Bee keepers out there

[DockShootinJack]

I built 2 swarm traps last year. I had some interest in them. Thought I had a swarm moving in and then they disappeared

[frugalfisherman]

Whatever the queen does the rest do if you can catch the queen you can control the whole swarm. When I trap a swarm I just make sure to get her and then all the others will go right in with problem


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[Fish on Line]

About 60 years ago my dad found a wild hive in a old Oak tree out in a field we were only able to get abut half of the honey and hive --- most of the Old hive and Honey was Black and real strong tasting -- that is the only Wild Hive I have ever seen except for when a hive moved into the wall of a metal building what the whole corner of the building would have to be removed to find the Queen and Hive.... what I found most Interesting The bees Water source and the smell is how bees find their hive. There was a Peach orchard about a mile away .. Bees Pollinate then they use Fruit tree sprays in clouds to sell their Peaches ,,, then Corn growers spray so much I am afraid to eat the stuff

[frugalfisherman]

About 60 years ago my dad found a wild hive in a old Oak tree out in a field we were only able to get abut half of the honey and hive --- most of the Old hive and Honey was Black and real strong tasting -- that is the only Wild Hive I have ever seen except for when a hive moved into the wall of a metal building what the whole corner of the building would have to be removed to find the Queen and Hive.... what I found most Interesting The bees Water source and the smell is how bees find their hive. There was a Peach orchard about a mile away .. Bees Pollinate then they use Fruit tree sprays in clouds to sell their Peaches ,,, then Corn growers spray so much I am afraid to eat the stuff

Absolutely true


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[DockShootinJack]

I wish they could quit spraying the food we eat

[sweathermon]

Me and my wife have been researching getting bees for the last couple years. This year we actually got started on building some of our own bee boxes. I'm thinking we are going to try and order bees this coming year to get them around spring time. We are not trying to get into it for being able to sell honey but mostly just for the environmental purpose of it. We have several fruit trees around our house and we always do a pretty good sized garden every year so we are hoping it will help with production for us plus help the environment. Hopefully we can get enough honey for ourselves and maybe some for Christmas presents for family but not really looking to make a business out of it. Does anybody that's been doing it have any suggestions for someone who is brand new to it? I know we have watched alot of YouTube videos by a guy named Fredrick Dunn and believe we have learned alot but just curious if there is anything that someone who has been doing it would say is a have to know thing for a beginner?

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[Mbsbeek]

I've been at it for about 8 yrs. The best advice I can give is join your local bee keepers association, talk with local beekeepers, don't necessarily belive what everyone tells you. There are people out there to make money. So do alot of reading in books not YouTube. On beekeepers way is not your way. After 8 yrs. with maybe $2,000 invested, I lost every hive I bought out of Georgia I'm in N.C.
I did everything I was told to do didn't work. Bee's always died in winter because of varroa mites. I tried the gassing with OA, it does work.
IMO, I haven't bought bee's from out of state in the last 4 yrs. and I'm doing fine , with 5 hives this yr. going into winter. First 4 yrs. buying bee's , I never had bee's in spring. So your local feral bee's are your best option. You can build little 5 frame nuc boxes , buy one old drawn comb frame from locals , place in swarm trap with some new foundation frames , and a McDonald's drinking straw cut 3" long , stuff a little cotton ball in each end with 2 drops of lemongrass extract and wait, I can also use a Boardman sugar feeder next to swarm trap early in spring to attract lookers.

[Pithon]

Just got my first 2 hives this spring. Everything that I didn't want to happen my first year of beekeeping did. Had a huge die out on my first nuc and barely saved them the first 2 weeks of having them. 2nd hive was a cut out. Had them in the hive for about a month and she swarmed on me. Ordered new queen but it took Don the fat bee man just over 3 weeks to get her to me. Good queen but probably won't do business with him again.
Ended up getting a gallon my 1st year, was expecting more but it seemed like it was one thing after another.
Tips I've learned so far.
Drawn out comb is worth it's weight in gold.
It's no problem selling honey.
It's not as expensive to start up as fishing is.
Figure about $1500 for 2 hives starting out if you buy nucs and all wooden ware, suit, accessories.
I started out saying 2 hives and that's all I want/ need. WRONG. Gonna be hard next year to stay with just 2 hives.
Watch/ learn/ train with people that have the same goal as you. Don, Barnyard, Jason, commercial beekeepers, and all other youtubers have a very different agenda than what you do. I'm not in it for the honey either so my way of keeping vs the way someone that's breeding queens or commerical beeks is very different.

Get bees you'll enjoy it.

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[DockShootinJack]

I have bought a lot of the equipment. The wooden ware. I need to order bee this spring and start a few hives

[FurFlyin]

I kept bees for 6 years. I started with 3 hives and ended up with 15 hives and 20 nucs before I sold out. Year 4 was the year I really expanded in order to start selling bees in year 5. Very early spring of year 5, I found American Foul Brood in one hive. I got the inspector out and he told me it was AFB. I disagreed. Two weeks later I get him back out and he brings a retired inspector with him. The retired guy agreed with me and by then I had it in both hives on either side of the first one. We sent samples off and they arrived at Beltsville the day the lab was shut down due to funding a couple years ago. I burned 5 hives that night and burned all my used wooden ware and old frames. I didn't want to take the risk. I treated the rest of my hives, so I couldn't harvest honey, or sell bees that year. By late summer I was back up to 15 hives and 20 nucs. That next spring I had 15 nucs and 5 hives sold to people all over the state. I was waiting for the hives to build in strength before the buyers picked them up. I had pick ups scheduled to start within a week, then an F1 tornado came through our place and scattered all the nucs and 5 hives across the pasture behind my yard. I cleaned up all I could, called all the folks to cancel. After a month of rebuilding the hives, I sold every one of the. I sold all my wooden ware to another beek. All I kept was my ol Dadant smoker.

DockShootinJack, I'd recommend buying nucs, not packages of bees.