General bee keeping advice

[anthropisces]

Instead of a lawn, I planted a meadow on my 1/3 acre. The wildflower show hasn't abated since last April. Even though temperatures are dipping into the upper 30s on occasion the meadow is still covered with pink (North Star's favorite color) flowers from the numerous Cosmos.

There were so many pollinators this year that I'm compelled to start bee keeping. I've been reading about varona and some other issues with bee keeping. Its all daunting enough to nearly put an end to my idea.

If any of you folks have kept bees and can offer a few pearls of wisdom I'd like to hear them.

PS. Speaking of flowers I had a dream that Northstar had a little daffodil tucked behind his ear and we were in my meadow together. Then the scene just got foggy

[Behslayer]

Check out the Flow Hive.

[Tyson Brown]

Originally Posted by Behslayer

Check out the Flow Hive.

What he said! So amazing. I'm about to start myself.

But also, join a local beekeeping club.

https://www.honeyflow.com/about/abou...rks/p/62?id=62

https://youtu.be/WbMV9qYIXqM

YouTube

https://youtu.be/Z54bL6kjyOI

YouTube

[North Star]

Anthro - You must be desperate for attention in your tiny little twisted world. Here is all the attention you are going to get from me...

I have numerous beehives on my property, and five gallon buckets full of honey from last years production - (In case you were wondering why I opened this thread) But advice? Here you go:

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Hawai'iBob

Ill trade you.
You teach me how to be an expert spearfisherman and ill teach you how to be an expert beekeeper.

Square deal right there.

[OBLIGATED]

I had two hives I bought from a local hardware store when we moved to the country.Me and the kids enjoyed them.My youngest at 4 would lay by the hive and let the bees eat syrup off his fingers.
A local started putting his hives nearby and I lost my bees when they started having a war.Had some issues with mites but got it under control.Probably going to order more bees(Italian)this spring and try it again for the honey and the grandkids to learn.
I just bought a book by Dadant and got my hives and bees.They do the work.Would have been nice to have a mentor but we still got more honey than all our family could eat.
When you harvest the honey make sure you smoke them good and close any openings on your hood or clothing.Got in a rush and didnt bother smoking and tried to grab a rack of honey. I got rewarded with bees in my pants and inside the hood and a lot of the hive chasing me up the hill while I was trying to get my pants off.Benadryl is your friend.

[OBLIGATED]

Originally Posted by Tyson Brown

What he said! So amazing. I'm about to start myself.

But also, join a local beekeeping club.

https://www.honeyflow.com/about/abou...rks/p/62?id=62

https://youtu.be/WbMV9qYIXqM
http://youtu.be/WbMV9qYIXqM


https://youtu.be/Z54bL6kjyOI
http://youtu.be/Z54bL6kjyOI

Pricey

[Tyson Brown]

Originally Posted by OBLIGATED

Pricey

Yeah but there's a lot less streaking up the hill....

[Behslayer]

Some serious Beee Know how beeing shared. Do you still run a farm up there? I just moved to BI so eventually I will come up that way to check it out once settled would love to see that and show the kids. I kept bees in Indonesia, but didn't understand the process and when the season changed and the got dry, the Bees took off and invaded the beach cafes in Uluwatu. I came down one day after work and there were bees in every coca cola and the locals were not sooo happy. that swarm has since propagated along the whole coast there.

[anthropisces]

Northstar I was being friendly and meant no offense. Don't you ever kid your friends?

I want to approach bee keeping from the standpoint of bee survival and health rather than honey production initially.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by anthropisces

Northstar I was being friendly and meant no offense. Don't you ever kid your friends?
.

From the outside, I read your goading as mean spirited and I was like, WTF? Apparently your sarcasm didn't seep thru, but I now believe your intentions were true...just ill delivered.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Hawai'iBob

Sounds like you are interested in raising a healthy colony of bees. Thats admirable and you have earned my respect.
Thats the right approach to take but remember your role.

A beekeeper is a thief that raids a colonies pollen warehouse, scares the women and children by filling their hive with smoke, indiscriminately kills its workers and steals food right out of the mouths of hungry little baby bees.
Thats your job as a beekeeper.
IMHO, respectfully, sir...

Happy bees make honey. That is what they do. Unlike humans they dont slack off or take vacations so regardless of your best intentions, they are going to do what healthy bees do and that is make and store a lot of honey, collect a lot of pollen, make a lot of wax, harvest and use a lot of propolis to seal up, glue together and gum up ever crack and crevis in the hive.
A hive tool is nothing more than a shiny crow bar after all.
Your job is to harvest all that.
Im just keeping it real.

Not to put too fine a point on it but a healthy colony is a well managed colony and that means doing all the hard work and not just when its convenient. Harvesting the bees crops is why we keep them, they are not warm and cuddly. And wether you have 1 or 100 hives the overall commitment is about the same.

Fail to properly care for and manage a colony and they get sick and you become the problem.
That sounds kind of preachy, sorry.

Not trying to piddle in your cheerios but bees are like any small farm animal in the sence that they require as much care and husbandry and time as a milk cow or flock of chickens or a herd of goats but most people think of them as low maintenance and in my experience, they are not. Ignore them and they die or leave.

Diseases like Colony Collaps Disorder (CCD), parasites like varoa and trachea mites, Africanization (Africanized Honey Bee AHB) and environmental pollution are giving commercial beekeepers a hard enough time without hobbiests creating islands of disease in their back yards.
Wow, I just sounded like every other know-it-all commercial beekeeper I have ever met!
WOW!
Again, very sorry.

If you are dead set in favor of becoming a beekeeper ask what the CCD rates are in your zone (what % of hives are dying from CCD each year), map the prospective area to ensure you are not encroaching on another guys territory, investigate if there have been any dog deaths from Africanized bees lately and then use that info to inform your decision.

Do that research before spending $500 on beekeeping classes and seminars, $250 on a bee suit, $2500 on an extractor, $1000 on a cappings spinner, $500 on a bottler, $500 on uncapping equip, $1500 on boxes and frames and tops and bottoms, $250 on pint jars every harvest, $1000 for remodeling or building a bee shed, $1000 giving 5 gallon buckets of honey away to every neighbor that complains that they were car jacked by an angry bee, saw one of your escaped swarms menacing the neighborhood or informs you that their child is deathly allergic to bee stings and that you need to buy them an epi-pen ... and thats not even mentioning how much a kid with a swolen lip from a pepsi can sting is gonna cost you!

Im not even going to mention how much a lawsuit over a, a, a ...... Ok, im done...

Again, very sorry.

Whelp, you convinced me. F beekeeping! I'll leave it to the suckers.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Hawai'iBob

Thats why im getting into spearfishing because its so inexpensive and definitely not dangerous.
*Just kidding*

LOL. we'll help you regardless. Anthro surely would like some advice it seems. You've already convinced me.
I guess, the first step is identifying your general location. It's quite important. Your name seemingly gives it away. From my understanding of the fishery legislation in the area, it's rather tough going. One has to strike out on their own and find the obscure reefs holding fish. From what I hear, shore diving is very unproductive.

[Marcus]

That's a hell of an introduction. You've won me over. I'd be happy to help you out but Anthro has first dibs. He apparently needs some help in the bee keeping department.
Your honesty, humbleness, and intellect is refreshing. Apparently, you are a student of six sigma and have learned how to woo information from others...which is curious...did you get tired of the corporate life and decide to leave it all behind, move to the big Island, and seek a new life?
Inquiring minds want to know. I've often pondered the same.
A bit more info is necessary. Are you attempting to grab some food from shore diving the big Island?

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Hawai'iBob

Yea, there are a lot of unanswered questions arent there?

But to answer this one, No and Yes!

Didnt have a life on the mainland, its a rat race, but did make a conscience decision to leave it behind and move to the big island to re-start living.

Significant Other lost her hero / father (bad ticker since Korea and Vietnam didnt help).
She lived at Scofield as a kid and loved it, we mourned for a while, she still cries sometimes, then asked ourselves what next? So we sold everything and moved.
Got on a flight with two bags each and havent regretted it since.
Sent an email to our friends/ family with the new address then started thinking up excuses why they shouldn't visit...
LOL (Thats my joke not hers)
For some reason EVERYBODY needs to see me about something... I wonder what it could be????

Found a few nice lots, where it rains 12' feet per year, but just taking time to explore before settling down. Spent more than a few nights on the beach, stayed in a tree house (really tree mansion), lots of other stunning places, but for now renting an Ohana that is a stones throw away from the ocean.
I could die tomorrow with no regrets.
Thats a statemant I could not have made under the yoke of a silk noose, tolerating the one billion people within walking distance of my mainland hovel or while staring across an unprotected border.

Moving was a good decision. Id recommend it to anyone.

As for the IQ/EQ question I cant really say. I tried my best to kill as many brain cells as I could in the '80's but since I quit drinking they just seem to be growing back.
Sorry Ill try to keep it in check.

Love it. A real person, unabashed to express one's self.