madteaparty Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Is it very hard to learn and get started? I can't find a local class yet so I was going to read a book. I am fascinated with bees generally and our family consumes our respective body weight in honey (we drink tea all day) so I figured why not... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) It will probably be two years before you get your first harvest of honey. The first year for a colony of bees seldom produces a surplus. So good things come to those who wait. Unless your hive swarms... Start up is somewhat costly if you don't have equipment. Bees can be ordered by mail, but I would advise anyone starting with bees to go local and get a nuc, which will be a laying queen, workers and baby bees. Plus, you will be interacting with a local beekeeper who can help you learn about beekeeping. There are a number of parasites and diseases to be aware of. What I would do first? Contact your state Plant Health board. For whatever reason, bees often get put under the Plant side of Agriculture. They may be able to put you in touch with your local beekeepers. Our beekeeper's group just put on a beginning beekeeping class. And the group has everyone from seasoned beekeepers to novices, to folks who would like bees but are not ready to have them yet. I've kept bees, and will keep them again. Not this year. This year we are planning to spend most of the spring rearing the next flock of chickens, and I don't feel I can be rearing new hives at the same time. I lost both of my good hives to swarming and hive beetles last year. My placement of the hives wasn't quite right. So this year I will also be planning a new site. I also plan to increase my population of flowering trees, because where I live, forage is limited to trees, some vines and variable weed crops (like Perilla mint and sometimes blackberry). So I have plenty to do before getting my next groups of bees are purchased! That said, I certainly won't turn down a swarm this year if one comes! I actually have to make sure I have enough equipment should I need to house a colony if one comes along here in the next month or so. Is it expensive? Yep. Is it sometimes heartbreaking? Oh, yeah. Is it a lot of work? Yep. Especially during dearth and early spring. Is it hard to learn? What isn't? You learn something new every year, though. Is it rewarding? Yes, and not just because honey is the end product. I can tell you that you will never look at a weed the same way again, you will suddenly become aware of all the small life around you, and you will be so aware of the hum of your bees that you will get to where the slightest change in that song alerts you to their state of mind. It's pretty awesome, really. :001_smile: ETA: Forgot to add that you will get stung. Bees blame the keeper for everything from a skunk walking by at night to a rainy day. But most of the time I find that hives that are well fed, happy and used to seeing their beekeeper are not bad to be around most of the time. Edited March 13, 2016 by Critterfixer 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Thanks. This is such a great post. We have local friends that keep bees, I'm already hitting them up for advice. Thanks again 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 If you can, I'd see if they would have you on as an "apprentice" for a while. That would get you comfortable handling equipment and "seeing" the bees. There is a lot that goes on in a hive that can be seen by examining frames, but it does take a while to get good at "reading" a frame. And you can get an idea of the kind of work involved in caring for a strong hive vs a weak one and so forth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I don't really have anything to add better than what Critterfixer said, but just wanted to chime in that beekeeping can be fun and rewarding! :) I don't do it myself, but my husband and my DS do it, and it's a fun hobby for them to do together. At first having the bees right on our property kind of freaked me out, but they really are very fascinating creatures. Last summer one of the hives swarmed and we happened to see it as it was happening and the swarm landed just a few feet away from the original hive. Watching thousands and thousands of them swirling in the air and then landing in a huge clump right on top of the queen and just hanging there in a 4' chain was really and truly an amazing sight. DS got them into another hive box we had sitting around so we didn't lose them. I just wish they didn't like our swimming pool so much! lol This is the 2nd winter they've had them and they've learned a lot. They got started by talking to a beekeeper my DH works with and he became their mentor and walked them through their first year. Our local Indiana Beekeepers Association puts on an annual "bee school" where they've learned a lot too. And DS took beekeeping in 4H as well. They've had some hits and misses but this year looks to be a good one. They've got 5 or 6 hives that made it through the winter well and they have high hopes for a good year this season. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 My 12 year old would like to get bees the next time we move. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Bees like open water to drink, and they happen to LOVE any kind of water with minerals in it. They will prefer a mud puddle or swimming hole to a fresh water source every time. I have it on good authority that they adore salt water swimming pools. Next time I get my bees, I think I will get them a salt block and a mineral block to enjoy near their favorite water source. I suspect that the deer that use my yard as a bed won't object to the minerals either. I don't know if minerals would keep them away from your pool or not, but it might give them another source for mineral laden water. My understanding is that they like the mineral rich water for curing honey in some way. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 We set up the frog pond that dmmetler (I think that's the right username) on this board had a post about right close to where the hives are. I'm hoping that they'll like it this year better than the pool! It's not a salt water pool, it's chlorine, but we live out in the country and are on well water, so it's got minerals galore, even with all the chemicals we dump into it every week. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Bees like open water to drink, and they happen to LOVE any kind of water with minerals in it. They will prefer a mud puddle or swimming hole to a fresh water source every time. I have it on good authority that they adore salt water swimming pools. Next time I get my bees, I think I will get them a salt block and a mineral block to enjoy near their favorite water source. I suspect that the deer that use my yard as a bed won't object to the minerals either. I don't know if minerals would keep them away from your pool or not, but it might give them another source for mineral laden water. My understanding is that they like the mineral rich water for curing honey in some way.We don't have a pond but are surrounded by them :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 We've kept bees though we don't have any now. We only have room for two hives, and with all of the bee issues around at the moment, it's easy to lose both. My inclination in the future is to look at organic management with smaller (normal) sized bees. I'd really like to replace our hives with a newer, locally produced one - it's a variation on the longbar hive which has better results for winter survival. But, it would be expensive to do that, so we'll see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneangelwaiting Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I found that our city actually has a bee club, I stumbled upon it on Facebook which led me to their web page. I contacted the president of the club, and told him I was interested in learning more about keeping bees. He is going to find a beekeeper in the area who I can "assist" this season, so I can learn without investing much other than time. Maybe in your area there is someone who would be willing to do the same? He said next year if I'm interested the club can help me find a place to keep bees (our property is too small according to county rules). I think this is just about the perfect set up, maybe you can find something like that in your area as well. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 I found a three-part class at a local museum--thank you all :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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