# Bee Keepers forum



## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

Since I have started keeping bees,
And since honey bees won't sting chickens
And chickens won't eat bees
(A weird but true fact)
I have decided to start a bee keepers forum here. 

Here are some photos of my backyard hive. 

(this is the 4th photo in the series)


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

I started bee keeping 2 months ago. 
Impossibly late to start fresh from a box or a Nuc. 

But not from a fully established hive. 
Which I got lucky enough to buy. 

The fellow who sold it to me was from our local bee club and had been in a terrible car accedent. 
His back was injured and he could not lift his hives anymore. 
The ones he had where neglected for 4 months or more before he gave in and sold them. 

Here are some photos of my new hive and my chronological improvements.

This photo sould be 3rd in order,
It is of me (one week later) inspecting and switching the bees into a new painted Hive Super/box
I am holding the frame, my bee keeper mentor is showing me how to calm the bees by covering the exposed hive as in move from frame to frame.


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

This is the 1st photo of my new hive fresh off the truck.
my bee keeper mentor is explaining how to put on the gloves properly...
my chicken coop is in the background.


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

This should be the 2nd photo...

This is the new stand I built. 
Notice how it holds my wax frames


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

What it looks like today with internal sugar feeder installed 
Inside top section.

(5th photo)


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

A very cool inside the front door photo.


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## rob (Jun 20, 2012)

very nice, looks an interesting hobby.


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

It is a testimate to the "Laid Back" attitude of the Italian Honey bee,
to be able to get photos this close...The camera is literally an inch or two away...


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

Coming home:
This is a scene that plays out each day round Sunset.


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

This is interesting:

When I let my chickens out to free roam the backyard.
They walk right up to the bee entrance and stare into the door way. (inches away)
The bees never fly at them to push them away and the chickens never try to eat the bees. (I will try to get a picture of this)

but as soon as my little dog (smaller than half my chickens) runs by or anywhere within 3 feet of the entrance the guard bees fly at him and "warning bump" him to run him off...

They used to do the same thing to me...
but not any longer... I think they recognise me now...


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

with a little luck it should all Bee good


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## rob (Jun 20, 2012)

how much land would you need to keep bees? i know a hive does not take up much room but would the bees bother the neighbors etc ?


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

rob said:


> how much land would you need to keep bees? i know a hive does not take up much room but would the bees bother the neighbors etc ?


A few hundred square feet if surrounded by a tall fence. 
A 1/4 acre with no fence.

People keep bees on building roof tops in the city.

No, they don't bother with the neighbors unless they like their water source, or to enjoy their flowers.

Bee are incredibly passive away from their hive. 
An one would have to physically mess with their hive to make them aggressive.

Bees are very low maintenance 20-30 minutes every 2-4 weeks. 
And their honey sales for $8/pound. 
The average healthy hive produces easily 30-50 pounds of extra honey.


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## rob (Jun 20, 2012)

sounds like a good hobby. and a tasty one as well. i will have to read up on it and look to see if there are any bee keepers in my area.


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

I invited a registered NC Master Bee keeper over to my place to go through my hives inspection last Saturday. 

He said my hive was one of the most healthy hives he had ever seen! A 10 out of 10! my hive had only 4 hive beetles (which we squished), zero desease, and zero veroa mites in the test! (a near impossibility) Easily 25 pounds of honey. And a strong brewd population and easily a 50k adult population! 

And he added that in March of next year my hive MUST be split as soon as possible to avoid swarming. Further that my hive was so strong that when I do split it I could easily split it 3 ways with a 10 frame base hive remaining. Which is insainly rare to be able to do with just one hive.

I told him, 
"I have no idea how it happened... I wish that I knew how I did it..."


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

I eliminated the two Medium Supers surrounding my internal sugar feeder and replaced it with a new Deep hive Super.
I also panted the edge of my inner cover for vanity sake.

Before:


After:


I also was stung on the arm this weekend while switching out the supers and refilling the sugar feeder.
I made a series of stupid mistakes because I wanted to "save time" as a storm was coming in.

I broke the rules 6 different ways to get there too.

I have learned that you can get away with breaking 2-3 rules without getting stung, but if you want to break more of them in a series like I did, it is on YOU not the Bees.

The List of mistakes:
1. I changed the supers out on an overcast day.
2. I used no smoke from my smoker&#8230; did not even fire it up&#8230;
3. I had on only jeans, a t-shirt, and a veil... Bare arms, no gloves.
4. Instead of setting down the medium Supers, I banged them on the ground to shake off the bees.
5. When the guard bees started to thump me in the veil I merely backed off 15 feet and went back to complete the next step, 3 times, instead of simply putting on my bee jacket.
6. I also accidently squashed some bees while replacing the Sugar feeder and again when adding in some pollen cookies.

A whole lot of "DUH" going on there&#8230;


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

Another detail that might interest you Bee keeping guys.

One of my other hobbies is the study of Herbal Medicines.

I am not a doctor, so, while I can not officially publically treat medical solutions, I can tell you what works for me and of my own private experiences&#8230;
(That legal junk said)

Once I became stung, I realized I could try out one of my plant solutions,
So, for science, I allowed the stinger to fully pump out in my arm, to get a full dose.

I own a very cool plant called *"Birthwort" or Snakeroot or Aristolochia clematitis*
This plant is a massive anti-inlammatory, antibiotic, analgesic, and diaphoretic



*Used Externally ONLY it treats: *

Skin infections and diseases
Wounds
Snakebites
Insect and bug stings including Bees, wasps, spiders and scorpions
*Never eat it *or use internally in anyway as it is very powerful and thus also Very Toxic internally over time&#8230; 

However the science and medicinal history shows no risks for temporary external use.

So, knowing all this, I took several leaves and stems from my plant and crushed it up in my fingers to release the juices. And held it on the sting sight for 10 minutes. It stung a lot for 20 seconds and then the massive anti-inflammatory properties of the Aristolochia took hold and the bee sting completely disappeared in 5 minutes and the venom actually oozed out of the wound on its own. The sting was gone, like it never happened. 

Totally Amazing results!

This was my experience with it and I wanted you to know about it. Now you could try it and spontaneously combust into a ball of fire. But for me, it worked amazingly fast and well&#8230; 

So grow it and try it on your own, only if YOU want too.

I for one will use it in the future.


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## mbrock (Sep 17, 2014)

My family have been commercial beekeepers for many generations with pics in the American Bee Journal in the 1900's. I am alway happy to discuss the the hobbies and commercial side of beekeeping. Hope to has some great conversations. 

Loving this place so far.
Mbrock 


Mbrock/Sw Fla


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

I just hosted a totally COOL 3 part "Intro to BeeKeeping" class!

and I posted about it here:

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...st-hosted-a-3-part-Intro-ot-Bee-keeping-Class

I would repost the whole thing here too, but there are tons of photos
and I didn't want to hassle with them again...

So, please follow the link to read all about it...


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

Here is a link to a video of the inspection
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video.php?v=10203993720035411&set=vb.1595412844&type=2&theater

let me know if it does not work


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## Steadfast (Aug 20, 2014)

This weekend I tried to make my own fondant bee food&#8230;
The stuff came out like thick golden syrup. So, I reheated it to 245 and let it steam off for 20 minutes&#8230;
This time it cooled to a super thick golden glue that made the Labreah Tar Pits look arid&#8230;
So, being "clever" I added in tons of corn starch and folded it in&#8230; 
Waaa Laaa the perfect soft fondant consistency!

After making 20# of this stuff over 6 hours, I looked up info on bees and Corn Starch on the internet.
DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!
I found out that had I fed this to my bees I would have killed off may whole hive with in a week of dysentery!

So I spent 6 hours and over $20 making "Rat poison" for my honey bees&#8230;. 
So, of course, I trashed it all&#8230;. I am so angry&#8230;.


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## OldBrickHouseFarm (Sep 30, 2014)

Don't feel bad. I've been my own worst enemy (or my bees)
At least you caught it in time.


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## mbrock (Sep 17, 2014)

We have used corn syrup and water mix for years. Works great. We will also use honey that has an off taste(malauca) and mix it with water to feed back to the bees, just be sure that there is none left in any cells becuase small amounts can taint good honey with an off taste.


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## OldBrickHouseFarm (Sep 30, 2014)

Just because corn syrup is GMO and so is most sugar (from sugar beets) I only use pure cane sugar to feed the bees.


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## mbrock (Sep 17, 2014)

Total understand, we would prefer to feed back non table honey. As major producers and generations old( going back to the late 1880's) we could not compete with imports. Many imports test only as 51% honey and the rest as other often water or corn syrup. We try to leave enough honey on hives to sustain them, however buyers will not pay for orange honey if it has any off taste. This is not a problem for hobby or backyard keepers. I am glad that there has been a growing number on backyard keepers they are the future.


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