Hi fellas !! I joined a couple weeks ago and have been hanging around the firewood and chainsaw areas...and it was suggested I come doen here and check it out...so here I am !!! My passions , besides being a daddy...are firewood , chainsaws , and bee keeping ! Seems like a great combo Im glad to hear you are taking a coarse WeldrDave ! I took a small coarse through my local beekeeping club . But boy was it different going out there...all by myself and figuring things out !! Ive come to realize that thats the only way to go about things . Just learn what you can..then go out there and do it . I have learned more in the last 5 years by being a beekeeper..than I ever did in the classroom . Of coarse..Im not ashamed to say that I carry around a Beekeeping For Dummies book They say that the mark of a good beekeeper is not in the honey he gets....but keeping the bees alive...especially through these bad winters up North . The bees have the hardest job...its just our duty to keep up..keep mites off there backs...keep em healthy...and always allow room for them to expand ! And oh BTW..Ventilate..Ventilate..Ventilate....even in the winter !! I have had my highs and lows..and I am always learning something new the hard way . Last year...I decided to expand a little..I bought 3 new hives over the winter . I installed new packages in the spring...but I had queen problems right off the bat . The bees seemed to recover..make there own queen...and I got some honey off . But........as fall set in..I noticed a huge reduction in egg laying . I also realized it was too late to do anything about it . My bee populations were way down . So the first long cold snap we got here....all my new hives were dead . I brought some of the boxes home to check things out . No diseases...no mites . Just me not seeing some warning signs soon enough , There seems to be a fine line between intruding on the hive...and leaving them alone to be self-sufficient . A line that I am still trying to find . But...Ill be back at it again this year..and will start over with the 3 boxes . I am gonna try another bee supplier . Those bees work hard..and Im gonna keep trying not to let them down .
Welcome Honeyfuzz I hope you have better luck with your hives this year. You have hit the nail on the head that this hobby is a constant learning process the classes are a nice starting point but theres nothing better than fumbling through and learning for yourself through trial and error.
Welcome Honeyfuzz, I'm no bee keeper yet! I'm as clueless as it gets, but I'm gonna learn and found a good starting place. I have some Great encouragement here from Matt and a few others. The good thing is, I have a full carpenter shop at my disposal so I'm gonna build my hives, and I'm a welding/engineer by trade….. We'll see how it goes, I looking forward to it, always wanted to try. I have also met some great local folks willing to lend a hand when I crash and burn. Anyway, welcome aboard
Hey Matt, did you get pounded with snow last night? I got recalled for snow duty, we got about 6+" It looked like your area was gonna get a good one
Boy did we ever got about a foot and drifts that are even deeper Ill try to get some pics of the hives up later tonight. For now were just trying to stay warm
Yea, the wind didn't blow hard but we got our share… Grandma been cooking away since early this morning. I had to go in last night and didn't get home till 730 this morning. Got it about 80 in here now
COOOOL ! I have a yellow lab also, and a corgi… He's nuts but a lot of fun… My lab is 13 and he's a bit slow but still in good health
She did once and only once. Right after I got the hives she went up and stuck her nose in the entrance needless to say the bees are not fans of lab noses Her whole face was swollen up really bad and I had to give her a couple benadryl. Now when I go work the hives she follows me half way and then lays down and waits for me to come back. She does still chase flies and other insects but stays well clear of bees.
My girls were doing some hose cleaning today. Both hives still kicking but one has suffered 500+ casualties...
Some of the girls decided to go out and these two got frozen in place I guess they stayed out to long.
Coal Reaper how do you work them? It doesnt look like theres enough room to get behind but maybe its an illusion. I like that stand it looks nice and sturdy a lot better than the one I have. Im planning on making a new one some time this year. Whats the electric fence for do you have animal problems?
Thats used to be a dock i think. It floated down the resevoir where i used to live after hurricane irene. Its three feet wide and there is about three feet between it and the barn. Plenty of room and no bending over when in the bottom box. No more problems with ants either. I got rubber mats on the ground. Then cinder blocks. Then aluminum plate. And then the platform. I hate seeing ants tracing into the hives. Fence is for bears. I just wrapped them in black landscaping fabric today. Halfway to spring, praying for the best!
I bought a book about them still havent read it I am interested in them and would like to have one I hear they are a lot more natural for the bees my neighbors down the road have a couple of them and they like them. They make a lot of comb honey with them.
My 'neighbors' got bees last year. We are just on the edge of their flying range -- noticeable increase in the amount of bees in our garden Figured if I get the hives built I might get lucky and catch a swarm or two.
