Anybody raise bees here? I am strongly considering starting to raise bees for pollenation, honey and bee's wax and other products. Does anybody have any suggestions, books, or experiences with bees that you could share?
Missionary Joshua
Anybody raise bees here?
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- beekepping bees
I would strongly advise you to start here ...
http://www.biobees.com/forum/index.php?sid=dcf61e6a90e4b01c802b390e3169632f
Hope it helps ...
Cheers
http://www.biobees.com/forum/index.php?sid=dcf61e6a90e4b01c802b390e3169632f
Hope it helps ...
Cheers
In addition to dolmen's recommendation, try to find a local clubor beekeeping society, they will be far more use to you than an internet forum.
Finding a club was how we got into beekeeping.
Finding a club was how we got into beekeeping.
We keep bees for the same reasons, and my father has also been a professional beekeeper for most of his life.
For someone just starting out, I would offer the following advice:
* Don't try to learn from a book. Find a good short course given by local beekeepers. You will then be able to try your hand at opening hives, identifying different bees (ie. drones, queen, workers), maybe even extracting honey and you will get a taste for whether it's something you'd like to do. The teachers will also have local contacts and information. Books are good for reference purposes but they are no substitute for hands on learning. We took a course and even though I already knew the theory, the instructors provided everyone with their first hive for a nominal fee, so it was well worth it.
* If you get any of your supplies second hand, sterlise everything. Boxes especially should be sterilised with a blow torch because bacterial and fungal diseases can lay dormant on the wood for a long time. Frames are not worth reusing. They are cheap to buy.
* Start with two hives in case one dies over winter, or swarms.
* Join a local beekeeping association. You will get a lot of good advice from experienced beeks.
Good luck.
P.S. I almost forgot. Please don't steal your wife's best bowls, knives, wooden spoons, etc for extracting honey and melting wax. Also, please don't fill the freezer with drone frames and leave hardened wax all over the kitchen bench tops.
For someone just starting out, I would offer the following advice:
* Don't try to learn from a book. Find a good short course given by local beekeepers. You will then be able to try your hand at opening hives, identifying different bees (ie. drones, queen, workers), maybe even extracting honey and you will get a taste for whether it's something you'd like to do. The teachers will also have local contacts and information. Books are good for reference purposes but they are no substitute for hands on learning. We took a course and even though I already knew the theory, the instructors provided everyone with their first hive for a nominal fee, so it was well worth it.
* If you get any of your supplies second hand, sterlise everything. Boxes especially should be sterilised with a blow torch because bacterial and fungal diseases can lay dormant on the wood for a long time. Frames are not worth reusing. They are cheap to buy.
* Start with two hives in case one dies over winter, or swarms.
* Join a local beekeeping association. You will get a lot of good advice from experienced beeks.
Good luck.
P.S. I almost forgot. Please don't steal your wife's best bowls, knives, wooden spoons, etc for extracting honey and melting wax. Also, please don't fill the freezer with drone frames and leave hardened wax all over the kitchen bench tops.
My friend, Miles Stair, an old time survivalist, was an award winning bee keeper for many decades. He finally had to give it up in order to concentrate on other pursuits. I highly recommend visiting his site as he knows more about bees than anyone I know. It is the End Times Report.
I have a couple hives, a traditional Langstroth style and a Top Bar Hive.
I like the Top Bar Hive way better. It is so much easier for me. But it might just be a personal thing. It will get me less honey, but I get wax as well, unlike the Langstroth.
This is one of the better forums
http://www.beesource.com/forums/index.php
and I second the bio-bee's forum
I like the Top Bar Hive way better. It is so much easier for me. But it might just be a personal thing. It will get me less honey, but I get wax as well, unlike the Langstroth.
This is one of the better forums
http://www.beesource.com/forums/index.php
and I second the bio-bee's forum
Happen to run across this old post and was wondering if you ever did get your bee's and how your luck's been with them?
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