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MrSterling
Any IC'ers keep bees? Been wondering about it myself.
ICMaggotMe
Member
I'm considering it.......I attended a lecture by a beekeeper and found it fascinating.
me tooo. the local organic nursery has the classes and the gear. but i am in the city not sure of the legality. so maybe only one hive lol fuk em
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sweetypie
Whatcha waiting for superman?
i am looking into it. the local organic nursery has all kinds of classes. i got a bunch of other projects now tho.eventually i will get around to it.i am re doing my roof,redoing my kitchen and floor,building a greenhouse and doing brakes on 2 cars. also trimming and cloning. superman is really busy. thank god i have superhuman strength. i am safe as long as i stay away from horses. kryptonite is a breakfast cereal. lol
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MummyCat
Funny this thread pops up....
I have 4 hives we actually had 5 earlier today....
Last night my buddy calls and says that there was a giant swarm of bees honey bees in his tree, I was out of town so I dispatched the GF and she when over there with a box and some pruners and got'm
She put together a make shift hive out of a couple honey supers, a piece of plywood and some extra frames and had them living in there until the stupid wind knocked over a bunch of shit that kicked off the lid earlier today while she was picking me up from the airport and they left.
New hive in the mail so I guess we'll be better prepared if next time
I have 4 hives we actually had 5 earlier today....
Last night my buddy calls and says that there was a giant swarm of bees honey bees in his tree, I was out of town so I dispatched the GF and she when over there with a box and some pruners and got'm
She put together a make shift hive out of a couple honey supers, a piece of plywood and some extra frames and had them living in there until the stupid wind knocked over a bunch of shit that kicked off the lid earlier today while she was picking me up from the airport and they left.
New hive in the mail so I guess we'll be better prepared if next time
ICMaggotMe
Member
Are all 4 of your hives producing honey? I know that the first year you won't get much, but after that you're in the honey.
Sorry that you lost your swarm.......
Sorry that you lost your swarm.......
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MummyCat
Are all 4 of your hives producing honey? I know that the first year you won't get much, but after that you're in the honey.
Sorry that you lost your swarm.......
We've only been doing it for 4 years, and there's a learning curve for sure, we lost a hive the first year and almost lost a hive this year.
The bees give us between 1-7 gallons of honey per hive/year depending on hive configuration, pesticides, weather, distance to crop etc.
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MummyCat
That's where we shop ^^^
ICMaggotMe
Member
Did you start with brand new hives and buy your bees/queen? I've seen hives for sale on craigslist but was advised that its best to start from scratch.
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sweetypie
Definately a learning curve to beekeeping and the equiptment to start can bee exspensive. Superman instead of taking classes join a local beeclub, always some cool laidback folks plus you can usually buy your equiptment from a crafty member. The shipping costs from some those supply places can bee outrageous sometimes. Plus when harvest time come you may bee able to use a new friends frame spinner. I'm in Japan at the moment and the honey here is unreal EXPENSIVE, I just paid 40 bucks for a jar that would cost 8 bucks at home. Its from a strawberry and orange farm and tastes delicious!
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MummyCat
Our first hive we bought from a local bee keeper advertising in the paper or craigslist or something
All the other hives were bought from Mann Lake and we get or bees by mail
All the other hives were bought from Mann Lake and we get or bees by mail
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MummyCat
the queen comes in a little container all clipped and marked and sealed by candy. The swarm is in a box. I bunch of shaking and flicking and all the bees know exactly what to do and dont waste anytime doing it
ICMaggotMe
Member
Once you set up the new hive, do just set it and forget it? Is there any ongoing care or weekly/monthly maintenance that needs to happen?
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MrSterling
Glad to see this thread picking up! I decided against bees just because life is too unstable for me right now to deal with them.
I've some city friends who have hives in the city, tucked away in ghetto-ass back alleys and stuff.
I've some city friends who have hives in the city, tucked away in ghetto-ass back alleys and stuff.
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MummyCat
There is some maintenance but not a lot, the most work comes at harvest time. If you invest in a nice frame spinner, it makes life quite nice. You'll find that you like interacting with your bees, and I think you'll find that they teach you about your surrounding flora. They taught me about plants, trees and flowers I didn't ever pay attention to or appreciate. I'm glad nobody has mentioned a reluctance due to fear of being stung. My GF rarely ever wears gear so she's been stung 20 or so times over the past 4 years, and now they barely make a mark on her. I always wear a mask when I open a hive but I usually have shorts on and I'v only been stung once. Poor little feller, wasn't even it's fault, I squished it in the back of my knee when I bent down.
Read one of the books out there before ordering your bees, I'v read a few and they're all about the same.
ICMaggotMe
Member
Do you have a book or two you'd recommend? I did a search and there are a lot to choose from.
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MummyCat
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MrSterling
Mummy, thanks for all the good info!
