So you think you might want to be a bee keeper

[trailtwister]

Biggest question you need to ask your self is are you allergic to bee stings. I don't mean do you swell up and itch like crazy the day after. That is a normal reaction to many people. I'm talking about your tongue swelling up, getting cold sweats, and passing out. If the answer is yes to the last statement then you do not want to keep honey bees. No matter how careful you are you will get stung.

Next question is do you have the money for the first start up cost. First start up cost is going to be between $500.00 and $800.00 which depends on if you buy all your hive equipment from a supplier or build your own. For example one boughten hive body is $18.25 plus shipping (what kills you)and I recommend you have 4. I buy 1x12x8 boards at Lowes for $8.25 one board will make one hive body and the frame for a top cover and a nice bit left over for an inter cover too.
I recommend you start with two colonies so you can compare them and even pull brood from one strong one to perk up a weak one. I recommend you do not by a starter kit from the suppliers as it only has half of what you need for one year of keeping one colony and some stuff you just don't need.
Buy a book, I recommend Bee Keeping for Dummies, you can find it or order it at most book stores.
After you get some bees I recommend ABC XYZ of beekeeping. A new edition is now out and selling for $40.00. I recommend you look on www.bookfinder.com for a used copy for many dollars less. One from the 80's will have things about the Varro mites.

And yes it is we, Kare is not just a wife who goes to bee meetings with me.

Kare with a package of bees.



She is even the sole owner of her very own colony she won with raffle tickets she bought at the 2005 bee conference.

Now time for you to digest the above.

  Al

[trailtwister]

 
There are two ways to buy bees for your first colonies.
One is a nucleus or nuc as they are called. It consist of 4 or 5 frames with brood, a queen and about 10,000 workers and some drones. The cost runs to over $125.00 depending on the seller and if they refund some money when the nuc box is returned.



Mistake #1 only one colony.

I recommend two colonies to start with so you can compare between the two.

You just open the nuc up and place the frames with the bees in the big 10 frame brood hive with new frames and foundation to make up what the nuc doesn't have. Any bees remaining in the nuc box will fly to the new hive because of the queens scent.

  Al

[trailtwister]

Another way to get your first bees is in a package. Packages are sold in 2 pound and 3 pounds, 3 pounds is the most common. They come from the southern states mostly Ga. being one of the biggest supplies states. Many have asked how many bees are in a 3 pound package. The answers range from 3500 to 10000. think it depends on how many are flying when the package is on the scales.
Cost this year are running about 125.00 on average. But you will normally not get any honey to harvest the first year as they have to draw and fill 20 frames with honey for them selves.





I have 2 hives ready to install packages into. I do not go by the book on package installs. The books say to shake the bees to the bottom of the cage after you have loosened the cover. remove the syrup feed can and queen cage. Shake the bees from the package into the hive hang the queen cage between the frames and install the inter cover and outer cover. Insert feeder in the entrance and your finished.

I use a kinder gentler method.
I spray the girls down with syrup in the cage, shake them to the bottom after I have loosened the cover.
I take out the syrup can and queen cage and close the cover up.
I install the queen cage between the frames after removing a cork that covers up a candy blockage the workers have to eat away to release the queen. Takes them 3 to 5 days.
Once the queen cage is in place, I then turn the package so the opening is down on the top bars. I slide the cover out so the workers can go in the hive with the queen. I place a spare hive body around them and come back in 2 hours to remove the package box.











This is a new 2006 bee yard at a tree nursery. We placed Italian bees here due to customer traffic and Italians have the reputation of being the gentiles bees you can keep. 80% of American beekeepers have Italian.
We keep 4 breeds. Italians, Carnolian (types New World & SMR) and a hoge poge from my own breeding program.

  Al

[trailtwister]

This is a wooden Benton 3 hole queen cage with the cork in place. Note the brads, Your told to remove one frame and hang the cage in the hive using this method. I do not do it that way any more.



JZBZ queen cage. I like these best since it is easier for me to get the queen in it.




Carniolan queen. Far left nearly all black and bigger than the others.



SMR Carniolan queen.

Bigger than the others nearly all solid yellow.



  Al

[trailtwister]

Standard hive set up for one year of bee keeping in the north. From bottom board to top cover.

bottom board, screened recommended.




2 deep brood hives (9 5/8 deep 16 1/4" wide and 19 7/8" long.



Then there are two honey (Illinois supers) hives (6 5/8 deep and same width and length.  I am cycleing these out of my equipment to save weight at honey harvest time.



shallow supers, I use these with 8 frames to collect the honey I will harvest.

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/images/131DTshallowsuper.jpg

Correct wood frames to fit the boxes.



Real wired for support wax foundation. Sized to fit frames.



Intercover.



Outer cover.



  Al

[trailtwister]

The above pictures came from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm on line catalog.

Mann Lake and W. T. Kelley I have found to be good suppliers and good to deal with.
Their are also more but I just havn't delt with them, goggle beesuppliers.


  Al

[trailtwister]

One other thing JOIN A CLUB. By joining a club you meet people with the same intrest as you and are willing to help newbees. Just keep in mind that if you ask 12 beekeepers a question about bees you will probably get 15 or more answers . There is always at least 3 that change their mind or can't make up their mind.

We belong to the state club, MBA. Has district reps that cover the whole state of Michigan even DA UP.
http://www.michiganbees.org/

The region club, SEMBA. SEMBA has bee school in the spring.
http://www.sembabees.org/

And 4 local clubs with in 50 miles of us
SchoolCraft beekeepers.
Oakland beekeepers
Seven Ponds beekeepers
Mid Michigan

Before we joined a club we didn't know a beekeeper lived a half mile away from us .

Working our bees before we joined a club was like  stumbling around in a strange dark house at night looking for a bathroom.
Ya found it but had a lot of bumps and bruises  .

Been doing it now so long we get calls all the time asking for help.

  Al

[trailtwister]

Some questions we get asked.
Why not use plastic foundation?   simple answer is the bees do not like it but will work it if that is all they have.

This is why I dislike plastic, 10 frames with plastic foundation that has been in the hive 45 days. These are the best drawn out. I did not buy this crap, Kare won it in the hive raffle. Real wax foundation the bees would have 10 fully drawn out into cells frames in 45 days.









  #12   Report Post   IP  Old 04/06/11, 09:28 AM 
alleyyooper's Avatar alleyyooper alleyyooper is invisible
keeper of the bees
HST_MODERATOR.png   Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 5,309 

Talking

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunmo I'll give you an A+, how is that.

I agree it should be a sticky but I don't think there is any one here who can do that. I've been wanting a list of the states clubs links as a sticky for along time. I think it would help people find some one in their area who may be willing to Mentor others.

If you just stuck the frames in the hive the bees would have comb at all kinds of angles and you would hardly be able to remove even one frame with out a lot of cutting. The frames provide a starting point so the bees place all the drawn comb on the frames for easy removal and most all at the same thickness.


This is why I dislike plastic, 10 frames with plastic foundation that has been in the hive 45 days. These are the best drawn out.

So you think you want to be a bee keeper. - Beekeeping

So you think you want to be a bee keeper. - Beekeeping

So you think you want to be a bee keeper. - Beekeeping

So you think you want to be a bee keeper. - Beekeeping

This is what it would look like if you didn't use frames and some type of foundation



  Al

[trailtwister]

What about bee suits? Like plastic foundation each to their own. I and many of the other bee keepers I know do not wear them as they are to hot in the summer even when you are naked underneath.
In the pictures above you see what Kare and I wear. Ventilated helmet and veil, long sleeve dress shirt from Good Will or some other second hand shop, pig skin gloves with canvas sleeves, they keep the bees from under the cuff of your gloves and the slit of the shirts.

Kare wears leg closers all the time around bees and I do if shaking out a queen less laying worker colony, or doing a removal. Of course we wear long pants and ankle high shoes too.
By wearing a bee suit I think people tend to not be as smooth and easy about their movements around the bees. I watched a fellow once who seemed to bang the frames against the hive body every time he pulled one. That kept the bees pissed off the whole time.

  Al

[trailtwister]

Shall we talk about the smoker. Mine doesn't see a bunch of use but is lit and near at hand when I work with the girls.



Here is a handy little trick. Use a little bit of dowel 3/4 inches or bigger around, taper one end to plug the smoke port. It does two things, It stops any stray sparks from falling in a dry area on the way from the hives. It also puts the smoldering out quicker.





Since we have a number of out yard scattered between two counties I have a smoker box to put the hot smoker in when driving between yards.



There is all kinds of stuff you can use for fuel.
Hemp baling twine, pine needles, dry cow patties, dry horse balls, fungi, corrugated card board, rotted wood logs, wood chips, burlap, Sumac berries, cedar chips and more.
I use recycled cedar chips from my doggies houses and dried sumac berries. Several years ago American Bee Journal had a story that Sumac in the smoker had an effect on the mites who it seems can't stand the smoke.

  Al

[trailtwister]

Placeing and painting the hives. If your not real fussy about colors and dont worry about what people will think use OOPS paint. OOPs paint sells in most places for $5.00 a gallon I've even seen it at Wal Mart for that price. Any color is fine here in the north you may not want a dark color in the south or west just use exterior paint.
Now me I use stain for decks and fences. It is $5.00 a gallon or 15 dollars for 5 gallons, home improvement stores are the best places to find the stain.
Just paint the out side and I also do the rims.




  Al

[trailtwister]

As you can see I have my stands up 8 inches at least. When skunks and other critters come scratching at the entrance it leaves their belly exposed to the stinging bees. It is also a bit easier on your back when doing inspections. Since these pictures were taken I have raised them up another 10 inches mostly to not be bending as much when inspections are done. Finally settled on 15 inches

You can see I also value wind breaks to the north and west. It is one of my most considered aspect when placeing hive on a property after access. Just about all our colonies set in full sun all day long. they seem to do better in the full sun and are not so app to get cranky when it is shady much of the day. If you live in an area where it gets well into the 90Fto 112F range you may want shade in the hottest part of the day.

But here in the north it is the winter winds you want proctection from.

  Al

[trailtwister]

Some tools needed.
A hive tool, I bought several red devil paint scrapers that are sold at bee supply places for more money.
Since I can not edit I will say if there are more than one in the picture the ones I use are the fourth down from the top.



I would be lost with out my bee brush to get them to move when inspection a frame.



Capping scratcher. I use mine in the bee yard to open drone cells to look for mites. I use it in the honey house to Un cap honey cells to shallow for the capping knife to get.



Mite from drone cell.



  Al

[trailtwister]

So we have gotten our equipment, our bees and have them installed in hives.
We feed 1:1 syrup since it is spring to stumilate them to build comb and get the queen laying at a rate 1000 to 1500 eggs a day.

We keep feeding the syrup till they won't take it any more. That happens about the time the spring plants start blooming. One of the earliest is the Maple trees and Korean Box Woods. Didn't know they had flower type blooms till I had bees.

This is some of the honey bees early spring forage plants. They will fly up to 6 miles to forage on a favorite source. The average is 2 miles.
They also are into the Honey suckle
Russian olive AKA Autumn olive
Lilac
Quince
Mountain Ash
Apple, Cherry, Plum, Pear and other fruit trees.

In the fall we feed 2:1 syrup to get them ready for winter.

  Al

[trailtwister]

Some random Honey Bee facts.

Honey has antibacterial properties which combats infections and speeds the healing process.
Honey is used in burn units at hospitals.
I use honey on cuts rather than ontiments.

Honey bees are responcible for the pollination of 80% of all fruit, vegetables and seed crops in the U.S.

Honey bees are a great scientific mystery because they have remained unchanged for 20 million years even though the world has changed around them.

Honeybee colonies have unique oders that members use to identfy other bees at the hive entrance so the guard bees can recognize the entering bees.

Honeybees have to travel over 55,000 miles and visit approximently 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey.
Honey is sold by the pound measure.

A honey bee can fly approximatly 15MPH.
Doesn't do you much good to run so might just as well stand still and remain calm.

  Al

[trailtwister]

How do we get the honey out of the hive?

To remove the honey from the hive. I first pull a frame, look to make sure all cells are capped. If they are not all capped but are they 80% capped. If that answer is yes I pull the frame out of the hive, just as I would a fully capped one. I brush the bees off back in front of the hive with my soft bee brush. I shake the frame to see if any honey comes out. If some comes out I put the frame back. If none comes out then the moisture is at or near 18% ready to harvest.
I hand the bee less frame to kare who carries it to an empty honey super I have in the back of the truck (out yard) with a cover on it. She lifts the cover puts the frame in there, then places the cover back on. When it is full I stack another honey super for her.
There are bee escape plugs that can be used but you have to go install them then go back the next day to pull the honey supers. There is also a chemical that can be placed on what is called a fume board that has a awful smell that drives the bees from the honey super in about 15 minutes. Due to fuel cost today I don't want to have to make two trips so don't use any escapes‘.
I also don't like the smell of the chemical myself so just take a little longer and brush the bees off one frame at a time.
I also own a blower but Kare worry’s me to death about blowing a queen from the hive so it doesn’t get used.





You do not need an extractor to harvest honey. When I started the bee supplier (W.T. Kelley) recommend I use cut comb foundation since we only had one colony. You take a frame full of honey fully capped out of the honey super then cut it with a hot knife into 4”x4” squares to use it after draining it.
They also said I could cut all the honey from the frame then crush it with a potato masher to strain out the wax.

By our second summer I had found a real old two frame hand crank extractor thru a fellow selling out a bunch of his old extra equipment.
We used it one year.
Then a club member called and said he had found a old retiring bee keeper selling some of his stuff from the honey house. He had a 36 frame galvanized extractor. Since we had decided to go bigger we went for a look.
We bought it along with two hot capping knifes, a capping tank , a holding tank, a crown staple gun, and the bee blower.
We used it for 2 years.
I have lost all those pictures old pictures when image station stopped being a online photo book then a computer crash.
But we expanded to 80 colonies in those 2 years with plans to do even more. When a friend offered us his 72 frame stain less steel extractor we bought it and just love it.






The only time I ever lift a full super of honey. From the truck to some wheeled moving carts then to the trays in the stack waiting to be uncapped .







  Al

[trailtwister]

We have the honey supers in the honey house and all set for the uncapping.

Taking a frame from the super,



The frame in one hand, a electric heated capping knife in the other hand, we are ready.



I start at the top going down with the cut caps. Some go up when they cut. Either way after you have did a bunch your hand is tired as well as the wrist.



At the end the caps land in the cap draining tank.





There is a lot of honey that drains from the tank before the caps are removed.

The frames go in the extractor, 72 in all for this one from W.T. Kelley. I like its auto speed up feature and the shut off at the end of the high speed spin.



   Al

[trailtwister]

Once the spin cycle ends we pump the honey to holding/settling tanks. Each (3) tank holds 25 gallons to one of 30 gallons. The honey sets in those tanks about 3 days then the top is skinned off this is set out for the bees to clean up as it is foam, bee parts and small chunks of wax.



From there it is ran thru a double screen strainer into 5 gallon pails, some have gates for bottling, some are also set aside for our buyers. The rest is dumped into the 250 gallon storage tank for latter sale.



Did I miss some thing? I am sure I did so ask all the questions you want.

  Al

[trailtwister]

To sell our honey we bottle it in different sizes of jars, jugs and  pails.

We had these labels made at Office Depot, Just about every place else we inqured at would sort of take down our idea and send the work out and we had to buy about $75.00 to $100.00 worth of product sight unseen.
At Office Depot we got to set down at the computer with the lady and our zip drive with pictures and design what we wanted. Each label took about 2 hours for us to get what we wanted. Set up for the first picture label was $50.00 and $25.00 each for all the others then saved to a CD. Now it cost some thing like 25 cents a sheet to print plus the paper cost. We have 1 pound queen line, 2 pound queen line, 1 pound upside down, quart, and pint along with 2 sizes of bear labels and a 3 pound jug.
Here are a couple.

One pound


Two pounds


one pound up side down jar.


A half pound bear.


seven once quilted jar.


lid from 3 pound jar, two pound pail and other bigger lots.


  Al

[Hawks Feather]

And now we know the rest of the story.  Thanks for the informational post, but I won't be giving you any completion.

Jerry