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    Bee season

    Well, it's getting close to bee season again - I just put in an order for two bee packages (three pounds of bees and a queen each). I'm going with two hives this year - hopefully at least one will survive the bear...

    If they both make it, I should be swimming in honey!

    They won't be delivered until April. In the meantime, I have some housekeeping to do on the hive, and a second one to set up.
    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.


    #2
    Re: Bee season

    Good luck with it this year! There's nothing better than fresh honey and keeping bees helps produce in the whole area as well!

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      #3
      Re: Bee season

      Good luck BDC. There was an article in Mother Earth News about a year ago regarding beekeeping and building top bar hives. I've been toying with the idea of trying my hand at beekeeping ever since. They certainly would be beneficial in my garden. What advice would you recommend to someone totally inexperienced in beekeeping (that would be me)?

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        #4
        Re: Bee season

        My best advice is GO FOR IT!

        Beekeeping is fascinating - if you're even a little bit interested, you'll get more interested as you do it. You don't need much space - if you place your hive carefully, nobody will even know you have one (no complaints from neighbors).

        My second piece of advice is don't get hung up on details!

        Because beekeeping is interesting, there are a lot of people who get deeply involved in it, and they will often times write deeply about it. If you stumble on one of those books, you might get the impression that beekeeping is very, very complicated.

        It's not. Basically, bees are pretty much programmed by their genes to do things in a very particular way, and bees have been kept by humans for so long that most of that "particular way" is well understood. Essentially, all the beekeeper has to do is set things up so that the bees will do what they would be doing anyway, and let them go to it.

        You can get into some very complicated things, though, if you like complicated things - but to get enough honey for a few dozen people isn't at all hard (we're still eating from the honey I harvested two years ago).

        My last piece of advice is don't try the top bar hive until after you've set up a standard hive.

        There's two reasons why I suggest this -the first is that you will be able to find a lot more information, get help, find supplies and materials - if you do it the standard way. Once you have a handle on standard bee herding you will be better able to make good decisions about an alternative method.

        The second reason is that if you use the top bar method, your bees will have to rebuild their combs every year (the only way to harvest from free hung combs is to destroy them), which will result in less honey for you - bees will be busy comb building when they could be out sucking nectar.

        But the most important advice is the first piece I gave you - give it a try. Life is fun and interesting, if you want it to be.
        Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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          #5
          Re: Bee season

          This is awesome!! I'm glad that bear hasn't stopped you, B. Even though the thing seems think you're it's Sugar Daddy, I hope the hives survive!!

          I really loved the pics, last time. As long as the bear keeps it's distance there should be some GREAT results, this year! So, here's hoping the bear developed an allergy to bees!!




          "Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it." - Ayn Rand

          "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius

          "The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice." - Mark Twain

          "The only gossip I'm interested in is things from the Weekly World News - 'Woman's bra bursts, 11 injured'. That kind of thing." - Johnny Depp


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            #6
            Re: Bee season

            Ho cool! There are a few people I know around here who keep bees and sell honey at the local Farmers' Market. Late last summer, one guy brought in a big chunk of honeycomb, which I'd never seen before except in pictures. I look forward to hearing about the progress on this! Good luck with this years batch.
            sigpic
            Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

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              #7
              Re: Bee season

              Do you have to keep the hives on the ground? ... Out on a limb might seem a good choice ... Unless it gets windy ...
              I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them ... John Bernard Books


              Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official; "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done."

              The Chief nodded in agreement.

              The official continued; "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"

              The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied.. "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine Man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex."

              Then the chief leaned back and smiled; "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."



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                #8
                Re: Bee season

                Good luck with the bees this year Do you ever make mead with your honey?
                * * *
                You can find some of my creative writing at http://libbyscribbles.com

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                  #9
                  Re: Bee season

                  Thanks, BDC! I think I'm going to go for it!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Bee season

                    I haven't made mead yet with home grown honey - that was on the agenda for last year, but I had a bad year. If both hives make it, I'll have plenty of honey for five gallons or so... I wish the mead thread was still up - there were some great recipies in there that I wanted to try.

                    Glad to hear that, Storm! If you have any questions, drop me a line - I'll be happy to help out!

                    LOL - the hives are on the ground - actually, sitting on cinderblocks. "Out on a limb" is the way I do most things, but it would make the honey to hard to harvest . I'd have to be gathering comb with one hand, and cursing with the other (I know three curses in sign language - one will curdle milk, one will cause a cow to prodcue a two headed calf, and the other will make any woman fall in love with me), which doesn't leave me a hand to hold on with. I guess I could trust to the Tao of the honey to stick me to the tree...
                    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                      #11
                      Re: Bee season

                      That is such an awesome hobby! I would be interesting if I wasn't deathly allergic. I even see a bee and I run the other way =P
                      sigpic

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                        #12
                        Re: Bee season

                        When I used to go camping for weeks on end I would take a light weight block and tackle used to hoist game up for dressing in the field ... Just had to use a 200 foot rope instead of the 30 footer that came with it ... That should make running the hive up and down a bit easier ...
                        I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them ... John Bernard Books


                        Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official; "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done."

                        The Chief nodded in agreement.

                        The official continued; "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"

                        The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied.. "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine Man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex."

                        Then the chief leaned back and smiled; "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."



                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Bee season

                          I love Bees! Don't you think that if a bee was blown up to be human sized and was trained as a pet it would be the most awesome thing to cuddle? x
                          "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me"- CS Lewis


                          https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyHagenART

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                            #14
                            Re: Bee season

                            LOL- you'd want a drone (male). They don't sting. It's the females you have to watch out for.
                            Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Bee season

                              Sounds familiar ...














                              *runs and ducks*
                              I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them ... John Bernard Books


                              Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official; "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done."

                              The Chief nodded in agreement.

                              The official continued; "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"

                              The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied.. "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine Man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex."

                              Then the chief leaned back and smiled; "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."



                              Comment

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