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For what it's worth, I started with a single hive myself and everything went pretty well for the most part. I understand the recommendation for starting with multiple hives but the startup supplies aren't cheap and I would think doubling them would really be a problem for hobby keepers. I'm also really stoked as I haven't touched my hive since I insulated it last year and all winter I was wondering if they would survive or not. I finally got my answer yesterday since it was a pretty warm day and the ladies were out in abundance. I'm all kinds of excited for this year. Spring just can't get here soon enough.
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Feb 28, 2010 22:09
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Leperflesh posted:OK, is it fairly common for municipalities to have a law restricting hives from within 25 feet of a property line? What is this law supposed to accomplish? Unless your neighbors can see your hive I wouldn't bother telling them about it. Chances are they won't even notice the hive is there or the increase in bees. Just make sure you have a water source available for them so they're not raiding the neighbor's dogs water dish, hot tub or pool. Regarding the regulation, you're right that you can't register your hive. However, registering your hive is like registering your dog. Only your hive isn't going to run out in traffic. I know there are a fair number of hives in New York City on rooftops and none of them are registered because it's illegal to keep bees in NYC. Chances are if you decide to keep bees nothing is going to happen. The worst thing that could happen is an inspector will show up and tell you to move your hive but even that isn't all that likely as there's probably just one or two inspectors for your area.
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Mar 2, 2010 02:26
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Hey, that's really cool! When all said and done, how much do you think building your own hive put you back in materials?
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Mar 8, 2010 15:15
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That's pretty friggin' sweet that you put that all together yourself. Congrats on the new hive and here's to hoping the installation of the bees goes just as smoothly!
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Mar 15, 2010 00:21
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What makes you think you've lost the queen? For what it's worth, I have yet to spot the queen in my colony. All through the beginning of the season last year I was waiting for the colony to collapse but it never happened. She was in there somewhere but I just didn't have the eye to spot her.
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Mar 15, 2010 14:35
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Received the annual BetterBee catalog today and hot drat do they have some nifty stuff! I didn't get any honey last year because my ladies are a bunch of lazy assholes. Thinking I might go ahead and pickup a strainer and a bucket this year in hopes of a plentiful harvest.
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Mar 15, 2010 23:01
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Well that sucks rear end. Don't know where you had gotten your bees before but I got my colony fron Knight Family Honey last year. Their box pickup was pretty crazy and the folks there were pretty kick rear end. They're also at the Salt Lake Farmers Market every week which makes it easy to drop in and ask quick questions (and buy their kick rear end honey butter).
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Mar 29, 2010 03:46
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For anyone interested, Science Friday on NPR is going to be having a segment on bees and beekeeping that should be pretty neat.
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Apr 2, 2010 02:12
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Leperflesh posted:It's raining. Is it OK to hive bees like, during a pause between rain showers? They say to do it in the evening, but I expect doing it between showers would have the same effect (bees stay home), yeah? If I remember correctly from the guy I got my bees from last year, the bees on the outside of the box will become scouts and look for a good place for the colony to setup their hive. They'll return eventually (if they aren't killed) and tell the group where they should all take off to. Not that that particular bit of information will help you at all but I thought it was an interesting bit of trivia. Finally got to get the insulation off my hive today and pull the entrance reducer. Didn't go inside as it was a bit on the chilly side and pretty windy unfortunately. Hopefully I'll get a good day this week to pop the top but they're active as all get out so I'm hoping for a good start to the year.
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Apr 11, 2010 21:41
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I would think they'd be ok with the comb that's there. There hasn't been enough time for moths to move in or for any diseases to take root that wouldn't have pre-dated the installation and most likely come along with new colony as well. Really a bummer to hear that you girls died though. Glad to hear that you're going to give it another shot regardless. Better luck this time around!
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Apr 15, 2010 21:23
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It's possible that the queen either left with the majority of the colony for some reason or the workers killed her not long after the colony was installed. That sucks to hear you lost your colony. It'd probably be worth it to contact your bee supplier and tell them the colony died. Hopefully they'll replace the colony free of charge and you'll have better luck on your second try.
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Apr 22, 2010 01:40
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I don't think it will be much of a problem. You'll want to pull those frames on your first inspection which should be after just a few days at the most. That's a pretty neat idea though. I was wondering how you'd install a nuc in that type of hive.
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Apr 24, 2010 17:41
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melodywise posted:BEES! Well that's good news. Hopefully this new batch will have a better run than the last colony. If you don't mind my asking, where did you get your ladies from this go around?
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Apr 27, 2010 23:40
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onionradish posted:Is there such a thing as a "bee feeder," similar to a hummingbird feeder for those of use who don't have hives, but enjoy their visits? I have one bush that blooms annually and like seeing traffic increase from the first exploratory worker to dozens in the spring, but those blooms don't last. Is there a way to support nearby bee traffic and colonies beyond what mylandscaping offers for a couple of months a year? Planting as many flowers/blooming plants as you can is really the best you can do. If you want to really go nuts (and piss off your neighbors like I am), start mixing clover seed into your lawn. The bees will love it.
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May 6, 2010 01:44
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I like to wear puncture resistant nitrile gloves. They let you feel everything you're doing but give you an extra layer of protection. When I bought my starter kit it came with these really heavy leather gloves with canvas arms that extended up to the elbow. Plenty of protection but there's no way to feel anything and you'd probably kill the ladies left and right.
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May 8, 2010 20:53
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Dunno where you are or what the temp was today but on hotter days here the ladies will hang out on the porch sometimes until a little after dark. I assume it's because it's warmer in the hive than outside. Not sure if that's what's going on with your colony or not but they could just be out enjoying the weather and having a beer on the front stoop.
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May 14, 2010 03:30
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Glad to hear you got your first sting out of the way. I'm still waiting for mine  From the picture it looks like your gloves may be too big for your hands. I like to wear a medium that fits really tight. For me, wearing a medium is like wearing nothing at all. Glad to see your not using those really thick leather gloves though. Those things are atrocious.
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May 22, 2010 04:52
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dwoloz posted:Sooo....some bees swarmed and decided to make home in a tree in our front yard (on a busy urban thoroughfare no less). We have two neighbros who keep bees, they're probably theirs. We tried contacting them but no one home yet. If you want to keep them you need to get a hive setup ASAP. You've got a window of an hour to a day before the swarm moves on. What you might do is call a local beekeeper and see if they'll install the swarm in a hive for you. You'll have to pay them for the hardware and their time but that's probably your best bet.
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May 31, 2010 02:35
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You have to be careful when purchasing used equipment like that. There's no way of knowing what nastiness is in the wood or frames. I think Melodywise mentioned that she was going to do it with her gear after her colony failed but you can burn or torch the insides of the wood to ensure any parasites and whatnot don't infect a new colony. That said, I would rather see someone buy used gear than not get started because new stuff is so expensive. I'd say go for it. Just make sure you do a little prep before the next season starts and you should be golden. edit: Is it 99p for everything in both pictures?
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Jun 27, 2010 15:04
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Leperflesh posted:Not a bad way to introduce yourself to the cool bee people and get on their good side... I don't know what kind of beekeepers you've run into but all the ones I've met run somewhere between 10-degrees off normal to batshit crazy. Which is just all the more reason to make contact and start learning from them.
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Jun 28, 2010 23:55
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Well poo poo. Looks like my hive is on the verge of collapse. Went in and checked it today only to find that the number of works is a fraction of what it should be, the only capped cells were drones and there were a handful of old queen cells that had long ago hatched. As best as I can tell, either my hive swarmed and I missed it or my queen died at some point. Regardless, I expect that my colony will probably be dead before the summer is over. Bummer bummer bummer.
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Jul 10, 2010 22:53
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CHARLES posted:Also, where were the queen cells? Were they in the center of the frame or the bottom? If they were at the bottom then the hive swarmed, if they were at the center then the hive replaced your old queen. I counted 3 or 4 queen cells on a couple of frames that were near the center. I'll keep tabs on them to see what happens and keep my fingers crossed.
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Jul 12, 2010 23:20
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Maximusi posted:OMG I am never being that lazy again. I harvested honey a couple weeks ago and didn't replace the frame. I just inspected it today, and the bees had made a huge honeycomb in between the space where the frame was supposed to be. We had to cut it off and the bees were really pissed. A bunch of grubs fell out cause it was half brood half honey. I think I got stung in my toe, but I'm not sure if it's a stinger or a splinter. Heheh...I think that's a lesson quite a number of us (myself included) learned the hard way. If you want to do something you'd better do it right away. Otherwise the ladies will be more than happy to go along all fat and happy and get mad as hell when you change your mind later.
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Jul 26, 2010 05:29
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That sucks, dude. After all that work I was really rooting for you. 
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Aug 2, 2010 02:18
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Leperflesh posted:It'd be hard to hit them with an animal cruelty charge when you consider that it's obviously not illegal to use bug spray to kill bugs. This isn't always true and depends greatly on the local laws and regulations. Where I live you're not allowed to spray pesticides within 50 yards of a beehive. Get caught doing so and you get yourself a pretty nasty fine.
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Aug 4, 2010 19:22
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ShotgunWillie posted:I just got interviewed by a local urban farming blogger! That's awesome! I would imagine that beekeeping in a location as urban as NYC would add some pretty interesting hurdles and problems that you wouldn't run into with a bit more space like most of us have. Glad to hear NYC finally decided to pull its head out of its rear end and allow beekeepers to come out of hiding.
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Sep 6, 2010 02:05
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Leperflesh posted:Haha yeah! Somehow I anticipated this day, way back in 1991! Glad to hear you're not allergic to the bees. But I'm sorry to hear that you're going to die from flesh eating bacteria .And in news from my backyard - my hive is going to make me schizophrenic. I thought for certain that the colony was in its last death throes earlier this summer. Yesterday I was out working in the garden and saw a fair amount of activity. So today I popped the top and what do I find but a happy and healthy hive. No honey to harvest, again, but at least I won't have to replace the colony next year. This must be what it's like dealing with a teenage child. Everything is great and you're so excited. Then they don't do what you expect and you're disappointed. Then they make to leave and you're sad. Then they don't leave and all your plans for their space get blown out of the water. But you're also kind of excited because they're back. Then the disappoint you again. God drat lazy kids these days.
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Sep 7, 2010 03:12
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So winter is rapidly approaching for those of us who lucky enough to have seasons. Last year I wrapped the hive in insulation batting tucked into giant trash bags. I'm a bit torn on whether I want to do so again this year or go with the "let 'em tough it out" option. There's a fair amount of debate either way and both sides seem to make a good argument. Anybody care to weigh in from either perspective?
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Nov 1, 2010 05:31
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nesbit37 posted:Bee keeping is a go! I found a community garden that wants me to keep my bees there and start up a colony for them (at their expense). I plan on assembling all of the wooden ware for my two hives this weekend, and then order the garden's hive at the bee guild meeting the following week when they do a group hive order. All thats left as far as I can tell is buying bees! Awesome! Glad to see we've got another lunatic to join our group. I think for folks who can't or don't want to keep bees at their house, finding a community garden/nature preserve/farm where their hives are welcome is a perfect idea. And the fact that they'repaying for it in your case is even better. quote:I have one question on assembly. In the backyard beekeeper, the author says not to put the wax foundation in until 2 or 3 days before use because of sagging issues. I have not seen or heard of anyone else mentioning this problem. Should I listen to him, or can I just put the wax in as I build and wire the frames? I haven't used wax foundation frames before but I throught they had wires running through them to help support the weight. Also, I'm not sure how much sag you would see in the frames if you're storing them vertically. I'd be more concerned if you put them all together and then left them laying around flat.
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Jan 14, 2011 13:30
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When I was first looking at what breed to go for I was really interested in Russians. Unfortunately they've only been allowed in the US for a couple of years now and there's only a couple suppliers and they're mostly on the east coast. If I end up doing a second hive I might try to get a box of Russians. I hope they come with little hats. 
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Feb 16, 2011 04:12
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Maximusi posted:I got Russian bees for my hive and I live in Cali. My supplier ships the bees too so you could get some if you wanted. They're very hardy. I haven't had a problem with pests or diseases at all. If anything they're too efficient. I stand corrected. Awesome! Thanks for the link.
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Feb 16, 2011 15:17
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I looked into raising bumble bees before I got my honey bees and if I remember right they're solitary bees and don't make (much or maybe any) honey. You can "raise" them with a particular type of setup but it's mostly like a bird house where you put it up and leave it alone. They are pretty drat cute to watch bumbling around though. edit: Man, I'm bad at this. Just did a little more reading and it looks like bumble bees have smaller colonies and they move every year. You can buy bumble bee "houses" but they're not setup to harvest honey from the looks of it. They're actually kind of cool looking. I might pick one up. TouchyMcFeely fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Mar 3, 2011 |
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Mar 3, 2011 03:32
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So my colony didn't survive the winter. Rather than purchase another box I'm going to try luring a swarm using lemongrass oil. Has anyone tried this before or have a recommendation on how much to use/when the best time is?
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Mar 3, 2011 04:21
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Any particular reason not to use lemongrass? From what I read it seems to work pretty well even when just put on the entrance or on the top of the frames. I also saw where some beekeepers were recommending that you take your "unwanted" queens and stick them in a jar of alcohol and let them soak for as long as possible, even up to years. Then apparently you can use the "queen tea" to attract swarms. Seems like a pretty screwed up way to go about swarm baiting from my perspective.
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Mar 4, 2011 05:13
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I was out checking on my failed colony today and it looks like they starved. Every bit of comb was completely devoid of any honey. When I checked them towards the end of last year they had almost completely filled both the deeps. I don't really understand how the winter cluster could go through that many frames of honey in a single winter and not have enough to survive. On a positive note, while I was out examining and cleaning the hive a lone bee showed up and started wandering around. I went ahead and dribbled some lemongrass oil (sorry Shotgun but it had already arrived) on the entrance and the tops of a couple of frames. Hopefully the loner that showed up was a scout and she'll bring the family in for a party. By-the-by, when I started this thread I didn't realize how popular it was going to be and how long it was going to go. The OP is woefully inadequate and there are a number of people now posting who know a heck of a lot more about this stuff than I do. If somebody is willing to put together a decent OP and start a new thread, let me know and we can point people there and close this one here. TouchyMcFeely fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Mar 13, 2011 |
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Mar 13, 2011 20:30
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Thanks DG. I ran across an interesting video on YouTube from a hardcore beekeeper on how he processes and prepares wax. He's well out of the realm of hobbyist but I thought it was pretty interesting with some good information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjocJKzo128
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Mar 13, 2011 23:42
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Awww...c'mon guys. Let's try to keep it civil. We're not in GBS. Simple enough mistake to make for a new guy to make and it shows how anything can get messed up when assumptions (on either side) get made. On to other news, the weather's been cold and rainy the last few days and I haven't seen any more activity at my empty hive. Not sure if I need to add more lemongrass oil or not but I'm thinking I'll reapply this weekend if the weather is nice.
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Mar 17, 2011 05:00
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Just got an article from Mother Earth News called "Bee Gardens: Flowers, Fruits and Herbs for a Bee-Friendly Habitat." http://www.motherearthnews.com/modern-homesteading/bee-gardens-ze0z11zhir.aspx It's not so much about keeping bees as it is about what plants to have in your garden to attract bees, how to ensure spring to fall nectar flow and other items of interest. It's a pretty good read if you're interested in this sort of thing. Mother Earth News has quite a bit of information regarding bees and beekeeping going back quite a while. Well worth checking into.
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Apr 14, 2011 16:51
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Christ, what did they think was going to happen? I've seen some pretty irresponsible people on Youtube but moving hives with zero protection really takes the cake. Hope your hives are able to bounce back.
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May 29, 2011 12:02
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Not saying that it's the case with you Capsaicin, but since I started beekeeping the number of people who call anything that flies and is yellow a bee has really surprised me. Trying to get people to understand that wasps, hornets and yellow jackets are not the same thing as a bee and that one group is a bunch of miserable motherfuckers while the others are awesome can be quite frustrating. In other words, Capsaicin, kill those bastards with extreme prejudice and lots of chemicals. Happy hunting.
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Jul 21, 2011 00:31
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