A BEE thread....for those interested in beekeeping.

[noble]

Thanks for all the help guys on the hive I had Thad dyed , I cleaned up and froze all frames, and filled it with this hive we found helping a friend clear his property with our tractor. It has a ton of bee's.
We all so put other 2 hives to trap some swarms I know it's still a little early for that lol we just excited.

 

[rebrascora]

Wow! You must be in an amazing part of the world for bees! How many wild colonies is that now that you have cut out and hived? Must be costing you a fortune for hives. At least you had an empty one to put this into. Funny how it wasn't empty for long. How fortuitous!

 

[noble]

Wow! You must be in an amazing part of the world for bees! How many wild colonies is that now that you have cut out and hived? Must be costing you a fortune for hives. At least you had an empty one to put this into. Funny how it wasn't empty for long. How fortuitous!

total sense February 2016 we have cought 9 but now we only have 7 good ones but we do have 2 boxes on top of a trailer to see if we catch some swarms this year like last year. My husband said I'm crazy, but they are so cool and he likes it to. Lol.
We live in south louisiana like very south it's called Nairn. A lot of people get bee's in there trailers during swarm season, we have a lot of friends and help who we can so they don't kill them.

 

[rebrascora]

@noble
That's really interesting. I'm wondering if there is much migratory beekeeping in your area (bees pollenating early crops....fruit or nuts perhaps) that would cause so many swarms to be looking for homes in February, although I imagine your climate is almost sub tropical compared to the temperate climate I am used to....swarms here don't emerge until May-June.
I also wonder if they have evolved to recognise trailers as a good potential home rather than hollow trees etc Trailers obviously provide a beneficial environment for them in your climate and bees recognise their home by sight, so it would make sense that they would recognise a trailer as a good potential home when they are out scouting for a new one. I wonder if there is any basis for a new hive design based on the construction of trailers.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

My hive came in this week. Looks like the windowed version was purchased for me, which is fun because I will be able to see into the hives to check for obvious problems without opening them. It also came with a smoker, a veil, a bee brush, gloves and a hive tool. So I'm pretty much all set! Just gotta assemble the hive itself. The hive also came with exact piece dimensions and instructions for building the hive so I can build extra boxes whenever I need. Very excited!

 

[CherMoz]

My hive came in this week. Looks like the windowed version was purchased for me, which is fun because I will be able to see into the hives to check for obvious problems without opening them. It also came with a smoker, a veil, a bee brush, gloves and a hive tool. So I'm pretty much all set! Just gotta assemble the hive itself. The hive also came with exact piece dimensions and instructions for building the hive so I can build extra boxes whenever I need. Very excited!

Sounds great! Where did you get the hive from?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Sounds great! Where did you get the hive from?

I believe this is what was purchased for me;

https://www.beethinking.com/collections/beekeeping-starter-kits/products/warre-hive-starter-kit

There's nowhere local we can get any sort of top bar hive supplies from. I received the red cedar one with the hat/veil.

 

[CherMoz]

Nice!

 

[RollTideChicken]

For those...and pardon me if it's been talked about...but for those that are allergic or scared of stings you could keep Mason bees. I'm learning about them now, and while you won't get honey from them, they seem to be better for your garden and fruit trees than honeybees.
If anyone keeps them I would really like to chat with ya about them.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Allergies is an important issue. It's noted that bee family children have ten times the chance of being allergic to bee venom than the average population. The reason for this is we coddle our children. I'm not being facetious. The body needs to be in balance or allergies develop- the proteins from bees are carried into the house where everyone is exposed and if not balanced by venom will lead to an imbalance and allergic reaction when too high of bee proteins are in the body and a person is finally stung.

Beekeeping families are learning this and keep beekeeping clothes and boots separate from home and ensure if young children are aiding or around hives that they get stung a few times a year. Mike Palmer goes as far as suggesting monthly sting treatments during the beekeeping season as a countermeasure for children. Those of us tending hives certainly get enough of both. On the flip side allergies can start from massive one time stings and not enough protein in the body. So be sure to be suited up if your opening the hives for the first time this spring!