I've been researching beekeeping for a couple weeks now and I plan to start a hive next month. I've got a local beekeeper who is going to sell me my first setup for a fair price. I don't plan to harvest any honey the first year, letting the bees have it for their first Winter here so that they get bigger and stronger for next Spring. It's going to be a fun venture and a great way for children to learn, as well as myself.

Anybody else beekeeping? Any tips you'd like to share?

Thanks!!:wee:

Wear a beekeeper's suit.

interesting....
that's very good for our environment.

sounds kinda cool

do you like honey?

I grew up with hives in our yard. BEE HIVES guys I use honey in most things. iIt is very good for you if it is local. If you get it at the grocery store it is most likely from China and has no medicinal use. I would like to start my own but it takes a few years to get them well established. And we have several neighbors with them.
My Grandfather used to go get a bee and have it sting him on his hand every day. He lived to be 97 and said it was the venom that made sure he never got arthritis

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Originally posted by rocfighter It is very good for you if it is local. If you get it at the grocery store it is most likely from China and has no medicinal use. Quote: I agree, I have a co-worker that raises bees for their honey and I've learned alot from talking with him. He sells his honey at local farmers markets and typically sells more than he can produce in a summer. Grocery store honey is processed/heated up just enough to kill enzymes that cause it to crystalize when stored on the shelf. Personally I think it's pure marketing. Most wouldn't see crystalized honey very appealling to eat if you've ever seen it in a jar. He get's lots of requests for raw honey due to the holistic benefits people get from it. Raw honey is much harder to find since it's simply not readily available everywhere. Ok, I'm done rambling now..

Not sure how I quoted myself inside another quote:dunno:

I'm curious, what's the going rate on bees? Like do you buy the hive and the bees seperately of is it a "RTF" deal?

Seriously, I don't know. I think what you're doing is very cool though. I wish we could have hives here at the house but not as much as the bears do.

Dang bears.

Raw honey is the only way to go...

A friend of mine has been bee keeping for the last few years now. She has an older gentlemen that has been mentoring her along and she really enjoys tending to her hives. It's amazing how good the local honey is, around here the old wives tale is that local honey helps combat allergies and many people here swear by it.

Girl in my office started w/ this but got sick before making her bee order (in by Jan)...shes ok now but has to put it off for 1 yr because queen and colony need to be ordered in advance of the set up(....she has like 700$$ into this w/ her equip. but she tends to overpay and buy top notch stuff as well

Was just watching worlds worst tenants on spike. Someone had complained about a buzzing sound coming from one of the apartments. They were looking for all kinds of electrical issues. Turns out the tenant was keeping bees in one of the bedrooms... :shocked2: some people...

This is one of the more left field topics I've seen on a kite forum But I love it! I've wanted bees for a while. It's all part of my dream to have a farm house, and little small holding in the country I doubt it will ever happen though..

Tim

We fly. Bees fly. Works for me.

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Originally posted by Feyd I'm curious, what's the going rate on bees? Like do you buy the hive and the bees seperately of is it a "RTF" deal?

No RTF deal unless someone sets it up for you. Equipment and bees sold separately. In our state bees are bought by the pound. A two pound box of bees is the most common, but also can be purchased in 3 or 4 pound boxes. A two pound "box" of bees is actually like a small cage that includes a queen and others needed to start a hive. Typical price for a two pound box here is @ $77.00usd.
Easily mail ordered and delivered right to your door, just be sure your home at delivery incase of inclement weather or you may be SOL.

SandFlea, I love honey! But that's not the only reason I'm interested in it. Keeping bees on your property is a great way for kids to learn about them and they pollinate all the flowering trees, bushes and flowers. It is possible to get 5 gallons or more out of one hive. Big business tries to push people on a ton of items that you don't have to have. I could easily spend over $1000 at first but I'm going to buy the few items that are needed right away. The first year you don't harvest any honey, you let the bees have it for their first Winter on the property which allows them to get bigger and stronger for the next year.

Feyd, Cheddarhead is right on the money on that subject. You can also attempt to attract wild bees into your hive by putting some pure beeswax in the hive and smearing it on the walls in Spring during swarming season. Honeybees swarm to find a new nest during the Spring and, unfortunately, people call the exterminator more often than not.

Honeybees are disappearing at an alarming rate and the reason has not been found. There are a few theories but nothing concrete.

I look forward to this venture and I'll try to let you guys know how it goes.

Oh boy. Now my interest is piqued and I'm envisioning having my own hive and getting to harvest honey. Yep I also see myself at the craft fairs selling my local homemade honey. I didn't need another hobby! :dunno:

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Originally posted by BeamerBob Oh boy. Now my interest is piqued and I'm envisioning having my own hive and getting to harvest honey. Yep I also see myself at the craft fairs selling my local homemade honey. I didn't need another hobby! :dunno:

mmm, would honey bees survive in the desert?

I googled it and it seems there are honeybees out there, I would call a beekeeper and ask some questions.

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Originally posted by Cheddarhead Quote: Originally posted by BeamerBob Oh boy. Now my interest is piqued and I'm envisioning having my own hive and getting to harvest honey. Yep I also see myself at the craft fairs selling my local homemade honey. I didn't need another hobby! :dunno: mmm, would honey bees survive in the desert?

I won't live here forever. I will be back east someday where the bees are needed and can thrive.

If you get enough of them, could you generate your own wind? If so, I'm 110% on board.

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Originally posted by Cheddarhead mmm, would honey bees survive in the desert?

Beekeeping is a Huge business even here in the Southwest corner of AZ, mostly for crop pollination in citrus and alfalfa. Local honey can be found in many Mom-n-Pop Shops and the varieties are manifold and bizarre. I'm not fond of Jalapeno Honey but it does have a distinctive flavor.

beekeeping is as awesome as kites, helicopters and duct tape......always wanted to do this as well.

been looking into it "loosely" for a while

there are a ton of hoops to jump through, here in Nebraska anyway.... I wanted fresh honey for me, and bees to do their thing for my raspberries.... and i love mead, so i want jugs of that on hand but if you plan to sell it, theres all sorts of inspections that "should" be done. (i think a lot of people just keep it quiet) You have to register with the state (they may tell you NO WAY) and if its in town, you have to tell every neighbor, in case someone is allergic to bees, they can crush your plans right there.

I do enough things that skim the edge of legality, raising bees without telling the state would be pretty mellow compared to some things i do on the daily (loud stereos are pretty tame compared to mine, and the local smokies hate me)

If your are in town tho, i would at least double check with a few neighbors, just in case they have a child with a bee allergy.... its a really nasty allergy


Keep us posted, beekeeping is still on my bucket list