Bees

[raro]

I haven't seen anything on beekeeping here. I have zero experience in beekeeping, but I have heard so much about colony collapse disorder, etc., and I have noticed that my dwarf fruit trees seem to have NO fruit on them this year. Maybe it's the very late spring, or maybe it's something else. But now that I've had my backyard fenced in and all the brambles/weeds/saplings removed, I have a completely bare, large backyard. I keep thinking that I could do bees in the far corner. On the other side of the fence is a common forest area. There are neighbors to the left and right of me (I live in the suburbs) who have no idea I even keep chickens.
Is this a farfetched idea? Anyone who keeps bees want to answer a few questions:
-Is it expensive to maintain? I know I'd have an initial investment, but I'm thinking long-term
-Is it easy to learn?
- Am I likely to get stung if I just go out to my backyard? Or is it a case of, if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone?
-How much labor is involved in keeping bees?
I have checked out books from the library, but they're confusing and have a lot of terminology that I don't really get. It was the same with getting chickens, that I had to learn a lot from doing it. But I don't want to make as many mistakes as I did with chickens, if possible.
So any advice is appreciated!

 

[Denim Deb]

Big question I have for you is, are you or any member in your family allergic to bees? If so, you'll want to make sure you have an epipen on hand! And, if they're not already, get the allergy shots.

I know for sure you'll need a bee suit, but other than that, I don't know much about them. I'd love to own bees one day, but won't do it here. Of course, my allergist is against the idea since I am allergic to bees!

 

[raro]

Fortunately, nobody in my family is allergic to bees.

 

[Britesea]

If all you are concerned about is pollination, you could work on attracting the wild bees to your place. We have these cute little "bee houses" made especially for wild mason bees and each year we notice a larger number of cells get filled. Most wild bees are not aggressive, and they usually do a better job of pollinating than honeybees do. Besides the bee house, it's a good idea to try to plant something that will be blooming in early spring, when they first emerge and try to ensure a continuous source of nectar and pollen throughout summer and fall so the bee can find enough food to feed herself and lay a store in for each egg she lays.
Bumblebees are also very good pollinators and have a reputation for being quite docile. I've not heard of them using any kind of bee house, but I have seen them go to sleep on a wild flower and pull the petals around their body like a blanket!

 

[D1]

tons of info here

http://www.beesource.com/forums/forum.php tons.

DISCLAIMER: I am prolly the least likely person to give advice to anyone about beekeeping, however I have raised and have one hive at present....so any and or all advice from this post by me that you choose to use is to be used with the understanding that I am an idiot and am nowhere near a "REAL" beekeeper



Is this a farfetched idea? No its not. If it is something you would like to try, then go for it. Check your local area beekeeping laws. you state extention office should be able to answer most of these law questions , or point you in the right direction


-Is it expensive to maintain? I know I'd have an initial investment, but I'm thinking long-term. As with anything there is/will be a cost, bee suit, smoker, hive tool(I use a small nail puller) package or nuc of bees(unless you can catch a swarm hive or cut/trap out a hive in a house/tree) will be your main start up cost, howoever any and all the the woodware(boxes, frames, etc )you can build from scrap will save you money. I have found out that the frames, in the long run, are cheaper to buy than to build, unless you are going to build 100's of them.
The cost of insect/disease control can be a bit expensive, however there are SOME home remidies that will cut this cost

-Is it easy to learn? If an idiot like me can learn it, I'm sure anyone can. I use a book titled BEEKEEPING FOR DUMMIES and the above site, search the ole interweb for beekeeping clubs in your area, this will help you find a mentor


- Am I likely to get stung if I just go out to my backyard? Or is it a case of, if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone? YES YOU WILL GET STUNG!!! but not just by going in the yard(I have been stung while picking berries 100 feet from the hive, and have not been stung while standing 2 feet from the hive), for the most part if you tuck them in the back corner of your yard there shouldnt be a problem. I go out and stand within feet of and watch mine a good bit. one of my mentors told me one time:THEY HAVE GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS. THEY ARE JUST LIKE HUMANS WHAT YOU DO TODAY WILL NOT MAKE THEM MAD, BUT DO IT TOMORROW AND LOOK OUT.

how much labor is involved in keeping bees? Depends on what you call "LABOR". I love it and about the worst part of the work that goes into it it is the building of woodenware and removing a hive from a house(but got paid to remove it, plus added to my bee yard)
Its hot work, its a LOT of stressfull days when you start dealing with pests and disease, howevr the rewards,(honey, veggie and fruits that are pollenated proplerly) in the long run its worth it in my opinion.


I hope this helps and feel free to ask anymore questions you may have, if cant answer them I will find out becuase I will need to know the answer as well.

AGAIN SEE THE DISCLAIMER!!!!

 

[Britesea]

On the subject of colony collapse... I recently read an article that suggested that some of the problems connected to this is the result of our monoculture farms. Apparently different flowers provide different nutrients in their pollen and nectar, and just like us, bees need that variety in their diet or they start to suffer from malnourishment.

 

[raro]

Wow, D1, thanks for all that information! And Britesea, that theory certainly makes sense.
Maybe I should start with a bee house and see how that goes. I do have a lot of flowers and blossoms, etc. for the bees, but I don't know if there are a lot of bees around. I mean, I see them occasionally, but not in large numbers.
I looked up laws for my state and can you believe it, they have subsidies for my state for beekeepers! I guess they're alarmed about the colony collapse or something. But it was certainly nice to see.