Ok beeeeee keepers....where do we start?
- Thread starter Hope Hughes
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Hope Hughes
Almost Self-Reliant
Will do!
Lazy Gardener
Super Self-Sufficient
I do hope you start a thread to record your progress.
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Hope Hughes
Almost Self-Reliant
No, bees yet 
.... i hope to have them within the n3xt year. Its been a rough road getting our business up and running here like it was before.. lots going on.
But when we do i will try to get a thread going of the progress.
.... i hope to have them within the n3xt year. Its been a rough road getting our business up and running here like it was before.. lots going on. But when we do i will try to get a thread going of the progress.
Medicine Woman
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I spent a lot of money getting set up in bees in the past. I never got rid of my equipment but recently we began to remove bees from walls and catching swarms from weeds and branches (which is the easiest). I already know how expensive the equipment is and I will be needing more equipment so DH and I bought a new table saw to make our own hive bodies and possibly frames.
I am a Hurricane Ida survivor and my house was made out of cypress so I plan on making a few hundred bee hives from my house. You can probably make a lot of hives by dumpster diving or buying directly from the mills. Also if you have lots of bodies and you need frames, consider pallets. Most people buy covers, inner covers and hive bottoms as plastic but it can also be homemade. So if you just want a colony for yourself you will come out cheaper buying a kit and getting started but if there is anything in you that might want to go big then just know you are getting into a hobby that has expensive things. You can pay over $400 for an extractor.
I once advertised that I was in the market for an extractor and other bee keeping equipment. An old man called and for $400 I got his extractor and at least 15 hive bodies with frames, Queen excluders....well lots of things. It is usually something old men might have done. They might not be strong enough anymore and be glad to get a few bucks for it.
Regarding bears...supposedly we have them but they vanished a long time ago. We even have a bayou here called Bayou Luis (bear bayou), and yet no bears 🤷♀️ I could be wrong but I think I know why I have never seen one. Cajuns are well known to eat anything so I assume they were pretty much all killed. Electric fence....good. Maybe that will work but I bet a bunch of bear sausage will work too.
I am a Hurricane Ida survivor and my house was made out of cypress so I plan on making a few hundred bee hives from my house. You can probably make a lot of hives by dumpster diving or buying directly from the mills. Also if you have lots of bodies and you need frames, consider pallets. Most people buy covers, inner covers and hive bottoms as plastic but it can also be homemade. So if you just want a colony for yourself you will come out cheaper buying a kit and getting started but if there is anything in you that might want to go big then just know you are getting into a hobby that has expensive things. You can pay over $400 for an extractor.
I once advertised that I was in the market for an extractor and other bee keeping equipment. An old man called and for $400 I got his extractor and at least 15 hive bodies with frames, Queen excluders....well lots of things. It is usually something old men might have done. They might not be strong enough anymore and be glad to get a few bucks for it.
Regarding bears...supposedly we have them but they vanished a long time ago. We even have a bayou here called Bayou Luis (bear bayou), and yet no bears 🤷♀️ I could be wrong but I think I know why I have never seen one. Cajuns are well known to eat anything so I assume they were pretty much all killed. Electric fence....good. Maybe that will work but I bet a bunch of bear sausage will work too.
Okiepan
Almost Self-Reliant
If there is a local Beekeepers in your area ask them about classes, I was taught by folks who handled bees for decades , I found a class which really helped me even more,
YouTube university works in a pinch for things as well , But check again your local area and best of luck , they are just fun to watch .
YouTube university works in a pinch for things as well , But check again your local area and best of luck , they are just fun to watch .
Medicine Woman
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The thing about bee stings is a true bee allergy is rare and the MDs are too quick to prescribe epinephrine for it. My father was told he was allergic and had this med in the fridge for years.
One night he came pick up a hive with me and received several stings. He was fine. I learned more about bees as I got into the hobby. Some people have a localized reaction that is a bit exaggerated and much redder and swollen than most but no difficulty breathing and no swollen throat. That’s not an allergy but many doctors diagnosed it as such. A true allergy to a bee sting should be handled by an allergist and the person should be injected with half a sting and increase the injection until he or she can take at least 5 stings without going into anaphylactic shock. Now as a nurse this didn’t make sense when I first read it but apparently the way the body responds to other allergies is one thing and the body sends immediate histamine in response but with respects to bee venom it doesn’t follow the same rules. Apparently you can take a person who is allergic and fix them so they will be safer and able to be stung several times without medical emergency. Ignorance is truly bliss and most of us suffer at least to some extent. I know I do.
One night he came pick up a hive with me and received several stings. He was fine. I learned more about bees as I got into the hobby. Some people have a localized reaction that is a bit exaggerated and much redder and swollen than most but no difficulty breathing and no swollen throat. That’s not an allergy but many doctors diagnosed it as such. A true allergy to a bee sting should be handled by an allergist and the person should be injected with half a sting and increase the injection until he or she can take at least 5 stings without going into anaphylactic shock. Now as a nurse this didn’t make sense when I first read it but apparently the way the body responds to other allergies is one thing and the body sends immediate histamine in response but with respects to bee venom it doesn’t follow the same rules. Apparently you can take a person who is allergic and fix them so they will be safer and able to be stung several times without medical emergency. Ignorance is truly bliss and most of us suffer at least to some extent. I know I do.
