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Beekeeping

xtry51

xtry51

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Looking for guidance on starting beekeeping. We've got chickens now and I've got making syrup down so its time for the next learning experience. Anyone here have bees and can point me in a solid starting direction? I'm more of a buy once cry once guy.
 
I know nothing about it, but at the Topsfield Fair there's always a lot going on in the beekeeping building. I'm sure there's groups, clubs or organizations you can hunt down and learn from.
 
I have one hive left out of four. Started three years ago with three nucs then split two of them off to form another hive with a new queen. The bees accepted her and that hive is doing great.
The second summer, three hives swarmed and the bees left. I was lax in checking on the hives and the wax moths wrecked those hives.
I'm going to clean them up and set them out to see if they will be reoccupied. Lemon grass oil is the attractant used. Just a few drops inside the empty hive and it signals the bees that it's a good place.
The chances of a hive being occupied by a swarm is very good, something like 1 in four around here.

The fourth hive that I have now is thriving. Using the styrofoam type hives and they seem to winter over better than the wood hives.
Gearing up will cost you a few bucks for a suit, smoker, a few tools, the hive/s, the nucs( a nuc is a small swarm with a queen used to start a hive). They are getting expensive these days.
You'll also be hitting the sugar sales to feed them. I keep several hundred pounds of sugar on hand and buy it in 50lb bags and re package in gasketed buckets purged with nitrogen to decrease moisture.

Check with your county extension office, they likely know who to contact for a class.

Good luck.....they are fun to watch and are pretty smart creatures. My honey harvest has been minimal just because of timing and weather. I left most of it for the bees, there's plenty around here from other keepers at a reasonable price.
 
If you decide you want to give it a go let me know. I have all the equipment you need (complete hive,frames,suit,smoker,tool) to get started. I’d be willing to sell for quite cheap or trade. I’m located in Milford,MA.
 
i know nothing about bees but i'm smelling a honey karma here after you are set and harvesting. [laugh]
 
MisterHappy said:
Guy at my Club had hives. Then bears came. Note the "had" [laugh]

I guess Pooh Bear is not the only one that likes hunny.
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I drive by a small farm in Princeton that has hives protected by two layers of electric fence. I assume bear problems, LOL.
 
xtry51 said:
If I can make honey and pack my freezer with bear meat I consider that a double win.
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[rofl]

Somebody had his coffee this morning, LOL. Good thinking. If bees are considered 'livestock', that means bear meat any time of year, correct?

Based on the size of some of the bears around here, you need a BIG freezer. Couple years ago a guy in Athol got one ~500 lbs. Had one visiting on my deck that was an easy 450.
 
There's quite a variety of online courses. My wife and sons took some courses through Brushy Mountain to get started. They were very informative and got us started.

In our experience your will want someone local to work with as there are many nuances and options that vary by location and hive. Many hook up with a beekeeping association and they often offer courses for new members. Some associations don't want you to join unless you take their course(s). That was our experience so we've been making connections one-on-one.

There are many options in beekeeping; types of hives, bee species, when and how to check/treat bees, super and frame rotation schedules, use of specific equipment (ex. queen excluders), natural or man-made chemical treatments (we do natural), to smoke or not (we don't, use sugar water to calm/distract bees), feeding, over-wintering techniques, etc., etc. You'll need to learn and decide what works best for you.
Good luck. The rewards are sweet.
 
Courses are out. I already travel 150-200 days per year for work and my wife is homebound. We ordered some books and have a guy down street who has bees now. Looking for specific equipment recommendations. Beyond that we're just jumping in and learning as we go. Already taught ourselves a lot of other homesteading so I'm not afraid.
 
xtry51 said:
Courses are out. I already travel 150-200 days per year for work and my wife is homebound. We ordered some books and have a guy down street who has bees now. Looking for specific equipment recommendations. Beyond that we're just jumping in and learning as we go. Already taught ourselves a lot of other homesteading so I'm not afraid.
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One big decision is mediums versus deeps. I have deeps because I started with nucs (that were on deep frames); but the argument for using all mediums is pretty compelling.

Checked my hives today, both still alive, but 100% out of food. I’m feeding foundant, but I need warm weather with pollen/nectar!
 
I would like to get started this year with a single hive. Need to attend some classes. I think this Australian startup has an interesting concept. It seems to be less invasive for the harvesting aspect. Afterward the bees clean and reuse the cells.

Flow Hive - Honey On Tap From Your Own Beehive
 
Choctaw said:
I would like to get started this year with a single hive. Need to attend some classes. I think this Australian startup has an interesting concept. It seems to be less invasive for the harvesting aspect. Afterward the bees clean and reuse the cells.

Flow Hive - Honey On Tap From Your Own Beehive
Click to expand...

From reviews, I've seen that the queen can lay in them (Big Mess), don't function, or people forget that you actually have to manage the bees and have lost hives... I'd save my money - but that's just me.
 
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I didnt read the whole thread, interestly enough i searched beekeeping and nothing came up.
I received my supplies today, it was missing 1 complete hive body and 10 frames, and one hive body was damaged..im using screened bottoms and black painted brood chambers.
Im also running a DC electric fence charger for bears.


It was ruff with broken ribs, hit a tree with my atv at 30-35.

I also got a NUC(nucleus hive) or bee trap..I would have like to capture a swarm but did buy 2 bee packs w/marked queens.


I got 24 chickens a week ago...23 now and my pitbull got one the other day but is "kinda ok"
 
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I got them to eat, probably don't know what im talking about.. the only sexed birds were the Meat birds.. eggs would be great but i dont plan to keep them through winter. I may keep 2 to see if the make it.

I wanted to raise pheasant but i was asvised to try chicken first.
I dont want any roosters, ill kill and eat them first.

I only got 24 because i didnt think they'd live even in my home.they need to be much larger to put outside regardless of weather...where they are going theyre most likely going to wind up as coyote bait.

The bees are just somthing i wanted to do... i could have done them at my current home but just didn't want to do it here...

while ill use the honey for my jerky and such... the bees wax will be more useful and is more valuable than the honey
 
xtry51 said:
Looking for guidance on starting beekeeping. We've got chickens now and I've got making syrup down so its time for the next learning experience. Anyone here have bees and can point me in a solid starting direction? I'm more of a buy once cry once guy.
Click to expand...

My Uncle's brother and his wife's business is sorta in your neck of the woods in Gilsum, NH. He and his wife are super nice people, his name is John. If you stop I'm sure he would be happy to point you in the right direction to get you started. The New Hampshire Honey Bee PM me if you want any more info, and g/l!
 
Just wanted to mention pierco did replace the damaged body and reship the missing hive body and frames after some initial confusion.

I'll probably use the damage body to haul honey.. or buy a base and top cover and build one of those hives that use mason jars as a honey super for a friend

I find supplies expensive and wonder why their not made of hardwood.. i asume its to save money and weight.. but i cant justify the time to b uikd them
 
xtry51 said:
Looking for guidance on starting beekeeping. We've got chickens now and I've got making syrup down so its time for the next learning experience. Anyone here have bees and can point me in a solid starting direction? I'm more of a buy once cry once guy.
Click to expand...


My dad and bro took a bee keeping course all winter and got their bees delivered from Georgia couple weeks ago. If you wannatake a ride to Northbridge and check them out and ask away I'd bee (lol) happy to go for a ride.
 
I installed 2 3lb packages yesterday. It wasnt the relaxing "everything ready"experience i was hoping for.. do to unrelated drama.

Im not sure i know what I'm doing, in fact im sure i dont.

It went well.. no suit or gloves and not a sting. Took about 5 min to setup both hives. My only mistake was forgetting to put the pollen pattie inside so i through them on the landing base area.. they really took alot quick.
I didnt use any inframe feeders or any of the stuff i bought, ill make some changing to my aetup in about 3 weeks... they are in an enclosure but i didnt finnish my hotwire which is kind of sad because its 30 min from completion. Ill get it going within the week.

It was definitely a new experience..they were so calm in my truck with the AC on.
After driving them in my jeep off road, and putting the packages in the sun... they seemd pretty pissed off. They were all over me trying to infiltrate my ears and nose.. i think they wanted to drink the sweat off my face.

I checked them a few hours later.. they were eating drinking and hauling out their dead..there didnt seem to be alot of dead... almost none in one, like 50 in the other

I hope eveverything works out withthe bees, i lost 21 chickens one night and the final 2 the next...massacre
 
I haven't moved in this and it looks like it's on hold until next year. I'm taking a new job at work and between other home projects and work I'm stretched too thin to take it on. Maybe I'll be able to breathe after the kids fishy derby is done in two weeks.
 
Queens are 0ut of their cages... i dont think they got rejected.
All my frames being the new don't have drawn comb. The bees are drawing comb at amazing rate
 
Installed one package of bees last week, took the empty queen cell out 2 days later. All seems well so far but I didn't go searching for her on the frames. Big top feeder holds 1.5 gal of syrup...it'll likely be gone by the weekend.
 
I added 1 gallon frame feeder to each hive. The ones that replaces a frame.

I feel like im setting myself up for failure. By not having my Hotwire setup now that all that syrup is there. With all my time that was wasted today I would have much rather completed that project.

I find it hard to believe that an unestablished Colony will consume as much syrup as I read on the internet. I'm sure large hives would though.

If I were to do it over again I would have added 6 lb of bees to each hive instead of three and I would have just started with two brood boxes rather than add one later. It's probably not efficient from a cost standpoint. But it seems pretty late in the year for where I'm at
 
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