Starting Bee Hives discussion needed (especially for my end anyway)

DeepseekerADS · Mar 22, 2015

I know nothing about honey bees except that they are disappearing. I've seen one honey bee this year. Thus for my gardening adventure, I need a hive.

I found the following local posting on Craigslist. Anyone care to give me some tips on just what I'm getting into?

Nucleus Honey Bee Hives for Sale

Nucleus Honey Bee Hives for Sale

joncutt87 · Mar 22, 2015

From what I understand about bees, the nuc is just the active frames. You would have to build/buy a hive. The nuc frames would go in the bottom super, and another shallower super would go on top of that. the top super would have empty frames for the bees to build cells and store honey. The bottom super pretty much becomes the brooding chamber.Beekeeping Supplies - Brushy Mountain Bee Farm Complete Beginner Beekeeping Kits

joncutt87 · Mar 22, 2015

I also think that there is a small section in the 'back to basics' book

Bullet:Mich. · Mar 24, 2015

When possible try to buy native bees so you will know that they are use to your kind of temp.

Bullet:Mich. · Mar 24, 2015

Just a idea for you because the price is so salty to get started with bees, check on craigslist or in your local paper for people wanting to place bee hives on your property for the season and they will split the honey with you. If this is the way you decide you want to go for the first couple yrs you would have to start looking right away. Also with you being new at this they could be your mentor, by teaching you every thing you need to know about bees and harvesting the honey.

Bullet:Mich. · Mar 24, 2015

In our area when you set a new honey bee hive we use a 55 gal open end barrel filled with straw in it and pour molasses syrup on the straw to feed the bees until the season starts.

Molewacker · Mar 24, 2015

If you are looking for a pollinator for your garden, not really honey I would get a Mason Bee set up.

Slingshot · Mar 24, 2015

You should look at the Top Bar Beehive, seems the way to go for me, and I'm building a hive out of mostly salvaged pallet wood. Lots of bees here, with swarms appearing in just a few weeks. Cheers!!

Bullet:Mich. · Mar 31, 2015

Deepseeker have you had any time to do anything about your bees yet?

DeepseekerADS · Apr 2, 2015

Bullet:Mich. said:
Deepseeker have you had any time to do anything about your bees yet?

Not yet

But it is on my priorities list. I've received some pretty good info here. I'm worried about doing the right things at the right time. I feel kinda like I've bungled my first plantings - I wasn't ready with the fence at the right time. But then we had the 22 degree morning Saturday, so I'd have bungled if I'd set them out before.

Bullet:Mich. · Apr 2, 2015

I think that you are coming right along with your planting projects, one step at a time. You went at it a little different then I would have but just keep going the way you choose too. I was brought up from the time I was young on how to live off the land and then I took a break from that way of living and now in my senior years I am back again. What kind of top soil to you have where you are living. I do think a low and high hot wire would have worked better around your main garden plots. Your growing time is longer where you live then I have in Mich. We finally had another real good spring day yesterday.

Slingshot · Apr 2, 2015

Here are a couple of pics of my top bar beehive built with some salvaged exterior plywood and boards from pallets. I'm long on time, short on money, and trying to keep pace with Mother Nature in my projects and gardening here. Hopefully this hive will produce the kind of gold I can eat, and my detectors will locate the metal kind. Good luck on your new lifestyle and projects and know others of us are struggling with the same problems. Cheers!! :icon_thumleft:

releventchair · Apr 2, 2015

A guy not far from me offers a bee keeping class. He sells queens too. Short of spending time with a beekeeper that seems a way to learn without as much risk of losing a colony through learning. Getting them established on a new site and up and running depends on how many bees and what experience they have,temps ect.
The biggest interest I would have, (and it does not tug hard enough to go or to start a colony), is overwintering the bees.
Here the queen(a bumble bee anyway) over winters someplace away from nests then start over each year from what I can tell.A few old bees show up when blooms start followed by young bees shortly after. Then lots of young ones. Some after pollen and some gathering real fine wood fiber.
The honey bees just seek pollen and occasionally resting spots.
A friend had a beekeeper put a bunch of supers on his property and took a share of the honey in exchange. The owner takes his bees south in the winter, which is interesting.
I used to hunt very near them and they cared little about my presence. Though on warm days some would visit just cause I was in their paths, check me out and move on.

Bullet:Mich. · Apr 28, 2015

Did anybody watch the growing season program on the RFD TV Channel today? It said that produce and fruit doubles when honey bees are working your gardens and fruit trees.