New hobby is a go.

[altbier]

After waiting almost a whole year (we just missed the season last year to get started) my new hobby is a go.

My good friend Steve and I have started beekeeping.


this is my little girl putting the paint coat on the first hive, we made two that day.


Here is my son telling steve how mean bees are and that we shouldn't get to close to them. He will get the honey for us. A very brave 3 year old. (The hives are no where near my house, so he won't ever have he chance to prove it)

As of today, the nukes were placed in the hives and the bees are adapting to their new box. Tomorrow we go pick them up and move them to Steve's farm.

Cheers!

[Spagg]

Very cool! Good luck with your new endeavor!!

[JohnnyCashFan]

That's really cool. I actually just read a long article somewhere (forget what magazine) about beekeeping. I assume that you are doing it for the honey?

[Franksmith]

That looks like fun... I would be pretty stressed about bee stings at first but would still love to learn that. So don't you use smoke to calm them down so they do not sting when working with them?

How picky are you bees going to be?? Will they settle for NC smoke or will it have to be ISOM's?

BTW.... very cute kids!

[RPB67]

Good Luck with the new hobby.

[Lumpold]

My uncle John has bees, so if you got any questions for him, let me know! The one I'll answer for him is: 'No, don't let your wife and kids convince you to dress up as a bee to put on the label for the honey jars'

[5thDan]

Looks like a cool hobby. Do you know anything about the trouble they are having in California with the bees being killed off by some parisite? Will that have an affect on you?

[altbier]

Originally Posted by 5thDan

Looks like a cool hobby. Do you know anything about the trouble they are having in California with the bees being killed off by some parisite? Will that have an affect on you?

That is a problem nation wide, last year 1/2 of the bee population was wiped out by mites and other factors. Here in Virginia your hives have to be inspected by the VADoA, if you have mite, they come in and kill every bee you have so it won;t spread. Pretty serious stuff.

Thats one reason I wanted to start this hobby, to try and help the little buggers get back their numbers.

Expect fruit and produce to be very expensive later this year.

As for dressing in a bee costume for the labels, thats what my wife is for....

[TShailer]

Is the Club Stogie mead in your future, Altbier? Always fond of sparkling pyment and still blueberry melomel. Great new hobby and I'm happy to see someone trying to rebuild the honeybee population.

[NCRadioMan]

My grandfather used to keep bees. It's a great hobby with great benefits. [SIZE=3]HONEY![/SIZE] There is a local gentleman that lives close the the radio station that gives us several bottles each year. MMM..MMM good!



NCRM

[Roger Miller"]

Good for you Altbier -- the honey bee is certainly an important part of the agricultural picture in the world. There are native alternatives (the honey bee is not native to the US) but the honey bee is an excellent pollinator, and has the added benefit of producing honey.

Regarding honey bee decline:

"Among the greatest problems is the varroa mite, a bloodsucking parasite that attacks young and adult honeybees. Attacked bees often have deformed wings and abdomens and a shortened life span.

Another major bee pest is the tracheal mite, which gets inside adult bees and clogs their breathing tubes, essentially suffocating the insects. The tracheal mites also impede the bees' ability to fly, making them useless as pollinators.

Both the varroa and tracheal mites lead to the death of the bees by puncturing holes in their bodies that serve as pathways for viruses. The viruses are what technically kill most of the bees.

Pesticide use has also caused population decline." [SIZE=1] National Geographic[/SIZE]

I live in a large urban area on a very small lot, so i can't keep honey bees -- or else i certainly would. However i have grown a colony of Orchard Mason Bees over the last 5 years. I began with a small starter block of 4 nests -- about 20 bees. I currently house over 750 nests and add about 250 a year. These bees do not produce honey so the only benefit is helping to build the resident population of native bees, and the joy of watching the little buggers in the spring.

_____
rm

[5thDan]

How resistant is the hybrid "Killer Bee" that is spreading from South America to these mites? Anyway thanks for doing your part! I wish I lived in an area where I could raise a hive or 2 but my neighbors would have a fit. I'll have to convince my good friend he needs to get in to Bee Keeping.

[floydp]

Very kewl George, and some fine looking children ya got there as well.


Thank goodness they look like your lovely wife just kiddin ya handsome devil...

[altbier]

http://www.trilby.us/4892bees/index.htm

well, the bees are doing well, one hive is 80% full so time to add another body so they can keep expanding. the other hive is 60%

above is a link to todays inspection, first time I have ever opened a hive. it was quite a cool experience!

I am the dude in the yellow shirt, the other guy is my buddy steve

Great hobby, you should enjoy it.

I had half a dozen hives when I was a teenager, did it for the money. Mostly Italian queen stock, they were very gentle, wore a head mask sometimes. I remember my dad helping me capture a wild swarm that a neighbor had forming on the eave of their home. That was a somewhat scary eposide for a 15 year old. I sold the hives when I went to college, no way to keep them while I was away.

I currently live on small acreage tract in semi-rural setting. Probably should start several hives to help falling population. (honey would be a good motivator, too; especially since I have a number of sourwoods on my property).

I wish you luck, and applaude your eco-mindiness (is this a real word?) Keep us informed of progress.

Incidentially, if you have dish tv (mine is Direct TV), you might have a channel called RFD TV (somewhere in the 400 channel range?). I noticed that they have a bee-keeping show that comes on in a semi-regular basis. Watched the episode that I found, was worth the 30 minute time investment. RFD TV may not be on DISH Network. Maybe a member with DISH would help you out there.