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Thread: Honey Bees 2015

  1. #11
    For the Love of Cats


    Sniper-T's Avatar
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    these trees drop seeds? never heard of them... maybe they'll grow north?


    hint hint...
    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!

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  2. #12
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
    robsdak's Avatar
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    here are a couple pictures of the bee planting strips. right now planted with a wildflower mix. just had it around, if it takes good, if not good. as the weather warms up i will add the other mix. one side is for the bees and the other for the birds.

    http://encap.net/flower-kits/pollinator-honey-bee-mix/

    and this one for the birds.

    http://encap.net/flower-kits/wildflo...mmingbird-mix/


    left side of gate behind my fence birds



    right side of gate behind my fence bees. the hives are on the other side of the fence. tahat way thay don't have to go real far in the beginning.

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

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  3. #13
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    realist's Avatar
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    Just got back from my brother-in-law's 60th birthday down in the valley. He has just planted 200 acres of almonds so I got a tour of the area. There are thousands of acres of almonds in the area. There are also hundreds of bee hives. We were talking about them and he told me they really were labor intensive. I did not realize you had to feed the bees after the flowers fall. Later that night when we went back to the hotel there was a flatbed truck in the lot with a bee company out of Washington. My brother-in-law said this time of year they come from Idaho, Montana and Washington bringing the bees. He said during the cold winters they will keep the bees in heated barns. You know you drive by these things all the time and never really think about them. I definitely do not want to go into the commercial bee business but I would like to have a couple of hives.
    If it is predictable then it is preventable....... Gordon Graham

    So if it is predictable and preventable then you better prepare.

  4. #14
    I have still yet to grow a brain
    Vodin's Avatar
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    I have an interest in bee's. I do have a colony of bumble bees that live under my front door sidewalk. They are respectable as am I when I trim the grass around the entrance to their home.

  5. #15
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
    robsdak's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by realist View Post
    Just got back from my brother-in-law's 60th birthday down in the valley. He has just planted 200 acres of almonds so I got a tour of the area. There are thousands of acres of almonds in the area. There are also hundreds of bee hives. We were talking about them and he told me they really were labor intensive. I did not realize you had to feed the bees after the flowers fall. Later that night when we went back to the hotel there was a flatbed truck in the lot with a bee company out of Washington. My brother-in-law said this time of year they come from Idaho, Montana and Washington bringing the bees. He said during the cold winters they will keep the bees in heated barns. You know you drive by these things all the time and never really think about them. I definitely do not want to go into the commercial bee business but I would like to have a couple of hives.
    don't know about heated barns? but i do know honey bees are big business. there are a couple of businesses that have their winter home here in Florida and another shop/place in Northern states. they spend a lot of time trucking bees around.

    as for the non-commercial side of it. it's easy to set-up and relatively cheap to do, well after the initial investment and the rewards are worth every penny spent IMHO. all the honey you can eat, even sell a bit and the flowers, garden and trees will benefit from it. that's the reason i got into it, pollination factor. instead of 5 plants, i can safely do say 8.
    "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

  6. #16
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    realist's Avatar
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    Do you feed your bees? This was the first time I had heard they needed to be fed.
    If it is predictable then it is preventable....... Gordon Graham

    So if it is predictable and preventable then you better prepare.

  7. #17
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
    robsdak's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by realist View Post
    Do you feed your bees? This was the first time I had heard they needed to be fed.
    i did for a while, then i got hit hard by 'robber bees' little bastards. i ended up losing one colony (moved away/killed off) but i did manage to save the smaller of the two. i relocated it over to my buddy's place. so i have a good start on one and we are going to split from his to make up my other three. but, to answer you question... yes, we feed them through the winter. simple syrup, 2 parts sugar to 1 part water by volume. ie... 2 lbs sugar to 1 lbs water. it doesn't matter how much, just that it's in that ratio. hope that made/makes sense?

    edited to add... not really necessary here too feed them, it's just a supplement what they have for honey stores and a vehicle to add nutrients and meds. i personally don't add much if anything to it, i prefer the 'natural way'. now that being said, if and only IF i hear of other beeks having real problems with their colonies, i will treat. but again, i prefer to let nature deal with it as intended.
    "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

  8. #18
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    What type of med do you administer? How much sugar will a hive go through a month?
    If it is predictable then it is preventable....... Gordon Graham

    So if it is predictable and preventable then you better prepare.

  9. #19
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
    robsdak's Avatar
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    it's for mites. don't know the name as i don't buy it. my buddy gets it and then gives me what i need. sugar needed depends on how big the colony is. i went through 5 lbs and had about 1/2 gal. left over. i fed every 2 wks.
    "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

  10. #20
    RIP, brother. We are diminshed.
    robsdak's Avatar
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    here's the rack the 3 Langstroth Hives will be sitting on this year. just 2x6 and 4x4. several different ways, i chose a stand/rack for a couple reasons. to keep the working height reasonable. i am kind of tall and have a good reach. to make it easier to ward of other critters. the legs give ample room to use deflectors or traps for them. to keep the puppies safe. they did very well last season with the Top Bar. it was high enough off the ground that they didn't feel the need to go inspect it all the time. the puppies have access to the backyard 24/7 via a doggie door so it's important they are comfortable with whatever i have in the backyard.

    more pictures when the bees get here.

    "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

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