raisng bees

[allen6634]

my father in law has just started raising bees , now he is making plans for honey ( yummy), he said he raised bees for honey when he lived in fl. and he lived close to a orange grove, he said the the honey was real good , has any one raised bees? if so did you plant something for the bees to make honey with?

 

[Soapandbacon]

My father and uncle have been keeping bees for 40 years. I just got into it a few years ago. I would highly recommend that you get and read the "bee keeping for dummies" book, it's quite extensive and will answer most if your questions.

As I
For planting for bees, it depends on how much room you have. There are books on just this subject.

PS. Regarding honey production , don't expect to much the first year, concentrate on establishing healthy strong colonies first.

 

[Concordriver]

I am an amateur bee keeper. To select plantings that the bees will like, my wife goes to garden centers, walks around, and notes which plants are full of bees. Those are the plants you should purchase for your property.

 

[allen6634]

i don't think my father in law has enuff room to plant much other than his garden that is less than 900 sq feet.

 

[Soapandbacon]

In that case I wouldn't worry about planting for bees they will travel miles for pollen and nectar. I would make sure that he has a water source available for them and then plant whatever you like.

 

[troutsqueezer]

Unless you've got acres and acres of land, forget planting anything that will supply your colony. They will focus on whatever nectar is flowing predominately and will go to a 5 mile radius to get it. A few plants amounts to just "noise" in the foraging process.

 

[allen6634]

I am an amateur bee keeper. To select plantings that the bees will like, my wife goes to garden centers, walks around, and notes which plants are full of bees. Those are the plants you should purchase for your property.

i do have some questions for you, was it hard to get started in bee keeping? and what would you recommend for a guy who is just starting to think about raising bees?

 

[Soapandbacon]

i do have some questions for you, was it hard to get started in bee keeping? and what would you recommend for a guy who is just starting to think about raising bees?

Very easy...

First get yourself the beekeeping for dummies book and read it. It's the best and easiest first book, it will give you a good over picture of what to do and expect.

If your not in a hurry to get going plan out an acquire the stuff you will need to purchase, getting a few catalogs will give you a good idea of what's out there (I like brushy mountain) there are others. A quick google search and should be able to get a few mailed to you.

(Most package bees have already been delivered, so your probably to late to order one, perhaps someone local can provide a NUK)

In beekeeping everyone has an opinion .... Some are ok some not. Talk to local beekeepers ...

Pm me for any questions .

 

[Dr_Zinj]

May be too late to order bees by mail, but it's not too late to get a wild swarm. If you already have the empty hive, let your local police and fire department know you're looking for a swarm of wild honey bees. They're often the first to hear about a problem swarm that you can entice into your ready made home. Of course there's the old method of finding a bee tree, cutting it down and trying to move the bees into your hive. But that's a lot of work, with a higher probability of failure along the way.