Beekeeping

SOJUST WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY? :haha:


"Unregistered #1" ... so obvious I overlooked it ... very good advice ... I'll go to the library.

Thanks for the many replies. I didn't know it took honey to make wax!! Guess you cook it down. Guess it is used as candle wax etc.? Also seems crazy you can strain something as thick as honey thru cheesecloth.

Don't know about the kits ... not sure how many supers to need for the first year. I read that if they get filled you have to add another to prevent swarming. So I want to have enough from the get-go. I guess non-wired foundation and "screens" for the bottom of it.

When I was looking into beekeeping I was able to find lots of info on topbar hives.
Seems very beginner friendly, but my only hive is a wild one 20' up in a tree.
Try google

Mike in PA

Give the “dummies” book the once over. I think you will find that all of your questions will be answered. The titles of the “dummies” series of book is a little on the silly side but for the most part they are very well written and geared toward the beginner. Get involved with a local club, class or contact a local beekeeper. The will help you get going and can provide you with the “hands on” you cannot get from a book. If you cannot find a local beekeeping club or cannot find a local beekeeper who is willing to show you the ropes, there are several VHS videos that may help. “Honey bees and Beekeeping” by K Delaplane and “Introduction to Beekeeping” E Weiss are two that come to mind bu there are probably others. I have not viewed either of these so I don’t know what level of information they provide but viewing them will probably be worth your time. You may be able to get them from you local library on intra-library loan. Good luck.

I'm just absolutely amazed at the amount of interest there is in beekeeping ... it should have it's own forum here!

I just got a reply from Penn State and he gave me some numbers ... one guy is in my hometown ... never knew. He also gave me info of a seminar/class in February and is only 25.00. This is looking a lot better.

Also, as far as organic beekeeping ... good post on "top bar" ... I looked it up and found a great site ... www.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/main.htm

There are several articles on this at www.beesource.com Do a search there for articles by Dee Lusby. There is a school of thought that, by using smaller foundation, it is possible to breed smaller bees that are more naturally mite resistant. There is also a yahoo group called organicbeekeeping that discusses this. My bees are currently in their first winter, so I don't have much personal experience with this yet, but, so far, so good. Other members of this group seem to have pretty good success. There is a guy from the Pbg area in the group who may be able to help you.

If you don't mind making a trip to Dauphin co in the spring, the local beekeepers group offers a really good 1 day beekeeping course, including presentations from the state bee inspectors. If you're interested, I can let you know what the date will be.

This site on top-bar hives is very interesting:

http://www.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/main.htm

Every so often I keep thinking about doing this....

I think I'm going to go with th e top-bar method. Is it possible to make a second hive (observation type) and overwinter them indoors? This might help with disease loss? If I kept food for them and kept them closed up would they be OK?
Do I need to buy special food or is sugar water OK?

Reading this with interest...my fifteen year old daughter helped a retired couple do some packing at their home and in the process helped harvest and extract honey from their suburban backyard hives. She decided that this was fascinating and worth pursuing when we get our property in a few months. She was so blessed when the couple that she helped offered all of their equipment to get started, saying that they will start from scratch after they move cross-country shortly after our move. Talk about serendipitous...but this leaves us just a few months to go from "never even thought about it" to up and running...

Thank you for all of the book and tape titles and links...

__________________
LeeAnne, wife of Tim's youth, homeschooling mother of twelve seventh generation Texans.

Swede Farm Dairy

Dairy Berries

Mike:

You need a smoker, a supply of clean burlap for smoke, a hive tool and as a beginner, a veil. Depending on the veil you buy you may need a hat. With these you can work your bees in an ordinary long sleeved shirt and a hat. You will get stung now and then, but so what--your stings will smart a bit and itch, but unless you are a wimp that will amount to nothing. Use lots of smoke and be careful not to smash bees, that PO's them. Smoke causes them to fill up on honey and when they are so filled they do not like to fight.

You will need to get bees--Local beekeepers will sell swarms, some will sell "splits" which are established hives that are not yet full strength and some will sell whole colonies, hives well established and complete with both hive fixtures and bees. You can always buy packages of bees, but they are expensive.

For the least expenditure in cash find a beekeeper who will sell you frames of honey and brood with enough young bees and a queen to start a colony in your top bar hive. You can build a top bar hive from scrap wood. Build it to the width that will accomodate Langstroth frames and your purchased bees can set up shop in there. You can find several websites that describe top bar hives and give the dimensions.

The best beginners book extant is Walter Kelley's "How to Keep Bees and Sell Honey". Walter has been dead a while and the book is dated, but bees do not change. This book, for about $5, will teach you all that you need to know about keeping bees in conventional equipment. When you know what is in there you will be ready to move on to bigger things. The WALTER KELLY CO, CLARKSON, KY is also one of the best and cheapest equipment suppliers around.

Finally, you should learn about the varroa and the tracheal mites. If you do not you will lose your bees the first season and be terribly disappointed.
Ox

Just got the Mann Lake catalog and they have a beginners kit for $129. It's basic but all you need is the bees.
On smoke, You can work without smoke but it's harder. Try the dried tops of Queen Annes Lace as a smoker fuel. I find it very effective.