Any Beekeepers? Looking to get started

[Lammie]

I have been considering keeping a couple of hives for a while now. I was wondering if I could hear from any of you who keep bees and how you got started. I gather it is too late to start this year, as the apiaries I have researched seem to be sold out, but that gives me lots of time to get the stuff I need and figure out what the heck I am doing. I think it would be a great thing to add to my list of chores...

 

[MistyMorning]

I am not a beekeeper Lammie, but one of m neighbors does. I can ask him about how you go about things. I do wonder though if there are some regional differences with this? Oh yeah and doesn't rockingridge keep bees?

 

[Gale Seddon]

Lammie! :wave: Haven't been here in ages, but I saw this and thought this might be helpful to you!

This board has a bee forum: http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/

Got to get back in the swing here..... :compute:

 

[grannysoo]

Thanks for the link to the other forum. We're interested in bee-keeping too.

 

[Lammie]

Lammie! :wave: Haven't been here in ages, but I saw this and thought this might be helpful to you!

This board has a bee forum: http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/

Got to get back in the swing here..... :compute:

Howdy Gale! Thanks for the link. I can't open that link here at work, but I will check it out.

Don't be a stranger.

 

[preston39]

Are there many folks who have a hive or two? I understand 50-65% of the bees have disappeared/died.

We have a bee keeper nearby who wants to stash 2-3 hives on our place. His thought is that seperation may help him keep more from being attacked...by whatever is killing them.

Anyone see any problems with that approach?

I can only see it as a plus.

 

[ToddFarmsInc]

I too thought I would be interested in getting into bees small scale. Took an Apriculture class in highschool, many many years ago. I have a small grove of fruit trees. But I too am concerned with the news about the bees gtting wiped out. I have a neighbor who invested quite a bit of money getting started a couple years ago, only to have his bees dissappear within a year. He has empty hives sitting at his place now.

This past spring I saw that my apple trees were just full of honey bees, so I am going to assume they are getting adiquately polinated by either someone elses bees, or by wild ones.