Newbees

[randy41]

Here is what a package of bees looks like when you get it.

Here I am dumping a package of bees into the hive box.

Job finished...3 packages installed.

 

[BTDT]

Is that just a hobby of yours, or do you have a sideline business? Mom and Pop store in little town I grew up in, the husband raised bees and sold honey in the store. I always liked to visit (he would give me a piece of the fresh honeycomb). Boy that was good. Thanks for posting.

 

[randy41]

at this point its a hobby and also provides pollination for my veggies.
i'm hoping that this will spark an interest in someone to start beekeeping. there are too few honeybees.

 

[thingy]

I've had a few hives for about 11 years now,down to two now,,getting ready before to long to put a super on each,turned their world upside down and fed them medicated syrup about a month ago now,,,have won first prize at state fair[well my wife has] couple of times for cut comb,course they ain't much competion she says,,too many people and hassel for me to go there,,she and my little girl kinda like that kinda stuff though,,,thingy

 

[jinman]

Very nice Randy. My uncle used to have one or two hives and always had a great garden an fruit trees. I wouldn't mind learning a little more about them and do that myself.

 

[thcri]

Bees are one thing I have never been afraid of. I have been stung a few times but even then it does not bother me. Now snakes no way.


murph

 

[Bird]

Randy, I've never seen them shipped in a container that strong. Of course, I haven't seen any shipped now in about 45 years. When I worked for the post office in Dallas in the early '60s it wasn't unusual for us to have cardboard boxes of bees. There would be diamond shaped cutouts in the sides of the boxes with screen over the cutouts. In fact, Sears Roebuck used to sell and ship them that way.

When I was a kid, for several years we had 7 hives and, since my Dad gave me no choice, I learned to work the bees, rob the hives of honey, etc. with no protective gear of any kind, just as he did. Very rarely was I stung.

However, I'm quite happy to get my honey from the store now and let someone else take it away from the bees.

 

[thingy]

Mr bird,yeah my granpa worked his bees with nothing too,,but them bees musta changed,I'd give anybody all the honey in either one of my hives if they used nothing but a smoker to get it out.
I wear a full bee suit now,and sometimes it gets a little panicky than,you get 100 bees a whack hitting you and trying to sting you every second,,,don't know weather they are crossed with those african bees or not,,don't really think so,,they get meaner the older the hive and queen is,,you are supposed to kill old queen and put a new one in every couple years or so,,[or so the books say],this helps,,but I've put a brand new package in and by end of year they was mean,,now some queens have more docile bees,,but even the least aggrisive ones I've had in past 11 -12 years,,you don't want to mess with them much with out gear on. Probably got something to do with all this medicine you got to give them now to keep em alive,,,thingy

 

[randy41]

my hive that survived from last year (the one on the right in the pics) is difficult to work. i need to be all suited up with gloves on for them. i may requeen them and hope for a friendlier group but that will have to be later on in the year. but if properly suited even africanized bees can be worked.
there are very few feral colonies around these days and genetic diversity in honey bees is becomming a thing of the past.