beekeeping

[WTA]

We have 25 pecan trees, several different fruit trees, an alfalfa field and most years a 2 acre garden. The problem is I have never seen any bees around here. Lot's of hornets but no bees. The plants must all be getting polenated by the ind and other bugs I guess.

If I wanted to put up a beehive how many hives should I do for 25 acres and how do I get started? The only experience I have with them is getting stung.
I saw some places online where I can buy them but don't know which ones are good. I can make my hives with some plans I found online to save a little money too.
With all the other things we get off our little farm too some fresh honey would be pretty nice. Plus we've had three bad years in a row with the pecan and fruit trees. Some little pollenators would have helped each time I know. Late snows here did most of the damage but still it would have helped.
I noticed on the big commercial orchards they all have bees so it must help.

 

[randy41]

start with at least 2 hives. go get a book out of the library about basic beekeeping. i also recommend going to beekeeping forums and reading. theres a lot of info out there. google beemasters beekeeping forum and beesource. find local beekeeper organizations and go to the meetings.
prepare to be addicted.
what is your location?

 

[WTA]

We're in the Texas south plains region. Near Lubbock. My only real concern here for bees is they all may end up in Louisiana with these winds. I have been out riding my horse for a couple hours now and it's blowing about 50 mph steady. This sucks! It's pretty typical though on the plains.

 

[Redbug]

Hi WTA. Randy's advise is right. I used to have a few bee hives, but do not have any right now. The bees are having a hard time with mites, and other kinds of die offs, as well as the effect of insectcides. However, I would like to get back into it in the future. It is really a fun hobby.

Here is one good site: BeeSource.com, Your Online Sourcebook for Beekeeping

 

[Chuck52]

Good luck with the bees if you decide to do that. I've been thinking about it for years but haven't been able to overcome the inertia, and there must be some beekeepers around me because I always have honeybees in the summer. As to the pecans, they are wind pollinated and I don't think the bees would make much difference for them. This year was a bust around here because of the late freeze that got most all the tree fruit and nuts. If that wasn't your problem this year you might look into giving your pecan trees some zinc. They are really sensitive to low zinc levels.

Chuck

 

[MikeD74T]

Have you looked here: Texas Beekeepers Associations MikeD74t

 

[Rara Avis]

Supplies...
The BEEZ NEEZ Apiary Supply


Does your state require anything like this??
Agriculture: Apiary/Beekeeper Registration

 

[mapmaker]

I hope you decide to go ahead an get a couple of hives. I started beekeeping 2 years ago and have had a great time. I agree with randy41 get at least two hives. That way if you think you are having a problem with one then you can compare it to the other. Some other things to think about: If you order bees from a mail order supplier, do so early some of the suppliers run out early and you may not be able to get them for this spring. I would also recommend not buying used hives, they may contain diseases that will infect you new bees.
Check out your area for a beekeeping club. They can provide you with a wealth of information and help you get started.

Good Luck.

 

[randy41]

try to buy your equipment locally since shipping has become expensive. if you can find someone nearby who sells nucs you would be better off than if you purchased packages.
i have 4 hives that i'm hoping will make it through the winter. i want at least double that number by next year.

 

[Tom_H]

Just an FYI, something you may want to Google for info. about. Over the past year or so, there have been extraordinary disappearences of colonies. Numerous farmers lost crops due to no polination from missing bees. About a month ago, I read that some experts had isolated a virus that may be responsible for a pandemic that is killing off all the bees. I'm no expert and there may be more up to date info., but could be something to check into before making a big investment. I think there may be some archived threads in this forum about this.

 

[N80]

I've thought about this as well. How time intensive is it? I'm just wondering how often they have to be tended. My property is about an hour from home. I'm down there several weekends a month. Would that be sufficient?

 

[dmccarty]

WTA,

Check you local Extension Office, Ag Univerisity and Commnunity College. One of these groups had a Begineers Bee Keeping class this summer. I think I saw the notice after the "class" otherwise I might have gone. I think they where givng away starter hives.

At a minimum they should be able to point you to the right people.

Later,
Dan

 

[srjones]

Was that 25 trees or or 25 acres of trees?

Also, some random thoughts on the subject.

Don't worry about the wind. Bees know how to get back home.

Another option to consider is Orchard Mason Bees. They may or may not work for pecans, I'm not sure. But they're easier and cheaper to deal with. I know that the almond polination in California is a big deal and it's done with honeybees.

Also consider 'renting' bees for a season during flowering and see if it makes a difference in your results.

I've been beekeeping since 1998.

 

[WTA]

We only have 25 pecan trees left after the cotton farmer across the highway defoliated us. We still have a few fruit trees and a walnut too.
I don't want to rent bees. I want some to keep for honey and pollenating.
I thought about that but it seems like a hassle.

 

[randy41]

bees don't need a lot of attention. if you buy packages they will need to be fed for a while so at the beginning they need more attention than later on. if you can find nucs they are better established colonies and require less attention. Nucs are half sized hives that some beekeepers sell. a package is usually 3 lbs, or between 10,000 and 12,000 bees. a nuc can be twice that many. Packages as well as nucs come with a mated queen.
expect that if you buy all you need to spend about $500 at the beginning.

 

[JeremyL]

I am in the process of jumping on the beekeeping bandwagon having just acquired my first (empty) hive. I am looking at New World Carniolan bees. Local beekeepers are ready, willing and enthusiastic about mentoring newbies, just put yourself out there. Good luck to us.

 

[ToadHill]

When I started keeping bees about 15 years ago you could order a package of bees for about $35. Now they are close to $100.

 

[heehaw]

in the central parts of Arkansas: $100-125 for a complete hive of bees: some are with all new equipment, others sell established hives for that price. there are some bargains out there on equipment: lots of folks are giving up trying to keep bees. i keep them just for pollination: i have 4 hives, an just as soon not mess with honey.
heehaw

 

[Bird]

When I was a kid, my family used a lot of honey. In fact, I can remember my dad buying honey in a 5 gallon can that he and mother poured up into one quart fruit jars to store in the cellar. Of course a lot of it would turn to sugar, but setting the open jar into a pan of hot water would turn it back.

And then when I was about 11 or 12 years old, Dad & I were squirrel hunting on a neighbor's property (with his permission, of course) and we found a bee tree. We went and told the neighbor, who said he had no use for them; that if we wanted them to go ahead and get them. I sure didn't want them, but Dad did. So he went and bought a hive and borrowed a smoker, and I had to help him cut down the tree, split it, find the queen and move her and some honey comb into the hive. I had some vague hopes of not getting stung, so I put on a long sleeved shirt with rubber bands around the cuffs, found an old lace curtain Mother had discarded, put it on over my straw hat, turned the collar up on the shirt, and tied a string around my neck to keep that curtain down on top of the shirt collar. I don't think that tree had hardly hit the ground before there were 2 bees under that old curtain with me, so I discarded it and learned to work bees just as Dad did; with no protection at all. But he liked the job and I never did. Anyway, Dad was so pleased with that hive, that he went and bought 6 more hives with bees already in them.

And I decided many years ago that I'd never eat anymore honey if I had to be the one to take it away from a bee.

And then I worked in the Post Office in Dallas from March, 1959, to March, 1964. At that time, bee colonies were still shipped via parcel post. We'd get square cardboard boxes full of bees and the boxes would have a diamond shaped hole in two sides with screen over those holes. I once told my supervisor that he could punch me out on the time clock if one of those boxes got broken open because I'd already be gone home.

 

[heehaw]

just look at the memory you and your dad made!! i've kept bees since about 79 or 80: have been trying to get more people interested in it for years, but with the cost and the hassle it is nowdays, the number of beekeepers are dwindling: i have 4 extractors i loan or rent to people: just to try to keep people in the hobby. Honey is the only known food that will not spoil: it has all sorts of healing qualities too: but its to much trouble trying to get it out of the comb: this year was the first time in many years, i "had" to take a couple quarts off my bees, just so i could put new comb in an give them some room: adding another super would have been to much room and then i would have to take them off for the winter and store-em.
heehaw