Beekeeping

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I've searched around and it doesn't look like there are any active threads on beekeeping. Do any of you keep bees? I am going to try my hand at it, starting next year. I will get my supplies ready over the winter and have it all set up before spring so I can be ready for a nuc as soon as I can get one. I'm open for any pointers, location, site prep, equipment suggestions etc. Also, not sure if it's allowed to cross link to other forums... If so, are there any beekeeping specific forums that are recommended?

I'm in central Arkansas on about 11 acres, so I should have plenty of room. Lots of trees around and semi rural.

 

[forgeblast]

I used to until a bear crushed my hive and took all the honey when my electric fence shorted out. Beesource and bio bees are great resources. I used to run a topbar hive called a warre hive. I caught some swarms too. Look up PSU's guide to fencing in your bees to keep them safe. Cornell has a great bee keeping certificate program too.

 

[riptides]

I've searched around and it doesn't look like there are any active threads on beekeeping. Do any of you keep bees? I am going to try my hand at it, starting next year. I will get my supplies ready over the winter and have it all set up before spring so I can be ready for a nuc as soon as I can get one. I'm open for any pointers, location, site prep, equipment suggestions etc. Also, not sure if it's allowed to cross link to other forums... If so, are there any beekeeping specific forums that are recommended?

I'm in central Arkansas on about 11 acres, so I should have plenty of room. Lots of trees around and semi rural.

Contact your local extension office. You may need permits in your area. I don't know about your area.

The extension office, if like mine, has a wealth of information and probably can assist you from the local to state level with resources and points-of-contact.

My state has quite a lot of resources available, including hive lotteries for those starting out or expanding their hobby or business.

Good luck.

 

[RobA]

I've been keeping bees for 7 years. I've had as many as 5 hives and now have 3. Based on the amount of time required to properly care for them 2 or 3 seems to be the right number for me.

- beekeeping turned out to require a lot more work than I expected.
- join a local club, if possible. If they have a mentoring program take advantage of it.
- beesource.com has a wealth of information.
- varroa mites, in my opinion, will be your biggest challenge. They can cause a lot of hive losses, especially over the winter. There are many ways to treat for them.
- having more than 1 hive is helpful so that you can compare how each is doing and, possibly, identify problems.
- as with most hobbies, ask 5 beekeepers a question and you'll get at least 6 opinions.
- it took me a couple of years to get comfortable with beekeeping.
- I still don't know enough.

 

[NorTracNY]

I've been keeping bees for 7 years. I've had as many as 5 hives and now have 3. Based on the amount of time required to properly care for them 2 or 3 seems to be the right number for me.

- beekeeping turned out to require a lot more work than I expected.
- join a local club, if possible. If they have a mentoring program take advantage of it.
- beesource.com has a wealth of information.
- varroa mites, in my opinion, will be your biggest challenge. They can cause a lot of hive losses, especially over the winter. There are many ways to treat for them.
- having more than 1 hive is helpful so that you can compare how each is doing and, possibly, identify problems.
- as with most hobbies, ask 5 beekeepers a question and you'll get at least 6 opinions.
- it took me a couple of years to get comfortable with beekeeping.
- I still don't know enough.

I've had a few more years than RobA, but he has the best advice. I agree with each of his points. It does take a lot more time than I expected. A local club may offer classes during the winter. Having a mentor is huge! I've returned the favor many times since. Varroa is tough! You definitely should have at least 2 hives to start with. You will learn something every single year you keep bees. The only subject that has more written about it than beekeeping is religion.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

The only subject that has more written about it than beekeeping is religion.

That's funny, my Sunday school teacher is also a beekeeper and he is going to be my local resource.

 

[cqaigy2]

Post your bee picts.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I will but I haven't started yet.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I forgot I started this thread. I was able to attend a beginner's beekeeping class earlier this spring. I started 2 hives with Nucs this spring then acquired 2 established hives from someone local that was moving out of state and was exiting beekeeping.

The 2 established hives I acquired had overwintering inner covers on them. Of those one was filled with burr comb. I opted to switch the inner cover to a standard solid one and got telescoping covers for them as well. I was able to harvest the honey out of the burr comb in the covers.

Sopapillas were really good with freshly harvested honey

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Harvested and closed up the hives for winter today. Really impressed! We finally had colonies fill 20 frames! We ended the year with 4 colonies, harvested 200 pounds and left 160 pounds for the bees. Actually had a first year swarm end up with about 40 extra pounds! Looking forward to expanding next year to 8 colonies again.