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Thread: Honey Bees

  1. #1
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
    robsdak's Avatar
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    Honey Bees

    per request of Helomech, here is what i do and know about honey bees.

    IMO, they are easy to do. start up cost is $100-$xxx depending on access to woodworking tools and knowledge. you could buy from several online or local stores, if your lucky enough to have 1 close.

    how i got started is a friend has 12 hives, he is in with another guy that got him started in it. i started helping Lorenzo with his hives, cleaning boxes, making frames, building frames/boxes, making sure he had what he needed done on time. then i got interested in a small Top Bar Hive for my yard and garden. i looked around and found a set of plans on the interweb.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_top-bar_hive good article

    http://www.wasatchbeekeepers.com/top...s-david-bench/ basic idea and plan

    http://timeinventorskabinet.org/wiki...ar_hive-02.pdf basic idea and plan

    i don't have a pictures of my build, sorry, didn't think about it. mine is an idea we had. why not modify a TBH with a Langstroth Brood Box. the idea being i liked the look of the TBH and the added brood box i could add honey supers and make a little more honey and let the bees have the honey in the TBH.

    this is mine. it has an observation window (plexiglass) so i can see what's going on without opening it up and disturbing them.


    here are the top bars i made. it's a piece of 1x material with a grove cut and a piece of Plasticell cut to 1 in and the i added some beeswax to aid the bees.


    this is the top bar with bees and honey, the white is capped honey, the open cells aren't ready to be capped. also, the honeycomb cells are slanted downward at 1 to 3 degrees.
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  2. #2
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
    robsdak's Avatar
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    here is another top bar.


    this is a shot of the inside of the TBH. it's called Burr Comb. from what i understand, it's when bees just build without guidance. i just cleaned it up and salvaged a few of the bigger pieces and attached it to a couple of the top bars to give the a direction to go in. this was at the bottom of the TBH body. you can see bees at the top of the picture on a bar. it is also a piece of the Burr Comb that i added to the bar. just a little heat from a torch lighter and it melts and stick it where you want it and the bees will carry on. sometimes they just need good directions.


    these pics are the brood box and lid. you get an idea of the amount of bees that are there.
    "Ya need a hug, or a twinkee? Wait..forget the twinkie". - Dropy

    "I'll be in my bunk" Jayne Cobb

    'Catch, sauté, and release...' Sniper-T

    'Always smile... it makes people wonder what the fuck you are thinking!' Sniper-T

    Body Armor is not bullet proof, it is only bullet resistant.* Learn to become strictly a head hunter.*

    'All I really needed was a hug'............ Domeguy

  3. #3
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
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    the scews you see are there for ventilation. all 4 corners allows and air space of about 3/8 in.





    this is a pic of what the frames look like with honey. these are in the honey super on top of the brood box. think of the brood box as a Condo.
    "Ya need a hug, or a twinkee? Wait..forget the twinkie". - Dropy

    "I'll be in my bunk" Jayne Cobb

    'Catch, sauté, and release...' Sniper-T

    'Always smile... it makes people wonder what the fuck you are thinking!' Sniper-T

    Body Armor is not bullet proof, it is only bullet resistant.* Learn to become strictly a head hunter.*

    'All I really needed was a hug'............ Domeguy

  4. #4
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
    robsdak's Avatar
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    the bees i have are Italians. excellent honey quality and they produce well.. i have/had a 30x40 garden that had 24 different veggies, several fruit trees, apple, pears, early and late peaches, blueberries and then i plant another 400 sq ft of bee flowers http://encap.net/flower-kits/pollinator-honey-bee-mix/ and Borage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borage http://www.burpee.com/herbs/borage/b...rod000462.html

    i also keep fresh water out for them. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/stor...-gal-capacity# it hangs on the back fence. just put small rocks in the base, bees can't swim. these are just the places and seeds i get, you can buy where ever you want. *** all links used are for reference only*** it's what i use, but we needed a disclaimer in there somewhere.

    another disclaimer ***i do not encourage others too do as i do. wear protection ie full bee suits, bee jackets w/long pants, full veils and gloves. i wear mine when i work with others hives. i have been stung 17 times at 1 time working others hives. if your allergic to bees, buy your honey locally or ask and we will work something out, i have a limited supply that i will offer members.***

    that being said, most of the time i am working my bees in shorts, t-shirt and a smoker. i have VERY CALM bees! i have been stung 3 times by mine and all were my fault. 2 times i didn't tuck in my shirt and in the process of getting them out i got stung, the other was i closed my fingers and 1 got caught, again my fault. i see my bees no different than 'puppies' they need to be treated with respect.

    over time your bees will get to know you. your smell, attitude, voice. no they don't understand sit,stay or come. but i believe if your calm and talk to them they understand you mean them no harm. i also spend time sitting close to the hive and talk to them, just being there watching is a neat experience. i am not an expert at doing this, far from it, i am a 1st year Beek. BeeKeeper.

    join a local beekeepers club. the 1 i go too, is full of very nice folks. read anywhere you find information, Google is your FRIEND! below are some of the places i visit. (Mods, i am not meaning to intentionally violate any rules, just helping)

    http://dtw.no-ip.info:8888/BirdCam.htm cool webcam to watch
    http://www.biobees.com/forum/index.p...f99d46e639a51a
    http://www.beesource.com/forums/forum.php

    one more thought. i am learning when to treat my bees for various things, right now the friend that got me into them, when he treats his bees he make sure i get enough to treat mine.

    i hope this was helpful, i will gladly answer anything i can. i am not crazy, i promise, this is what works for me. i have plenty more pictures too share if interested.

    rob
    "Ya need a hug, or a twinkee? Wait..forget the twinkie". - Dropy

    "I'll be in my bunk" Jayne Cobb

    'Catch, sauté, and release...' Sniper-T

    'Always smile... it makes people wonder what the fuck you are thinking!' Sniper-T

    Body Armor is not bullet proof, it is only bullet resistant.* Learn to become strictly a head hunter.*

    'All I really needed was a hug'............ Domeguy

  5. #5
    Wants you to "look at what he's holding tonight".


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    Thanks for writing this up. Going to look at the links later, got to kill a bunch of rabbits this morning.
    "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes DUTY!" - Thomas Jefferson

  6. #6
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
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    Quote Originally Posted by helomech View Post
    Thanks for writing this up. Going to look at the links later, got to kill a bunch of rabbits this morning.
    your welcome. i think i forgot too add, honey bees are EASY! just like anything else we do, it includes knowledge and the right tools.
    "Ya need a hug, or a twinkee? Wait..forget the twinkie". - Dropy

    "I'll be in my bunk" Jayne Cobb

    'Catch, sauté, and release...' Sniper-T

    'Always smile... it makes people wonder what the fuck you are thinking!' Sniper-T

    Body Armor is not bullet proof, it is only bullet resistant.* Learn to become strictly a head hunter.*

    'All I really needed was a hug'............ Domeguy

  7. #7
    For the Love of Cats


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    Awesome write up. part of my garden problems I attribute to lack of pollination, so this may be a solution.

    I know you're in Fla. Does anyone know how to overwinter bees in a northern climate, or would I need to buy new every year?
    Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day!
    Light a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life!

    Cat's are food... not friends!

    If you're going to fight, then fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp into Noah's arc... and brother, it's starting to rain.

  8. #8
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
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    buy them little electric heaters and blankets. LMAO! *** i apologize for my writing style, i write as i see it in my head.*** ( love the shift+8) any questions just ask. and you guys are welcome, should have thought about doing it sooner.

    about pollination, could very well be. it helped me 'over plant', meaning instead of 5 plants i could do 8. that's why i got bees. not really for the honey, i can get all of it i wanted from my buddy.

    you should be able to do it? they do it in NZ? i will look and see about that. how cold? hi/low/average?
    "Ya need a hug, or a twinkee? Wait..forget the twinkie". - Dropy

    "I'll be in my bunk" Jayne Cobb

    'Catch, sauté, and release...' Sniper-T

    'Always smile... it makes people wonder what the fuck you are thinking!' Sniper-T

    Body Armor is not bullet proof, it is only bullet resistant.* Learn to become strictly a head hunter.*

    'All I really needed was a hug'............ Domeguy

  9. #9
    For the Love of Cats


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    last winter we had about 45 days that were below -35C and around 30 days in one stretch. we will typically run below -10 from the end of October until the end of March... with colder days/weeks/months thrown in, of course.
    Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day!
    Light a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life!

    Cat's are food... not friends!

    If you're going to fight, then fight like you're the third monkey on the ramp into Noah's arc... and brother, it's starting to rain.

  10. #10
    finally pooped
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    That was why I had mentioned the Russian bees in my other post. Those were touted as being the most cold hardy species from what I have been reading. Granted, google and beekeeping for dummies do not make me a subject matter expert in ANY way.

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