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 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

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.

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: There isn't enough room inside a railroad tie for a colony of honeybees.  You almost certainly are dealing with yellowjackets (google for pics so you can see the difference).  Just kill them--spray at night when they can't see.

This is my guess as well, though I've seen some dumb honeybees--set up in a dilapidated mailbox--a tiny one at that.  Easy to harvest the swarm though!

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.

I have been interested in doing this for a few years now . I just wonder if you guys could post some pics of the equipment you will need to get started and definitions to the tools I would need ?

What the heck is a separator ?

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.

Originally Posted By KG5S: What the heck is a separator ?

Well..Hmmmm.  AS far as I know, a "separator" is the thing used by dairy farmers to separate the milk from the cream.

I don't know of a separator in beekeeping, but maybe I'm just drawing a blank.

Where did you see this word used?

Kitties

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 .

Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By KG5S: What the heck is a separator ? Well..Hmmmm.  AS far as I know, a "separator" is the thing used by dairy farmers to separate the milk from the cream. I don't know of a separator in beekeeping, but maybe I'm just drawing a blank. Where did you see this word used? Kitties

The reason I ask , a guy down the road from me said he had seen a couple of hives for sale over in the next county and  said they came with a seperator , I was thinking this was something to seperate the honey from the hive or comb ?

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

Originally Posted By KG5S: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Originally Posted By KG5S: What the heck is a separator ? Well..Hmmmm.  AS far as I know, a "separator" is the thing used by dairy farmers to separate the milk from the cream. I don't know of a separator in beekeeping, but maybe I'm just drawing a blank. Where did you see this word used? Kitties The reason I ask , a guy down the road from me said he had seen a couple of hives for sale over in the next county and  said they came with a seperator , I was thinking this was something to seperate the honey from the hive or comb ?

Oh, maybe he meant they come with an extractor.  The extractor extracts the honey from the comb.

How much does this guy want for the whole deal?  (BTW if this beekeeper calls it a separator, just go along and pretend you don't know any better. But it's an extractor.

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

Are you serious about wanting to get into beekeeping?

I'm no beekeeper but I did rob hives once. A separator uses centrifugal force to sling the honey out of the comb. Sometimes known as an extractor.

See here:images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=honey+separator+&btnG=Search+Images

Colonel Hurtz

Originally Posted By ColonelHurtz: I'm no beekeeper but I did rob hives once. A separator uses centrifugal force to sling the honey out of the comb. Sometimes known as an extractor. See here:images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=honey+separator+&btnG=Search+Images Colonel Hurtz

It's actually correctly called an extractor, though there may be localities that refer to it as a separator.

If you look in catalogs for equipment, you will find extractors.  But I would call it whatever the locals call it to stay in good graces with the locals.

How often can you harvest honey from each hive and how much do you normaly get out of each ?

Well, quite often, the first year, you don't harvest ANY honey.  Harvests vary by locality, and based upon weather conditions, climate changes and the strength/condition of the hive.  No two hives are alike.  The beekeeper recognizes this and tends each hive as its own separate entity.  

One generally does not go into beekeeping just for the honey.  It's best to go into beekeeping because you're interested in the art/science of keeping bees.  The honey is a good product, and can be a cash crop, but there is a lot to learn about keeping bees.

One cannot simply stick a box of bees in the back yard and expect to reap the harvest without significant investment of time and energy.

HERE, in Kentucky, I think the average harvest is maybe 50 lbs of honey per established colony per year?  Okay I'm guessing.  I have not seen the figures recently.  But if you contact your local county extension agent for agriculture, they will have those figures, or can get them easily for your locality.  The average for your state or region is the figure you go by.

And even on a good year, some weaker hives will produce hardly any honey, and some very strong hives will double, triple, or quadruple that figure.

Oh, forgot to say, GENERALLY you harvest once per year, but SOMETIMES twice.  But not usually.  Usually the late crop of honey is left for the bees.  YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THE BEES ENOUGH TO LIVE THROUGH THE WINTER.  The beekeeper takes only the "extra" honey.

Kitties

50 LBS ....WOW thats a bunch of honey ! I had no idea they could produce that much .
I just thought it would be a cool hobby with a little something sweet at the end.

Originally Posted By KG5S: 50 LBS ....WOW thats a bunch of honey ! I had no idea they could produce that much . I just thought it would be a cool hobby with a little something sweet at the end.

This is a GOOD reason to get into beekeeping.

It is a very cool hobby.  You will never be bored.  You will never learn all there is to know.  You will never stop worrying about your bees.

Tomorrow I will get uxb to upload some pics of our equipment and classes and such to fototime, and I'll post them here if you want to see.

Kitties

Originally Posted By KG5S: 50 LBS ....WOW thats a bunch of honey ! I had no idea they could produce that much . I just thought it would be a cool hobby with a little something sweet at the end.

Yeah, and that's just the average.  I know people who have harvested 200-300 lbs of honey from one hive in a good year.  Of course there ARE HIVES that produce NOTHING.  So that's why the 50 lbs is an average for HERE.

But honey is heavy.  Don't forget that.

I'll look at all the pics you want to post , looks like I need some more info anyway ! I'll look for them tomorrow .

We have a place that sells everything for bee keeping just to the north east of me, I have looked at there website but they had no price on anything , I can't remember their name , I'll have to see if I can find it again .

Anyway I gota hit the rack , I have 150 lbs of ribs I have to smoke in the morning , CU

Okay, let me know the name of the company near you.  I may have their catalog.

Also, quality of equipment varies from one dealer to another.  

I'll see if uxb can post tomorrow.  I'll answer any questions you have as much as I can.

Keeping bees is good for the world.  It keeps us eating.

Kitties

All I can remember is that they were out of Truman AR, I'll look it up.

Hey, it'll be one more day before we can upload pics.  Just found out I have to drive to Clarksville to meet a friend this evening.  Sorry!

Kitties

Sure just make me wait another day..........j/k....  No problem !

ETA: My smiley must be stoned , I can't get him to come down !
                                         

Kitties-with-Sigs,

Are they Screened Bottom Boards on your hives

Here's my yard

Kitties-with-Sigs thanks for starting the thread.  I've been a bit busy getting in our 2nd cutting hay crop in (absolutely dismal) and canning...and filing police reports on guys doing joy rides through our corn.

I asked about Bee keeping originally because I happen to find in mint condition (I think) one of my great grandfather's be hives, including the frame sticks (?)(the cross pieces that the bees build the comb to.  Then about three months ago, my neighbor gave me a smoker and veil/helmet.

So I thought...hmmm, the start up cost just got a whole lot cheaper if I want to try it.

I have a fairly large garden and more importantly apple trees, a couple other fruit trees, and a whole bunch of new vines in hopes of making both wine and preserves/jam.

I just thought bees would be the natural next step in the while process, both to harvest honey, and to better pollinate the fruit trees and vines.

Reading the comments, I can also heavily predict and influence any spraying and have some large alfalfa, grass, and clover crops surrounding the area on my property (about 320 acres).

It sounds like the best thing to do is to find local groups or apiarists.

To start off, I was wondering what I should look for in terms of usability in the gear I currently have and a location for the hive.

I'll get the stuff out and take pictures of it when I get a chance.

Ok, here is what I have to start with and I found the local beekeeping group, one fo the officers happens to live just down the street from me.

RIght on...

I got the stuff out today to look at inventory and photograph.  Its getting late so I figure I would post a picture of all of it and post details later tomorrow morning.

THis is what I have:


I was thinking about using the existing hive as a template to build more.  Since it seems you should at least 2 to compare against each other...or so I have read.

Smoker, bellows type.


Separator...a little worse for wear, but spins great.  Like all the rest, just needs some TLC


Headgear...nothing fancy one is just an Army fly net.


Base with "reducer entrance" and 2nd level.




Roof and additional level (silly question since I haven't read too much, but what is the hole for?)


Another "addition"


Base level


What types of locations should I look for to place hives?  Shaded?  Should they be suspended off the ground?  Keeping weeds away important or helpful?

HomesteadingToday  has a great beekeeping forum.

Sorry I haven't followed up with pics.  Got slammed with work.  These pics are great though.

Duranda1, the first thing you need to do is clean the equipment and paint the exterior of the hives.  

One question, how long ago were these hives last used, and do you know why your grandfather got out of beekeeping?  It's very important to know these things because there is one particularly bad disease that can actually live for many years in sort of a cross between a spore/bacterial form in old hives like this. (I say spore/bacterial form because at last research reporting from the bee geeks, this is what they were calling it.  It's both.  A spore and a bacteria.  Weird.)  

Okay the likelihood of this is LOW, but if you answer the above two questions, you will be able to proceed with more confidence.

I get my paint at Lowe's or somewhere by looking for Acrylic (water based) exterior house paint in the back of the paint section where they have the mis-mixed paints.  I can usually buy it for $5 per gallon there instead of $30 per gallon.  You will want a light color--nothing dark like dark brown or black.  White is most popular, but you can see that mine are kind of a sage green, just cuz I liked it better and it was prettier in the corner of my yard, and available for $5.

So the questions are, in order of importance:

1) How long ago were these hives last used?

2) Why did the beekeeper stop beekeeping?

3) When do you plan to start?  Next spring? (my recommendation, rather than this fall)

Okay, KG5S, take a look at Duranda1's equipment.  It's similar to what you will need to start.  The first pic, looking at that stack of boxes, ignore the one on the bottom.  Next one up is a ten-frame hive body.   Above that are two "supers".  A super is just another box stacked on top of the bottom one.  It can be this size, or other sizes.  Lots to learn and decide about as far as what sizes you want.  Some people keep bees with all one size, others mix the sizes for different reasons, etc.

Originally Posted By Duranda1. THis is what I have: gallery.mac.com/thesw0rdofroland/100046/IMG_4906/web.jpg In the smoker pic, this is a typical smoker.  As long as it holds smoke and blows air reasonably well (bellows is tight and does not leak) it will do fine.  Some kind of stopper is convenient for the smoke hole.  My stopper is a whittled down piece of wood that I shove into the hole. Smoker, bellows type. gallery.mac.com/thesw0rdofroland/100046/IMG_4893/web.jpg In this picture, you see the inside of a super with "frames" installed.  Also, you see a frame sitting outside with some comb leftover, so you can get an idea of how the bees build comb in the frames.  when Duranda cleans his equipment, he will likely remove all this old comb from the frames.  In any case he will scrape the frames down and brush them off to get rid of dirt and stuff.  Bees like a clean house. Base with "reducer entrance" and 2nd level. gallery.mac.com/thesw0rdofroland/100046/IMG_4898/web.jpg gallery.mac.com/thesw0rdofroland/100046/IMG_4899/web.jpg You also see the hive top.  The top you buy will not likely be this cool "house like" gabled top.  It will probably be a flat top with a metal cover like the ones on my hives in the first picture of the thread. Roof and additional level (silly question since I haven't read too much, but what is the hole for?) gallery.mac.com/thesw0rdofroland/100046/IMG_4900/web.jpg Another "addition" gallery.mac.com/thesw0rdofroland/100046/IMG_4901/web.jpg Base level gallery.mac.com/thesw0rdofroland/100046/IMG_4904.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium

Originally Posted By Bobby_the_Hun: Here's my yard mysite.verizon.net/kaiak/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/DSCF0008a.JPG

Nice yard, Bobby.  Looks like you're having a good honey year if that's this year's pics.

My poor bees are envious of yours.

Posted by Duranda1
"What types of locations should I look for to place hives? Shaded? Should they be suspended off the ground? Keeping weeds away important or helpful?"

You should choose the location, as best you can, to include the following criteria:

1) Hives face east or southeast or south (mine face due south).  This allows the sun to strike the hive entrance at the earliest possible time in the day.  

2) Hives should have SUN but should be protected from prevailing winds (especially winter winds) if possible.  The picture of the bee yard above with all the white hives is ideal.  They are set against a windbreak that I'm betting is on the north/northwest side of his hives, and the front of the hives faces outward into an open space so the sun can hit the hives during the day.  

3) Hives should be elevated if possible--concrete blocks work great and they don't rot.  ALSO if possible, use some sort of ground cover/cloth to keep down weed growth right around the hives.  (Also, for the future, SHB (Small Hive Beetle) larvae burrow into the dirt outside the hives to pupate, so any barrier to this is a good thing.)  ALSO, bees don't like lawnmowers.  So if you don't have to weedeat/mow right around the base of the hives, that will make your life easier too.  Lots of people don't bother with this step, but it's helpful to me and to other beekeepers I know.

Depending on your climate, there may be subtle differences in where you may wish to place hives.  Your local beekeepers will be able to tell you this.

As you can see, my hives don't have much of a windbreak, however, they are in the lowest spot in my yard, and the wind can be howling, but when I walk to that part of the yard, it's considerably reduced.

Don't place the hives in an area that will flood, for obvious reasons.  Bees are not good swimmers, and do not possess teeny weeny sets of dive gear.

Okay for both question askers:

Okay, look at the pic of my hives at the top of the thread.  See the bottom-most green wooden parts that sit on the concrete blocks?  The narrow boards with the slits in the back?

Those are not just regular bottom boards.  Those are screened bottom boards.  You want to fork over the bucks to buy one for each of your hives.  $20 each at Walter T. Kelley Co. in Clarkson, KY.  Every bee supply place now has them.  They are really important as tools for integrated pest management.  Pests are now immune to chemicals, and becoming more immune with each season, so you want to control them in other ways if possible.  These boards help, particularly with varroa control.  Mice won't nest on them either.  Also, you can remove the inside plastic or wood insert (you can see the white plastic inserts installed in mine if you look closely) and the bees get great air flow in the hot months.  Many beekeepers leave their screened bottoms open the entire year.  Again, this is an issue best brought up with your local beekeeping mentors.

Duranda1, that bottom base with hive body inside is unusual.  I haven't seen anything like that before.  I'm guessing it's home-made.  I just can't figure out exactly its purpose or why it's built that way  from looking at it in the pics.

OH!  The hole you asked about...

It could be one or both of the following:

1) a top entrance.  Lots of beekeepers use these, especially during the honey flow.  It adds airflow, and keeps the bees bringing in honey from having to track all the way across the nursery and already-filled combs (no trackin' dirt in the house!) to get to the top section where the bees are likely working the comb/honey.  

2) It could be an entrance for some sort of pest-control smoke/fumigant.  This will likely be answered as true or false when you tell me when the equipment was last used.

In either case, is there a way to close off the hole?  This is absolutely necessary.  At least some sort of screen wire closure so you have control over who is using the entrance and when.  You don't want this open at certain times of year, and you don't want it open when the hive is new, small, and weak.  Otherwise stronger hives of bees, hornets, wasps, and other sweet-loving insects will invade through this hole.  Bee wars are not pretty, and are very discouraging to the bees as well as the new beekeeper.

Hope these answers help a little.  More to come.  Keep asking questions too.

Kitties

Wow , I didn't know there was so much you had to do to raise bees !

Arkansas Apiary Law

I always thought you just went and bought the stuff and did it , man I was wrong ! If you want to raise bees , you better check your State laws !

Originally Posted By KG5S: Wow , I didn't know there was so much you had to do to raise bees ! Arkansas Apiary Law I always thought you just went and bought the stuff and did it , man I was wrong ! If you want to raise bees , you better check your State laws !

Not all states have laws like these, but it's becoming more common.  I read through it and it's attempting to prevent the spread of diseases that will destroy the honeybee population.  

Basically in ARkansas then, you are required to have an annual inspection.  This will be something you will actually enjoy and that will help you.  

The rest of it is mainly to regulate bees used as pollinators-for-profit and what I call "migrant" beekeepers--people who bring in tractor trailer loads of hives from other states to pollinate crops.  This is one of the primary ways that bee diseases and pests spread across the country--because bees are moved across the country and carry the diseases with them.  

I'm betting there is no charge for inspections, and once you're in a local beekeeping organization, you will find folks there who may not only be inspectors themselves, but will be getting inspections regularly and may sell you nucleus colonies from hives that you know are "clean."  This is very important.  It's really discouraging to start out and end up starting with weak or diseased bees.

The alternative is to buy packages of bees from down south (that's how we started).  These package sellers will all have certificates and you will have no problem.  All you'll have to do is show your purchase receipt to the inspector.  You can get your equipment set up and the bees home and installed in their hives, then file the paperwork to say you have bees.  Most of the work is done in advance of the arrival of the bees.

Worry not.  Beekeeping regs like these are good for beekeepers.  

The ones we worry about are the ones that say "you can't have bees in this neighborhood cuz your neighbors are afraid of bees."  And yes, there are some of those.  Those are the ones we're fighting against.  Beekeepers have actually been a part of getting these inspection laws on the books in most states.  It's the only way we can save our bees.

Kitties

Originally Posted By Bobby_the_Hun: Kitties-with-Sigs, Are they Screened Bottom Boards on your hives

Hey Bobby.  Yes, they are SBBs.  Now I wouldn't use anything else.  Do you have them in your yard?  

Duranda:  If you want to build your own hives, there are great plans available free on BeeSource.com .  I don't enjoy BeeSource as a forum because I get tired of being yelled at ala ArFCom General Discussion  for every comment I make.  I was born with a really low tolerance for bullshit, and I find that to be bullshit.  Okay rant off.

But BeeSource has a lot of incredible information as far as plans, etc.

ETA:  The sharks in the women's forum thread reminded me of something.  If you live where there are bears, you have to take extra precautions in locating your bees.  You will also need an electric fence.  We don't have bears here, so that's yet another "local beekeeper" issue.

Kitties