mikiz
Loving the herd life
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I'm excited now, I can't wait to taste my own honey!
Hello Beepeeple!
- Thread starter Maggiesdad
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #212
Maggiesdad
Loving the herd life
Awwww!! You've got the beebug! lol
Happy Chooks
Loving the herd life
Latestarter - they do have pollen in them too. It's a high protein feed for the bees. This is the brood builder one, they used to have one just like it but for winter. Now they have an artificial pollen winter patty. This one may be artificial pollen too, I don't know. I do know the bees go crazy for them.
http://www.dadant.com/catalog/bee-f...-brood-builder-patties-w-honey-b-c-10-patties
http://www.dadant.com/catalog/bee-f...-brood-builder-patties-w-honey-b-c-10-patties
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Had a hive once.....did great, although I had no experience. My daughter had one, studied, went to bee group meetings, etc. She wanted another, so I got one. SHE got pregnant and so, after my first honey, I had no one to tend my hive! It swarmed 2X and I got a local beekeeper to collect them. He was very close, so tended my very strong hive. I gave it to him! He gave me honey.
Had the Italian bees who where docile. But, somewhere a cross came and they became aggressive. At this time, I'm wanting to add 2 hives for this Spring. Just being cautious. Plenty of farm land and poplar trees. They are crops for "feed" basically -- corn, wheat, cotton, milo, peanuts, etc. -- and I know some chemicals are used. Mainly, it's when they "start" growing or just before harvest for cottons. When flowering, rarely sprayed. Still, chemicals and GMO. Hate it but ----
There are a lot of couple here & there fruit/nut trees close plus home gardens here in the country.
Hoping for the best. I will be planting a couple acres in veggies & flowers for sale. I'll give them a brochure to read about where they need to forage
Had the Italian bees who where docile. But, somewhere a cross came and they became aggressive. At this time, I'm wanting to add 2 hives for this Spring. Just being cautious. Plenty of farm land and poplar trees. They are crops for "feed" basically -- corn, wheat, cotton, milo, peanuts, etc. -- and I know some chemicals are used. Mainly, it's when they "start" growing or just before harvest for cottons. When flowering, rarely sprayed. Still, chemicals and GMO. Hate it but ----
There are a lot of couple here & there fruit/nut trees close plus home gardens here in the country.
Hoping for the best. I will be planting a couple acres in veggies & flowers for sale. I'll give them a brochure to read about where they need to forage
@Mini Horses Since you already have had hives that did well, I don't see that you'd have issues with starting back into it. The fact that they swarmed twice (in one season?) and still survived in the original hive indicates a pretty strong hive. It's also great that you have an established bee keep close by that you can ask for help from. I hope you get back into it and that it's successful for you! Let us know how it goes!
@mikiz you should consider starting with 2 hives. I say this because as a first timer, you can compare one against the other and be able to see if something doesn't seem right. With just one hive, something might be happening and you'd never realize it until it's too late. I started with 2 and lost one. I have no idea what happened, it just died out. I think I may have accidentaly killed the queen during one of my checks, though I always try to locate her and be careful to not hurt her. Also, most established bee keeps will tell you; "Don't expect to get any honey the first year if you start with package bees." I didn't expect any, and therefore didn't plan on getting any, when in fact, I probably could have gotten twice the 26 pounds that I did get.
Since you're in an area that doesn't have a real frozen winter, there are probably plants around year round that the bees can gather from. Don't know what type hive you'll be looking at, but if it's Langstroths (what I use), you'll want to check on them every couple of weeks to monitor how fast the hive is growing so you can add space for them to grow the hive into (additional "deep" boxes w/frames then honey supers). This was my first year and I didn't monitor them as closely as I could have and missed out on the opportunity for additional honey. I put the 2nd deep on later than I should have, (this slowed the hive growth as they didn't have all that extra space to build and grow into) and consequently put the 1st (and only) honey super on later than I should have as well. As a result, I only got the one super of honey when I probably could have gotten 2. If you're paying attention, you'll catch this sort of thing and know when it's time to give them more space.
This coming year, since I already now have a 2 deep hive, I hope it's strong enough in the spring that I can split it, creating a 2nd hive, and get second deeps on them early, then do 2 honey supers and substantially increase the amount of honey I can collect. We'll see. Since I am most likely going to be moving next summer, I may be starting all over from scratch in a new place.
@mikiz you should consider starting with 2 hives. I say this because as a first timer, you can compare one against the other and be able to see if something doesn't seem right. With just one hive, something might be happening and you'd never realize it until it's too late. I started with 2 and lost one. I have no idea what happened, it just died out. I think I may have accidentaly killed the queen during one of my checks, though I always try to locate her and be careful to not hurt her. Also, most established bee keeps will tell you; "Don't expect to get any honey the first year if you start with package bees." I didn't expect any, and therefore didn't plan on getting any, when in fact, I probably could have gotten twice the 26 pounds that I did get.
Since you're in an area that doesn't have a real frozen winter, there are probably plants around year round that the bees can gather from. Don't know what type hive you'll be looking at, but if it's Langstroths (what I use), you'll want to check on them every couple of weeks to monitor how fast the hive is growing so you can add space for them to grow the hive into (additional "deep" boxes w/frames then honey supers). This was my first year and I didn't monitor them as closely as I could have and missed out on the opportunity for additional honey. I put the 2nd deep on later than I should have, (this slowed the hive growth as they didn't have all that extra space to build and grow into) and consequently put the 1st (and only) honey super on later than I should have as well. As a result, I only got the one super of honey when I probably could have gotten 2. If you're paying attention, you'll catch this sort of thing and know when it's time to give them more space.
This coming year, since I already now have a 2 deep hive, I hope it's strong enough in the spring that I can split it, creating a 2nd hive, and get second deeps on them early, then do 2 honey supers and substantially increase the amount of honey I can collect. We'll see. Since I am most likely going to be moving next summer, I may be starting all over from scratch in a new place.
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Mini Horses
Herd Master
Latestarter, LOL, my issues are that I do no know anything about taking care of a hive, never tended the other one and have no idea why I was so lucky to have a really strong one. Even the bee keeper said it was extremely strong. So, I am a previously lucky owner of a hive. I watched my daughter open it once, the bee guy 2X, when he added the supers. Maybe I just have/had a good location. Nothing has changed much.
Hoping that my venture into this again will give me good results again. Want to add them to pollinate my own gardens but, I don't even know what a "Langstroths" is. Is that the traditional style that you keep adding on top, new sections? I have seen the top bars in articles in farm mags, but used the squarish one. DD lives on the farm in another residence, so maybe she'll help out. Tried to get one this past Spring for her, she said no. Maybe this Spring will be a charm.
Hoping that my venture into this again will give me good results again. Want to add them to pollinate my own gardens but, I don't even know what a "Langstroths" is. Is that the traditional style that you keep adding on top, new sections? I have seen the top bars in articles in farm mags, but used the squarish one. DD lives on the farm in another residence, so maybe she'll help out. Tried to get one this past Spring for her, she said no. Maybe this Spring will be a charm.
Happy Chooks
Loving the herd life
Latestarter, LOL, my issues are that I do no know anything about taking care of a hive, never tended the other one and have no idea why I was so lucky to have a really strong one. Even the bee keeper said it was extremely strong. So, I am a previously lucky owner of a hive. I watched my daughter open it once, the bee guy 2X, when he added the supers. Maybe I just have/had a good location. Nothing has changed much.
Hoping that my venture into this again will give me good results again. Want to add them to pollinate my own gardens but, I don't even know what a "Langstroths" is. Is that the traditional style that you keep adding on top, new sections? I have seen the top bars in articles in farm mags, but used the squarish one. DD lives on the farm in another residence, so maybe she'll help out. Tried to get one this past Spring for her, she said no. Maybe this Spring will be a charm.
What about asking the beekeeper you gave your hive to if he will mentor you? He could teach you the basics, and then you'll be hooked.
They are fascinating insects, and I love opening my hive as I learn something more each time I do.
babsbag
Herd Master
For learning some of the more scientific and fascinating stuff about bees the American Bee Journal is awesome. I got a subscription as a Christmas gift and enjoy it immensely. It has "common" stuff too but the hard to find and unusual is what I really like. Makes me appreciate the hive even more.
mikiz
Loving the herd life
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I'm not so much a fan of the Langs especially with all the lifting, I was angling more towards a TBH, I like the more "natural" beekeeping, if you can even call it that since it's all artificial really!
There are guys who have huge success over in NSW with Warre hives (basically a frameless Lang really), and I don't need all that much honey. Although I guess any extra is always good, and it doesn't really go "off" as such.
I could just get a couple of the TBH and a couple of Langs, and see which do better in my area.
There are guys who have huge success over in NSW with Warre hives (basically a frameless Lang really), and I don't need all that much honey. Although I guess any extra is always good, and it doesn't really go "off" as such.
I could just get a couple of the TBH and a couple of Langs, and see which do better in my area.
Having never owned a TBH I don't/can't answer too many Q's. No clue on the Warre hive either... Most bee keeps (that I've met) are more than willing to help others to learn/get started. You should contact some with each type hive and see if you can join them when they do a hive inspection. You'll learn a LOT and leave having more questions than what you brought with you! But you'll learn a LOT in a very short period and seeing is so much better than reading. Being able to get answers to your questions right then and there is a bonus! LOL
Since the bees tend to put brood in the lower/center portion of the comb they build, in a semi circle (kind of like the letter C turned on its side with the open end down) and then surround that with capped pollen stores on the sides and honey toward the top & on the sides, I don't know how one goes about harvesting honey from a TBH... I DO know how to do so in a Langstroth hive (The box on top of box type you referred to). You can see pictures of both if you look through some of the bee threads on here or search the internet.
Any extra honey will keep for a very long time. The only "issue" is that it may crystalize, which is easily remedied. I'm sure once you have honey you'll have no problem finding willing buyers for your excess. Friends and family will most likely be glad to help you get rid of some as well.
Since the bees tend to put brood in the lower/center portion of the comb they build, in a semi circle (kind of like the letter C turned on its side with the open end down) and then surround that with capped pollen stores on the sides and honey toward the top & on the sides, I don't know how one goes about harvesting honey from a TBH... I DO know how to do so in a Langstroth hive (The box on top of box type you referred to). You can see pictures of both if you look through some of the bee threads on here or search the internet.
Any extra honey will keep for a very long time. The only "issue" is that it may crystalize, which is easily remedied. I'm sure once you have honey you'll have no problem finding willing buyers for your excess. Friends and family will most likely be glad to help you get rid of some as well.
