BEES!!! Went out and found a swarm in my tree today

[dipence71]

Actually DD12 came running in the house when I sent her out to feed the critters and was freaking so I went out expecting a wasp nest or something. But low and behold a bee hive on my plum tree that was not there last night. It is in a most inconvenient place because it is right next to the rabbit hutch and chicken coop. DH called a guy who came out a bit ago and knocked it down into a hive box. Poor guy he got stung. I felt sorry for him, but he is an active beekeeper so I guess it is hazards of the trade. He is coming back after dark to see if they all went in the box and he will take them.

How hard is it to get into beekeeping? Just thought it would be interesting. Plus fresh honey hmmmmm.

 

[bibliophile birds]

How hard is it to get into beekeeping? Just thought it would be interesting. Plus fresh honey hmmmmm.

there's a lot of start-up costs/items, and there is quite a lot to learn, but it's not all that hard and it's SO COOL.

check around you for a beekeeper's association. lots of times they offer classes or can pair you with someone experienced to walk you through everything.

go for it!

 

[Beekissed]

Try reading up on Beemaster.com...great little forum and the folks are nice to newbies. There are several folks on here and BYC who are getting into it for the first time, myself included, so feel free to do a search on here and see the threads we have on this subject.

 

[tamlynn]

You gave it away!?

We wish we could keep bees.

 

[Beekissed]

That was my first thought too!

I was at a friend's house this past weekend, helping her clean up the mess after their barn burned down and got to see my first swarm close up. It was most fascinating...and heartbreaking! I didn't have anything at all to capture them in...and with an empty hive at home, just waiting for bees to arrive!

All of their bee equipment was in the barn when it burned, so we just watched it swarm. I got to get real close and witness the little waggle dance of the scouts as they told the rest where to go and watched~sadly~as they flew high above the house and soon disappeared.

The worst part? These bees were from very, very hardy stock...survivers to the max, from what the fellow told me about them.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Dipence- I hope that guy gives you a jar of honey from them later.

Bee- Sorry you couldn't get that swarm. You might call the local bug exterminator companies and ask if anybody called complaining about a new bunch of bees. Offer to take them away. It may be the same swarm if the timing is close.

 

[woodwzrd]

A friend of mine had the same thing a few years back. When he went out to the barn in the morning there they were hanging in one of his trees. He called an old timer in the area and he came over with a 5 gal. bucket with a piece of screen on the lid and a branch from a peach tree. He rubbed the inside of the bucket with the leaves from the peach tree branch and put it up by the swarm and they slowly dropped into the bucket. He put the lid on and home he went to introduce them to their new hive.

It was all very fascinating to watch and to talk to him about his bee keeping axperiances. He told us that you have to be carfull with swarms like that because sometimes they have a rogue queen and can get really nasty.

I have wanted to get into bees for a very long time but we are not aloud to have them in town according to village ordinances and everyone i talk to about haveing them on their property are not compfortable with having them around. They just don't understand the benifits and the payoff in the end