E-Mail 'Adventures in Beekeeping by K. in Tennessee' To A Friend

8 Comments

1. Very nice write up, throw a damp bed sheet over the hive if you suspect robbing it’s the best way I’ve come up with. Bees are fascinating, My 85 year old mentor is still learning new things and passing them on to me!

2. Good article. I have been a small beekeeper for over 50 years, thus having some experience in this endeavor. Bees are like people in the sense each hive has there own personality.

   I would start with “nucs” instead of package bees. “Nuc” is the short tern for Nucleus of a hive. It consist of 5 frames with brood and a queen. Here in the northwest hives are off to a far stronger start by beginning with a nuc.

   Always have access honey off by mid-August and begin feeding. Here in the inter-mountain northwest a hive must have 100 pounds of honey to get itself through the winter. If not, they will likely starve. I insulate three sides of the hive plus the top.

   Treat for parasites and disease! Most states have restrictions on the small beekeeper. Something to think about…the honeybee in the natural world travels best only a mile or two whether foraging or swarming. They were not meant to be trucked all over the country. The small beekeeper is blamed for disease/parasite issues when the fact is the “big” beekeeping industry is responsible for the spread.

   Beekeeping is a rewarding hobby. The greatest benefit is pollination to both the keeper and his neighbor.

3. Good article, about Beekeeping. Some people take to raising honey-bees like fish to water. K. in Tennessee said, “started a little hobby farm in southern Appalachia.”
   For many people, the need to ‘pay the bills’ require a successful commercial endeavor. … Beekeeping might work for some Survivalblog readers [Some people just like working with honeybees].

   americanbeeproject(dot)com/50-state-guide, “One of the best ways to save on property taxes is to apply for an Agricultural classification. Bee apiaries are specifically included as a form of agriculture in most states.”

   Honeybees are essential for commercial food production. There’s are people raising and moving bees throughout the USA, as a source of income. The honeybees and the commercial beekeepers are ‘migrant’ workers during pollination season. Farmers pay a fee per hive to pollinate their crops. … During the rest of the year, the beekeepers need to ‘park’ the beehives.

   The beekeeping hobby is a good way to first enter the beekeeper business. = There’s a lot of heavy lifting, travel/driving and working out in the boonies. Usually, we only hear about beekeepers, when a flatbed truck of bee hives overturns on the road.

   K. in Tennessee says, “It’s very rewarding mentally, and a relaxing and enjoyable hobby for me.” …. [Some people just like working with honeybees.]

4. If you have more than one hive and one is robbing the others, popping all the hive tops off will force the bees to regroup to defend the home turf and call off the assault.

   In southern climates, keeping hives on stands with the legs in containers of oil will help keep hive beetles at bay.

   Besides food, you may also need to supply the bees with water. If you don’t, they might decide to annex your neighbors swimming pool.

   The sugar/ water ratio changes depending on the time of the year.

5. Tried using non-honey (wild)bee house to increase pollination in my small garden and saw increase in productivity. Very small (looks like a small bird house) little chance of stings(only if you disturb bees while laying eggs) and very low maintenance(put up in spring,put in shed overwinter(eggs go dormant and survive moderate temperatures) and clean out for new eggs). Easy to see wild pollinators working hard in my garden.

6. Been beekeeping about 15 years, I was taught put your hives in the place the sun shines first and longest. Bees aren’t bringing in honey when they’re in their hives, the warmth of the sun brings them out early.

7. My grandfather kept bees for decades and i always wanted to have some. A few years ago i finally had a spot in a bit of land where theyd have something to eat , not be bothered unduly, and where id be able to ensure they had water (bone dry summers here, no rain april-october). I found a local beekeeper who treats his bees well, who was willing to sell me two colonies. I started out with simple top-bar hives i constructed. The goal was establishing happy colonies and not in honey production- if they grew further wed get some honey sooner or later… they were doing wonderfully. from the one frame of comb in each (just to get them in the new hive with something for the queen to walk around on) ,
   over the next couple of months they fully built out the new top bars with comb, growing population and setting up a bunch of honey.
   I had a 200 gal tank nearby with a faucet dripping to make sure that even if i was away for a week they’d have plenty of water.
   Indeed was away for about a week and one of the first things when i got back was to check up on the workers. a sense of dread came over me as i approached that field… just expecting scenarios of something bad.
   i came there to find the hives turned over and scattered, one of them smashed to pieces.
   it really wasnt something that would happen by accident. a herder in the area who has a reputation for opening gates, cutting fences, and eating peoples gardens , fields, and vineyards, had indeed left his mark.. but goats dont smash beehives to pieces either, even a ram headbutting the thing would just knock it over and he wouldne be headbutting it on the ground after that..
   i never found out who did it but havent yet gotten new bees. if some animal had gotten in there and eaten the hives, it’d be one thing… sometimes there are people who are just mean or jealous or malicious and will ruin something they see someone else working to accomplish. Stay on the lookout and keep your bees safe!

8. (I do not know why my comment is appearing in bold).
   I, too, enjoyed this article. Several interesting aspects that we have not experienced in Alaska. Bees are fascinating.

   Regarding the comment above mine: it sounds like a bear. The author does not indicate his/her location, but a bear ravaged several of our hives one year, even though we had ratchet strapped them down to 4x4s elevated on cement footers. The bruin lifted and tossed the whole installation of four hives on two boards. We now surround them with an electric fence.

Comments are closed.