# Any beekeepers here?



## Rick (Mar 11, 2011)

This is something I have thought about doing for awhile now. A friend of mine that lives a couple hours away has been thinking about it too. We have both been doing our research and talking to others. My friend is a good woodworker so last weekend we got together and built some top bar hives.

Here is mine. I got it painted the other day and will put up some more pics of it. My bees will be here on April 24th.







Entrance:






Lid removed:






Some top bars removed. THe bees hang their comb down from the top bars:






Close up of a top bar:


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 11, 2011)

Wow, Rick that really looks good, where u getting the bees from? I have a guy here I talk to and buy my pollen from, he is pretty easy to work with.


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## Rick (Mar 11, 2011)

hibiscusmile said:


> Wow, Rick that really looks good, where u getting the bees from? I have a guy here I talk to and buy my pollen from, he is pretty easy to work with.


They're coming from a local guy. There are quite a few places here in the state authorized to sell packages. They sell out fast and I was about to give up for this year until I found someone local. Best thing about local is that I can pick them up and avoid shipping them which you know is stressful. My friend is getting his on the 9th and I am going to assist him in installing two packages which will be a big help when it comes time to do my own.


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 11, 2011)

Nothing like a couple extra hands and  a good face and hand suit may be needed too!


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## Rick (Mar 11, 2011)

hibiscusmile said:


> Nothing like a couple extra hands and  a good face and hand suit may be needed too!


A package contains 10,000 bees and a queen. B)


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## Rick (Mar 12, 2011)




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## hibiscusmile (Mar 12, 2011)

Looks great, hope it works out for you! What kind of honey are you going to end up with?


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## sporeworld (Mar 12, 2011)

Beautiful!


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## blackburnexotics (Mar 12, 2011)

Very cool





With a design like that, your neighbors will never know that you are raising bees.


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## d17oug18 (Mar 13, 2011)

i think the "flavor" of the honey depends on what they get there nectar from. I heard that some farmers use watermelon flowers and the honey tastes like watermelon after extraction. Rick can correct me if im wrong though.


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## Rick (Mar 13, 2011)

It can taste different depending on where and what the bees forage. I probably won't get any this year, the bees also use their honey as food during the winter.


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 13, 2011)

That's what I was wondering about, do u have a lot of clover around you? I should send you hibiscus seeds, wonder what hibiscus honey taste like? yummm


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## PhilinYuma (Mar 13, 2011)

Yeah, this really looks good, and I wish you the best of luck with it. Perhaps, if other members follow yr example, we can have a "beekeepers' forum".

I know that we have discussed Colony Collapse Disorder in the past. Is it still a major issue in your area? If so, feel welcome to come to S.W. AZ; there are bees buzzing around here all year long. Since we are so close to the border, I wonder what honey made from the nectar of marijuana would taste like!


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## jcal (Mar 13, 2011)

ive been interested in this for awhile but i live in a condo. it might make the hoa mad but if i could build a smaller hive i would be all over it.


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## PeterF (Mar 13, 2011)

I'm not really involved, but our club has bees on order (due next month) for a hive we are setting up. I suppose I will help set up, but mostly as a pair of hands.

However, I though bee keeping involved the "bee gap" or whatever they call it. The space between the racks the combs go in. I don't see separate dividers inside your hive box. Will you be able to collect honey (in the future) with the kind of set up you have?


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## Rick (Mar 14, 2011)

Peter J F said:


> I'm not really involved, but our club has bees on order (due next month) for a hive we are setting up. I suppose I will help set up, but mostly as a pair of hands.
> 
> However, I though bee keeping involved the "bee gap" or whatever they call it. The space between the racks the combs go in. I don't see separate dividers inside your hive box. Will you be able to collect honey (in the future) with the kind of set up you have?


This is a top bar hive. The pic with lid removed shows the top bars. These are removable. Look at the third and fourth pictures. Notice how it is open space under the bars? The bees attach their comb to the underside of each bar. The comb hangs down into the empty space below. The centerline of the bars are a certain distance apart. You simply remove the lid and lift the bars to access the comb underneath.

Here is a google image showing comb hanging from a top bar:

http://www.ebrochures.com/brochures/FFC9666495084310871B1B08A1216418.jpg


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## Colorcham427 (Mar 17, 2011)

Hey man, can you stick bees in the fridge to slow them down? My mantids love bees lol.


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## Rick (Mar 17, 2011)

Brian Aschenbach said:


> Hey man, can you stick bees in the fridge to slow them down? My mantids love bees lol.


I'm sure you're kidding, but just in case. You should never use honeybees as mantis food. Many of the foods you eat are pollinated by bees. Bees are in decline and it has the potential to be a serious problem very soon.


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## Rick (May 1, 2011)

Bees are here!


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## Rick (May 1, 2011)

Inspecting the queen cage to make sure she is alive:


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## Rick (May 1, 2011)




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## lancaster1313 (May 1, 2011)

Beautiful bees! :wub: I love them and wish that I could keep some.

The guy who just bought the house next door, is complaining that there are too many bees around, and wants to call to see if he can get a hive removed. &lt;_&lt; The hive isn't even on his property. :angry: If he were to keep his weeds cut short enough they wouldn't come around his property anyway, and our front lawn wouldn't have as many unwanted weeds. They are more than welcome in my yard, and love the flowers in the backyard.

There are alot of bees around, and when I go net sweeping I usually have to avoid stepping on them, and also get them in the net by accident. Surprisingly, the bees take no offense and just go about their business after I release them. My daughter and I love those cool bees and if we ever are in a place where we could keep some, it will be on!

I love the shot of the bees flying.


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## Rick (May 1, 2011)

likebugs said:


> Beautiful bees! :wub: I love them and wish that I could keep some.
> 
> The guy who just bought the house next door, is complaining that there are too many bees around, and wants to call to see if he can get a hive removed. &lt;_&lt; The hive isn't even on his property. :angry: If he were to keep his weeds cut short enough they wouldn't come around his property anyway, and our front lawn wouldn't have as many unwanted weeds. They are more than welcome in my yard, and love the flowers in the backyard.
> 
> ...


Thanks. Sadly in the time I have lived here I have seen very few honeybees. Lots of bumbles though. So far the girls are already bringing in pollen.


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## cinci (May 1, 2011)

some of these guys on this other forum theearthgarden have convinced me to build mason bee hives this spring, (they are solitary bees making single pkts of honey/eggs they arent usefull for honey harvesting but it has been said they pollinate more flowers than honey bees.


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## lancaster1313 (May 2, 2011)

Rick said:


> Thanks. Sadly in the time I have lived here I have seen very few honeybees. Lots of bumbles though. So far the girls are already bringing in pollen.


I hope that your raising bees will repopulate your area. Don't the queens sometimes make other queens that can go out and make hives of their own? It would be cool if more people could help to solve the population problems that are happening in many areas of the U.S.


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## Rick (May 2, 2011)

likebugs said:


> I hope that your raising bees will repopulate your area. Don't the queens sometimes make other queens that can go out and make hives of their own? It would be cool if more people could help to solve the population problems that are happening in many areas of the U.S.


Yes. It is called a swarm. Half the colony leaves with a queen to go out and find a new home. That is how honeybees spread. Many beekeepers try to prevent swarms but if mine choose to do so someday I will let them. The main point of top bar beekeeping is to make it less stressful on the bees and to be more natural in the way they do things. You get a little honey, wax, and comb out of the deal as well along with pollination.


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## Rick (May 5, 2011)

I really expected more interest in something like this with the people here.

Did the first inspection Tuesday mainly to ensure the queen was out of the queen cage. She was not out yet and the candy plug had fallen sideways. I went ahead and released her because they were building comb next to the queen cage and were starting to build it onto the cage itself. One decent sized comb is built along with a smaller one they just started.


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## sporeworld (May 5, 2011)

Pretty intense. I kind had the creeps, like one was crawling on me, then I got to the bottom of the page and jumped! The bug on your signature line looked just like a bee!!!


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## lancaster1313 (May 5, 2011)

Sporeworld said:


> Pretty intense. I kind had the creeps, like one was crawling on me, then I got to the bottom of the page and jumped! The bug on your signature line looked just like a bee!!!


Are you afraid of bees? :lol: I would probably be a little nervous my first time messing with a hive.  Still, I have always wanted to visit one of the man and bee made ones.  

There is a cool hive in a tree trunk by a restaurant that we frequent, there is a parking place right underneath it. My daughter and I always have to go there and visit the bees before, and after eating.  We can walk right up to the tree, I think that those bees are used to the human traffic.


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## Rick (May 5, 2011)

Most of these bees have been bred to be docile over the years. So far these girls are very calm. I spend time each day just a couple feet away from the entrance watching them work without any gear on. It is interesting watching them bring back pollen to the hive. I haven't been stung yet.


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## sporeworld (May 5, 2011)

likebugs said:


> Are you afraid of bees? :lol: I would probably be a little nervous my first time messing with a hive.  Still, I have always wanted to visit one of the man and bee made ones.
> 
> There is a cool hive in a tree trunk by a restaurant that we frequent, there is a parking place right underneath it. My daughter and I always have to go there and visit the bees before, and after eating.  We can walk right up to the tree, I think that those bees are used to the human traffic.


Let me just say this: "Things not understood are best viewed from a distance."  

Been stung quite a few times (I was asking for trouble when I went running barefoot through fields of clover), and it's quite unpleasant.


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## patrickfraser (May 5, 2011)

Rick said:


> Most of these bees have been bred to be docile over the years. So far these girls are very calm. I spend time each day just a couple feet away from the entrance watching them work without any gear on. It is interesting watching them bring back pollen to the hive. I haven't been stung yet.


Once you get stung...and keep them. You'r hooked. I'm looking forward to some honey.

Can't keep the bees, but I LOVE the honey


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## Rick (May 6, 2011)

patrickfraser said:


> Once you get stung...and keep them. You'r hooked. I'm looking forward to some honey.
> 
> Can't keep the bees, but I LOVE the honey


No way I would get rid of a colony of bees because I got stung. Getting stung comes with the hobby. I know there are plenty of stings in my future. Just part of the deal I guess.


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## Rick (May 25, 2011)

For those interested here are some pics from the last week or so.


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## PhilinYuma (May 25, 2011)

Congratulations on doing so well on yr first try, Rick! When will you start selling honey on the forum? Put me down for a pot!  

BTW, what does it say on yr shirt? It looks like "All American Engineers Stay Airborne", but that doesn't sound right.


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## sporeworld (May 26, 2011)

+1 on the honey for sale! Maybe the wax, too!

By the way, I wonder if there's a market for frozen, or freeze dried honey bees? Of course, after they've died a natural death at a comfortable, waxy hospice, obbbbbviously.

I see people selling crickets that way, and I know from experience that I can get my large mantids to eat frozen flies via tweezers. I'd rather feed them frozen bees than frozen crickets.


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## sporeworld (May 26, 2011)

BTW, I have officially been thinking like/about my bugs for too long. I looked at those bees in the pictures and my first reactionj was "Those look tasty". That's seriously messed up.


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## AmandaLynn (May 26, 2011)

Bees are cute  My neighbors keep honey bees and the honey is sooo much better than store bought. Honey is delicious any way you can get it but when it's fresh and unpasturized it just tastes so much better!  

Best of luck to you and your girls


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## Emile.Wilson (May 26, 2011)

Wow Rick, this is really interesting. This looks like something i'd be interested in getting into in a few years when i get my own house. Keep up the photos


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## Rick (May 26, 2011)

PhilinYuma said:


> Congratulations on doing so well on yr first try, Rick! When will you start selling honey on the forum? Put me down for a pot!
> 
> BTW, what does it say on yr shirt? It looks like "All American Engineers Stay Airborne", but that doesn't sound right.


Going ok so far. Real test will be if they survive winter. Most likely won't be any honey this first year since that is also their winter food in the hive.

That is what the shirt says. I was a combat engineer in the 82nd abn. Got the shirt for one of my reenlistments.


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## d17oug18 (May 26, 2011)

i would start this TONIGHT if i didnt have a dog and a very small yard lol. I would probably also start a veggie garden knowing that i would never have to reseed again lol. that looks very exciting and low maintenance, i would more than likely take alot of the honey and make bread before they could eat it and save it for themselves lol.


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## Rick (May 26, 2011)

d17oug18 said:


> i would start this TONIGHT if i didnt have a dog and a very small yard lol. I would probably also start a veggie garden knowing that i would never have to reseed again lol. that looks very exciting and low maintenance, i would more than likely take alot of the honey and make bread before they could eat it and save it for themselves lol.


I don't have the largest yard and I also have a dog. In fact I have yet to be stung and same goes for my dog despite sticking his snout into the hive entrance for a whiff. These bees are so gentle it amazes me. Low maintenance I am not so sure about though. You gotta leave em with honey for winter or they will die. Of course how much depends on your climate.


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## d17oug18 (May 26, 2011)

was that your jar that has been put upside down? what the paper underneath it? was just like a coffee filter so they can suck it out of the paper or something lol.


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## Rick (May 27, 2011)

d17oug18 said:


> was that your jar that has been put upside down? what the paper underneath it? was just like a coffee filter so they can suck it out of the paper or something lol.


It is a feeder. WHen first hived you need to feed package bees for awhile until they build up their stores. It should come off soon. Paper? Not sure what you mean. The brown is the entrance feeder inserted into the entrance. The jar has a lid wiht tiny holes and it sits upside down in a hole in the feeder. The feeder extends into the hive and the bees crawl into it and go up under the jar to get the syrup that drips out. The feeder is made of wood.


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## kamakiri (May 28, 2011)

Rick said:


> I really expected more interest in something like this with the people here.


Well, just found the thread...so make sure to keep posting updates Rick! Probably not venturing into beekeeping myself...but I absolutely support your efforts. I have enough bees locally and keep lots of roses, lavender and hibiscus around for them so they stick around to pollinate all my fruit trees, berries and veggies.

And I'd have trouble using bees as feeders...even though I've spotted one of the 'wild' hives nearby.


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## Rick (Jun 11, 2011)

Video from the other day. It was really hot so a lot of the bees were hanging out on the ramp. You can see some foragers in the background coming and going and if you look closely some have full pollen baskets.


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## lancaster1313 (Jun 11, 2011)

Cool.  

A few bees seem to be doing alot of licking. What are they licking? Is there water or something tasty there, or is it just a bee thing?


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## Rick (Jun 11, 2011)

likebugs said:


> Cool.
> 
> A few bees seem to be doing alot of licking. What are they licking? Is there water or something tasty there, or is it just a bee thing?


Cleaning the ramp. Actually an unknown behavior but believed to be cleaning.


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## Ryan.M (Jun 11, 2011)

Wow, what an awesome post Rick! I look forward to more updates. Like Emile said, something I'd definitely like to get into after uni and I have my own house.

I can remember when I was a kid I was terrified of bees, but after visiting a bee farm in southern BC when I was 9 or 10 that fear was gone! Such amazing and important little bugs.

Good Luck!


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## Rick (Feb 16, 2012)

An update. This hive is still thriving. They have been pretty busy this winter with it being so mild. Still finding pollen to bring back. I am thinking of adding a second, traditional hive this spring but my fossil hobby takes up a lot of my free time so I am not sure yet on adding a hive.

Recent pics:


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## sporeworld (Feb 16, 2012)

Mark my (prophetic) word. There will one day be a market for dried, or freeze dried honey bees. (If there isn't already). You could profit from the relatively fresh remains of dead or dying crickets.


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## Rick (Feb 17, 2012)

Sporeworld said:


> Mark my (prophetic) word. There will one day be a market for dried, or freeze dried honey bees. (If there isn't already). You could profit from the relatively fresh remains of dead or dying crickets.


I think most of us prefer they pollinate our crops and provide us with honey, wax, propolis, pollen, etc.


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## lunarstorm (Feb 17, 2012)

Awesome thread, Rick. Congratulations on surviving your first winter!

Please keep us posted!


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