I have a swarm that set up in my woods ? I have taken the 4-wheeler around looking but can't find it but that doesn't mean there isn't one ! ETA: As many years as I have lived here I have never seen the pool have any honey bees trying to get water out of it ! I try to keep a towel hanging in the water so they don't just fall in , they were starting to clog my filter at first because there were so many , now the towel stays covered in them .

Yes, there's a colony somewhere within about five miles of you. I'm betting you guys are in drought, like us, and the bees are venturing further for water. Swimming pools are popular with honeybees. :0/ You will have more luck finding the bees if you walk rather than four wheel. It's your ears that will find the swarm. They GENERALLY fly straight from your pool, in a line directly toward the hive. That may or may not help. But if you wish to get started with bees, the best thing to do is buy a package for your first hive. If you want to catch swarms, you'd be better off (IMO) starting with a nice gentle European honeybee. HOWEVER,you will find that beekeepers are a very opinionated bunch. Ask ten beekeepers, you will get eleven opinions.

It is kind of dry around here but not real bad , there is alot of swamp around with lots of water still in it but I bet my pool is a couple 100 yards closer.

I just think it would be cool to harvest my own raw honey and not have to deal with the store bought stuff , it's getting harder to find the raw stuff around here .

Well, beekeeping is a lot of fun, you will NEVER be bored, but there is a lot to learn, and it's truly amazing. You will come to think of your bees as little "people" sort of. You will mourn when you lose a colony because you realize how hard they work and that they are so self-sacrificing. They're borg, but they are courageous little bugs. Gosh I sound dumb don't I? All sentimental about a box full of bugs.

But to learn beekeeping, I think it's best to get involved with a local beekeeping club/association, learn a lot, and get your first bees from a package bee producer. That way you know what you're dealing with, you start with clean equipment, a proven queen, and there's more chance of success with your first try.

I would not, as a beginner, try to catch a swarm from the woods unless you have the help of an established beekeeper.

Like any other "agricultural livestock" bees need tending. Not every day, and they can be somewhat self sufficient, but you have to pay attention to them if you are going to harvest honey and keep you colonies alive.

The bees would likely prefer the swamp, since the smelly water is more interesting to them. That's how they find it according to the latest research--the smell. So either the swamps have dried up, or your water is the closest available source and they are thirsty.

Kitties

I"m not sure , he just told me where I could find them for sale .