Any Beekeepers in TacoWorld?

I was just wondering if anybody out there was a hobby beekeeper? Me and my Dad have about 10 stands together(I have 4 he has 6). It is a cool hobby we can share together.

 

I think my neighbors would be pissed if i was a beekeeper.

 

If people don't actually see your hives they don't even realize you have them. The bees don't just work right around where they live, they sometimes fly upto 2 miles 1 way.

 

My gf wants to get bees someday. We rent right now so it's not practical at the moment. We took a beekeeping class last year and it was pretty interesting. Only problem is I'm mildly allergic to bees and still haven't gotten an epi pen to carry around.

 

My neighbor has several hives of honeybees and they never bother me other then they will raid my hummingbird feeders when the flower blooms are low.

I have had Mason bees living in wood blocks hung up on the garden shed for many years, they don't sting and the advantage of them is they work earlier in spring then honeybees when my fruit trees are blooming, the downside is they don't make honey.

 

Aren't all the honeybees dying or something?

 

How are the bees doing now a-days? It's been a while since I've heard anything about them. They still on the decline?

 

Yes I do harvest my own honey(the bees actually make it, I just rob it). But last year was my worst year for honey. Alot of bees are dying from an unknown reason. I lost three hives last year and my dad lost five. And they can be expensive to replace. Honeybees are on a sharp decline.

 

I had seen a show a while back talking about the bee population dropping. It was said that all the waves floating through the air might be effecting the decline. I can't remember exactly, but it was talking about all the new electronics that use wireless technologies and how they acted with the bee communities. It was a weird/interesting show, but I can't remember what it was called or what channel it was on.

 

I have some friends that are looking into this. I think they are now at the stage where they just need to get the boxes and the bees. They already have their honey house built.

 

I've got 4 hives right now, been at it 4 years and it is the most fascinating thing I've ever done. The neighbors don't mind, their gardens are doing great and my bees don't bother anyone but me. My wife often sunbathes 40' away while I'm working my hives and if I do something to piss 'em off they'll attack me but ignore her - they're very specific in their targeting, have a powerful sense of smell and a damn good memory. 2009 was a really bad year in MA too - with all the rain the bees nearly starved and I had to feed heavily to get them ready for winter, but so far all 4 colonies are hanging on.

As for bees disappearing, despite the ongoing 'debate' in the US media (who insist on providing life support for many dying debates), I'm convinced the primary culprits in the 'mysterious' Colony Collapse Disorder are the new neonicotinoid pesticides. They were developed in Europe in the early 90's but banned there less than 10 yrs later after beekeepers protested huge losses. Today their bees are doing OK, but now we're using 'neonics' in North America and wherever bees are exposed to them, there is CCD...

 

My grandpa was a beekeeper. I would help him collect the honey in the summers when I was little. There is nothing like fresh honey and honeycomb.

 

Gringo its good to hear from another bekeeper. I also think the cause for CCD is pesticides. I too had to feed heavely with a hive top feeder. I just hope and pray that this is a beeter year for the bees. I have been doing this for 4 years also but my dad had bees when he was younger and was thrilled when I wanted to get a few hives. They are defiently a fascinating little creature. And there is nothing like eating a spoonful of from your own backyard. I have also come to find out that when you have bees everyone is suddenly your friend, at least when there asking for a jar of honey. And as a matter of fact I have a deal with the local barber, he keeps me trimed up and tight and I keep him supplied with honey. Pretty good deal, I think.

 

I was feeding with those upturned buckets with little screens, then I bought a few frame feeders - the bees can drain one of those about 4x faster as more bees have access simultaneously. I think those really helped in my scramble to get 'em ready for winter, especially with the swarm I picked up in mid August that I thought had no chance, but even they were flying strong last Saturday when it warmed up. I think my neighborhood has pretty slim pickins for so many bees so if all 4 colonies survive I'm going to spread them around a bit. I've got a colleague who has an organic cranberry bog in the middle of a huge grove of locust trees, and we've got a wildflower meadow instead of a lawn where I work (which is where I picked up that swarm!)

 

SWEET! I have caught one swarm in my lifetime. I was at an old beekeepers house (88 yrs old) and he was giving me some pointers and he said "Leave me a hive body and the next swarm I catch I'll give it to you." Well , before I left his house there was a swarm and I had already taken my veil and gloves off and put them in the truck. When I went to retrive my gear he said ,"You don't need all that garb!" So I didn't put it on and we caught the swarm. There were literally tens of thousands of bees flying all around me and hitting me in the face and body as I climbed a tree, sawed the limb off and handed a limb full of bees to the oldman's grandson and never got stung. It is one of the funniest and most intense moments of my life.

 

I worked for a beekeeper for a day, he was my neighbor. Believe he was or is the president of the beekeeper association in Florida. Whatever you call it. Worked on de-capping all the honeycombs and putting them in a centerfuge. It was pretty cool, but only for a day.

 

Where was this at? I know someone who was the president for a while.

 

Port Charlotte, Fl. Just south of Sarasota and north of Fort Myers. Guys name was Earl.

 

My neighbor has got a bee hive going on, I dont know how many hives exactly. I would definitely be interested in getting a couple hives. I know that local honey help keep allergies at bay. So wha tI was thinking about doing was starting some bee hives then taking my 2 teaspoons of honey a day from my own hives. I will try to set something up this spring with my neighbors so I can get some fresh honey. I would like to know what the fees are for having a couple of hives if anyone can help me.

 

My great uncle started doing it about 50 years ago and now im trying to get into it since he's getting old, ive been helping him about 2yrs