bee culturing advise

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AxolotlsAreCoolToo

AxolotlsAreCoolToo

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hello my local farm has some bee box's that they no longer use and my friends and I wanted to get into bee culturing for the purpose of making our own fresh honey and bees wax to sell at the farm stand. was wondering if anyone on the forum has any experence with this line of work and could give me helpful strategies, techniques, and tools. where do i get the bees? what kind of location should i keep them and when is an appropriate time to harvest? any advise will be appreciated thank you.

 
Check your local extension agent as they can direct you to some local bee people, who gather bees that are in homes and the owners want them removed without hurting the bees, these are then given free to someone wanting to culture them. Also I believe Rick has experience with them and he will prob answer later when he has time.

 
I was going to keep bees but too busy with school and such. I did a lot of research and reading on how to keep bees and raise them...if you want to learn, you'll have to do your research and such. It requires A LOT of info gathering either through books or internet websites. You have to kno your stuff, and to gather honey from the colony, you'll need more and diff supplies. It will cost a bit of $ at first, but once you get your beebox and all the diff wax or plastic hive slates and honey catchers ...etc then they will basically take care of themselves but really think if you are sure you want to do this, a lot of time and energy...just google how to start beekeeping or beekeeping 101 to start. And check with local beekeepers in your area (if there are any) and you usually have to order queens workers, or you could get those from other beekpers locally too (if avialable)

All the best,

Andrew

 
I signed up to attend a beginner's class put on by a local beekeper's association next month. Besides covering procedure, the class grants the students easy access to bees and supplies. At the end of the 8 session class, student receive their bees. With any luck, there is a group in your area that does the same.

 
I keep bees.

With that being said I highly suggest you find a good bee keeping forum and start reading. I like this one but they cater more towards top bar hives. They do have a lang section though: http://www.biobees.com/forum/ Ask them what are the best books for a beginner. You will want to browse the bee forums and read a few of the best books on the subject.

This is not something you just want to jump right into by getting a hive. There is quite a bit to know. I started with top bar hives and while I like many things about them I feel next time I need to get some lang hives.

Hive location depends on many factors. During your research you will learn more about that. Bees can be bought as packages from suppliers. I recommend you look at your states cooperative extension website. Find out if there is a local/state chapter of a beekeeping organization you can get involved in. Most locales have them. Also research local laws and ordinances. For example, I live in town and have to have a permit to keep bees. It's very easy and free, but worth noting.

 
Where I used to live in the Central Coastal area of CA there was a real demand for bee hives to be placed in orchards of all kinds. Not only is this a free source of blossoms for the bees, but actually they paid the bee keeper to do it. The by product of this needed pollination service, was the honey, of course, and there is a real demand for that. I understand that in the US, there is only about 60 or so percent of the honey we need, produced domestically. That means that countries like China and India are getting illegal honey into the US. Whatever you can do to increase the cuilturing of bees is something that deserves encouragement and reward. Good luck, take Rick's advise. There is a lot to learn first before you acquire bees.

 
Its a bit more work than you probably think. And its not cheap to get started. There is always a risk of pathogens spreading through your hive and killing it so make sure your select the right location to keep them.

 
Bug Trader said:
Its a bit more work than you probably think. And its not cheap to get started. There is always a risk of pathogens spreading through your hive and killing it so make sure your select the right location to keep them.
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True, but much more to that than just hive location. I prefer to not use any meds in my hives and so far I have not had a problem. A strong hive can for the most part take care of the issue. For example, I have small hive beetles in my hives. The bees keep them in check since my hives have proven to be strong and resilient.

And it is not cheap to get started. But if he can get free hives that is a big savings right there. But then again there are many other supplies needed. Also check out brushy mountain bee supply. I get most of my stuff from there but my bees came from a local guy though some places will ship them.

 
Rick said:
True, but much more to that than just hive location. I prefer to not use any meds in my hives and so far I have not had a problem. A strong hive can for the most part take care of the issue. For example, I have small hive beetles in my hives. The bees keep them in check since my hives have proven to be strong and resilient.

And it is not cheap to get started. But if he can get free hives that is a big savings right there. But then again there are many other supplies needed. Also check out brushy mountain bee supply. I get most of my stuff from there but my bees came from a local guy though some places will ship them.
Click to expand...
I only suggested the location scouting due to the amount or pesticides and fertilizers used these days. Ours were kept on a blueberry farm in South GA just shouth of the swamplands so we had no issues there. Keeping them under a shady location or under a tree can cause leaves and depree to collect on them even mold to spread through the boxes as well as rot them, pests almost always end up with them but watch out for ant issues we also never pushed meds on the hives I believe in weathering them for all pathogens and such while a small hive it will keep them stronger as they grow and bees to control most of their own issues cullling off those that come in sick, injured or from another hive most of the time.

Id also be a bit investigative when aquiring your hives, try and get them wild or from a place that has a bit of knowledge on keeping genetically strong populations. Some keepers are known for having to replace their hives frequently for numerous reasons I wouldnt go buying from them.

 
Are you buying a nucleus (nuc) hive (A mini-scale hive, you transfer frames from it to a real hive), packaged bees (what it sounds like - a screened box filled only with bees), or a full-sized hive?

If you are doing the nucleus or packaged bees, your first year will not turn any profit. Wax is very energy consuming for the bees (8 lbs of honey eaten = 1 lb beeswax). They will also need their honey that they produce for surviving the winter. Year 2, they will already have their beeswax for storing nectar and pollen and honey stores.

I HIGHLY recommend:

The Beekeeper's Hanbook Fourth Edition

By: Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitable

This book tell you everything you need, and then some. It is the most scientific book that I have found, with diagrams to help you and clear, easy instructions. It can be found on Amazon.com and other bookstores.

 
If you are doing honey extraction, go with the Langstroth Hive.

Topbar hives do not have comb that is strong enough to withstand a honey extractor - you would have to crush the comb and strain the honey through a cheesecloth/strainer. May be more time consuming if you have a bigger quantity of hives than with using an extractor.

Also, if you are planning on selling the honey for human consumption, you will need some sort of food license.

Good luck, and be sure to check out that book! :D

Oh, and try to find a "bee mentor" close to where you live who you can ask questions and work with.

(I'm getting bees in the spring. I have worked with a beekeeper and have read TONS of beekeeping books.)

 
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But really, the most important thing you can do is read (or at least skim) The Beekeeper's Handbook.

If you have time, it would also be good for you to look through some honeybee keeping books to decide what would work well for you.

There are basically three kinds of books:

  1. Commerical beekeeping (bigscale beekeepers with many acres/big scale honey producers/ queen producers/ big scale pollinators that travel with the inseason blooms)
  2. Beginner (how to set up, obtain bees, etc)
  3. Standard book, covers but isn't all about cus a ton on a beginners course. This would be what you would use once you get started.
The Beekeeper's Handbook tell's you:

  • location
  • types of honey to produce
  • pollination
  • how to work w/ the neighbors ;)
  • where to get bees
  • trouble shooting
  • bee diseases
  • How to test for bee diseases
  • Breeds of bees (Yes, there are. You can't just ask for 'Honey Bees'. It would be the same as asking for a 'Mantis'. :D ) I, personally, would advise getting Italians or (New World) Carniolans. See if you can work with different beekeepers in your area that keep different breeds of bees. Make sure that you actually get your hands down in there.
  • And SO, SO, SO much more
There are helpful hints and there is so much useful information.

Basically, if I was to name one tool you need, it would be this book. It will help you and make everything simple. :)

 
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