Beekeeping

[mountainmama]

My husband and I are tossing around the idea of beekeeping. Just curious to see if there are any beekeeper's out there who can share a little on their experiences?

[pinkie]

I've never done it but I have honey bees that we are trying to get rid of. Why would you want to do this? Is it going to help you financially? I'm curious to know why people want to keep these bees around? I can't find many people who are willing to take ours.

[MaggieMay]

I haven't done it before but my dad just got a hive and is going to try it. I am looking forward to being able to get some beeswax in a few years to make candles with and I love honey in my tea so that will be nice as well.

[bdw593]

I would love to find someone willing to give there bees away... I want to get a couple of hives but have not been able to as of yet.....

[idaho04]

I have been beekeeping for about 7 years now. i normally have only 2-4 hives. It is kind of struggle for me. I live in NoID and the winters are too long. It is a problem to keep the bees alive thru the winter. Often they get dicease, such as nossema. This year, one of the bigger beekeepers promised me to take my two hives to California during the winter, he get paid for pollination and maybe I get my bees alive after the winter. It is a fine hobby but not easy. It would be hard to do as business.

[SallyA]

I've never done it but I have honey bees that we are trying to get rid of. Why would you want to do this? Is it going to help you financially? I'm curious to know why people want to keep these bees around? I can't find many people who are willing to take ours.

I used to feel the same way, but then I learned that bees are vital to pollinating our gardens and flowers. I also learned that they have been dying in large numbers for no apparent reason. After learning that, I became interested in possibly getting a hive.

[Bird]

When I was about 12 years old, I had to help my dad cut down and split a hollow tree to get the bees from the tree into a hive he had bought. That was our first hive, then he bought 6 more hives from someone. I had no choice but to help him work bees and we never used any of the bee suits and such that you see now. I actually only got stung pretty rarely, but I decided many years ago that I would not eat any honey if I had to take it away from a bee again. I don't know now many of you are old enough to remember when Sears Roebuck sold honey bees. I worked in the Dallas Post Office 1959 to 1964 and it wasn't unusual for our parcel post to include square cardboard boxes with large diamond shaped holes cut in the sides for ventilation and of course the holes were covered with a screen and they were honey bees being shipped to buyers from Sears.

[Meghan]

My sister in laws family are bee keepers down in South Georgia and some of our friends have recently started acquiring some hives and seem to be having good luck with theirs.

[Fiftyeggs]

From what I understand it's fairly low maintenance. Other than collecting honey once a year you'll have to go in and get your queen and move her to a new hive for the others to follow. Otherwise they will swarm off on there own to a new location and you'll have to go get em. You accomplish this by marking her when you get her. I don't have any yet but read a book on it and plan to get hive or two going on my country place when ive a house out there.