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TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 03:07 PM
my neighbor as some for sale and i have been contemplating buying them.

not only would they provide me with a source of income(honey and comb that i dont use for myself) but they may actually help my garden to produce more due to an increase in pollination of my plants.

as ive said on here before, seems like some of the stuff in the garden isnt doing well.

do you ave them and were they worth the initial cost involved in your opinion?

trax
07-22-2008, 03:13 PM
Another subject I would love to learn more about, thanks for posting that TG.

nell67
07-22-2008, 03:14 PM
I try my best to keep away from bees, already been stung once this year,and I really don't care for the feeling:D,on the other hand,I did try the copper penny on that sting,and it stopped hurting after about 3 minutes,a record cuz usually those things hurt for awhile.

trax
07-22-2008, 03:17 PM
Copper penny on a bee sting? First I've heard of that too, "tell me more" he said, sitting back with a quizzical expression on his face and sipping slowly on his coffee...

nell67
07-22-2008, 03:19 PM
We talked about in this thread:

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2659&highlight=copper+penny

Supposedly , the copper stops the sting from hurting,and well something stopped it after only 3 minutes,and since I am a wuss when it comes to stings,I'll say it was the penny:D

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 03:23 PM
nell, i dont wanna get stung by em,lol.. i wanna have em date my vegetables,lol.

But hives arent cheap and i really wonder if its worth it in the long run.

anyone know the life expectnacy of a honey bee?

nell67
07-22-2008, 03:25 PM
I love honey,but haveing a bunch of bees around ( shivers) just hearing a bee buzzing makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up:eek:

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 03:27 PM
i can stand bees, its snakes that get me.

nell67
07-22-2008, 03:32 PM
Not bothered by snakes at all :)

Rick
07-22-2008, 03:52 PM
Don't know much about them at all.

http://honeybee.tamu.edu/

http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/bees.htm

Some other bee things to think about:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/make-some-side-income-by-keeping-honey-bees.html

trax
07-22-2008, 03:53 PM
Why Rick you've just been busy as a....aw to he!! with it, too easy.

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 05:38 PM
nell, i dont wanna get stung by em,lol.. i wanna have em date my vegetables,lol.

But hives arent cheap and i really wonder if its worth it in the long run.

anyone know the life expectnacy of a honey bee?

My experience with honey bees is at the other end of the spectrum, but a healthy colony is self sustaining.

Sam Reeves
07-22-2008, 05:54 PM
My grandfather kept three hives in his apple orchard. They are not vicious at all. I can remember walking up to the hive and touching it without getting stung. If one does sting you it's best to leave because for some reason the rest feel obligated to do the same. The best thing for a bee sting is gasoline. The only reason not to keep bees is if you are allergic or have very hard headed dogs.

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 05:56 PM
Gasoline? Please explain.

Sam Reeves
07-22-2008, 06:00 PM
Gasoline? Please explain.


Pour some gas on the sting. All I know is that it works.

Rick
07-22-2008, 06:20 PM
Does one ignite the gasoline or just allow it to sit on the skin?

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 06:20 PM
i have used gasoline also. its good on yellow jacket stings i know for a fact.

i do prefer mud or meat tenderizer though due to the smell involved with using gasoline.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 06:21 PM
just poura little on the site of the sting Rick. the relief from the sting is instantaneous.

Rick
07-22-2008, 06:23 PM
I thought at $4.00 a gallon perhaps the pain of pouring it out was worse than the bee sting.:D

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 06:23 PM
Not bothered by snakes at all :)

you can come camping with me anytime. you can be in charge of keeping the snakes out of the campsite and my sleeping bag and ill do everything else. :D
i can not stand snakes.

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 06:29 PM
For anybody that has a phobia of snakes (not a "I just don't like em" thing) and you're worried about them getting into a tent, there are some pretty effective snake repellents on the market. They're a bit spendy, but you could take enough to go around your tent in a zip lock bag. http://www.gemplers.com/product/G77365/Snake-A-Way-Snake-Repellent-28-lbs I haven't bought from this site, but it's the same stuff I can get through my local distributer.

nell67
07-22-2008, 06:29 PM
you can come camping with me anytime. you can be in charge of keeping the snakes out of the campsite and my sleeping bag and ill do everything else. :D
i can not stand snakes.
Ok!

I've been known to pick up a rattle snake or two in my time,and they say they are not in this part of the state,LOL usually all I see are black,and garter snakes though.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 06:37 PM
i dont want any of em near me or the campsite,poisonous or not,.. how do you like your eggs cooked? lol

nell67
07-22-2008, 06:38 PM
sunnyside up:D

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 06:44 PM
i can handle that. :D

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 06:46 PM
All right you three - stop it - getting hungry.:D

Sam Reeves
07-22-2008, 06:49 PM
Does one ignite the gasoline or just allow it to sit on the skin?

Still trying to set me on fire? :D

Just pour a little on yer sting and forget it ever happened.

It works great when you are cutting grass and realize you have just run over somebody's home.

nell67
07-22-2008, 06:50 PM
three crash?? it's just me and TrappinGal,unless I missed something,I know I gained a little weight,but geesh,not THAT much:D

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 06:52 PM
three crash?? it's just me and TrappinGal,unless I missed something,I know I gained a little weight,but geesh,not THAT much:D

You, Trappingal and the eggs. The eggs were calling.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 07:20 PM
lol, you can come to if you bring your wife crash.

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 07:21 PM
Kind of like American Express. I never leave home without her.

nell67
07-22-2008, 07:22 PM
yup,and I'll bring Trax.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 07:47 PM
lol, im gonna have to call Jerry and see if he can take a break from the ranch for a few days,lol. being a fifth wheel is no fun,lol.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 08:00 PM
oh and BTW ...you guys gotta fend for yourself.. im only makin eggs for me and Nell. :p

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 08:05 PM
She may handle the snakes, but I can keep them away........for eggs.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 08:29 PM
you can be in charge of keepin the bear away :D

nell67
07-22-2008, 08:31 PM
Hey,I didn't say I liked handling them,I just said I've been known to pick them up a few times in my life,LOL. I just don't let the legless variety bother me as much as the 2 legged types ;)

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 08:41 PM
theyre much more dreaded arent they nell?

nell67
07-22-2008, 08:42 PM
Yep,some of them can be a real pain.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 08:48 PM
it has been my experience that the women can be as big or a bigger pain than the men from time to time.

i hate to admit ti but its true........lol

nell67
07-22-2008, 08:49 PM
You can say that again,if a man gets pissed at you at work,he will still work along side of you,if a woman gets pissed at you,look out,cuz she is gonna try to hurt you!!!!!

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 08:53 PM
note to self ---- never, ever p**s off a woman.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 08:55 PM
yep,lol. you ad better watch your back. for the most part..i have always gotten along better with men than women, what about you?

i dont mean romantically either just in general ive had more male than female friends.

crashdive123
07-22-2008, 08:57 PM
I pretty much get along with everybody until they give me a reason not too.

nell67
07-22-2008, 09:02 PM
Yea,way more male friends than female friends.Maybe because we used to own a small engine shop,and mostly it was guys who came in,and always the regulars were guys.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 09:40 PM
i grew up on a farm and was in FFA and 4-H. raised 4 acres of truck farm every year and hogs.

there werent alot of women in my small town who were interesting in farming.

then i went on and majored in Ag Ed.. mostly men again. so i have always had more contact with men.

it seems like when that happens seems like the females dont really like you because they cant understand that you can be just friends with a guy.

TrappinGal
07-22-2008, 09:41 PM
i think those women feel threatend if theyre love interest is friends with a female.

Chris
07-22-2008, 11:06 PM
Many farmers keep bee attracting plants near their gardens in order to help pollination, just off the top of my head, yellow privet is great for bees. Smells like lilac, blooms at the right time, grows well, and attracts bees like crazy. Sedum are good for attracting them later in the fall, as are buddleia.

As for buying bees... Couldn't you build your own colony? Setup a box, buy some phermones. Those phermones work, I've seen them on TV where they put it on someone and give them a shirt of bees.

I've always thought it'd be fun to keep bees, bottle and sell fancy organic honeys (big price premium) kinda like a small winery puts out niche wines. Nice little retirement business to run.

Chris
07-22-2008, 11:06 PM
my raspberry bushes also attract bees really well

TrappinGal
07-23-2008, 04:14 PM
he wants 300.00 a hive.

Beo
07-23-2008, 04:24 PM
Keep bees!!! Yeah keep'um off me... lol...

Beo
07-23-2008, 04:27 PM
Love that honey though!!!! Mmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmmm good!!!

trax
07-23-2008, 04:28 PM
I pretty much get along with everybody until they give me a reason not too.

I pretty much don't get along with anybody until they bribe me or something...:D

TrappinGal
07-23-2008, 05:14 PM
we got somethin in common.

crashdive123
07-23-2008, 05:44 PM
I pretty much don't get along with anybody until they bribe me or something...:D

...or threaten to spill the beans.

Rick
07-23-2008, 05:52 PM
I assume that includes the hive and the bees. This article is a little dated but it looks like you can order them for about $80+...just the bees. It suggests you talk to some of the local exterminators and see if you can get a colony from them.

http://www.backyardhive.com/kb/How_much_do_bees_cost?/

Here are some current prices:

http://draperbee.com/beesupplies/Package_Bee_Prices.htm

http://198.65.255.240/order.html

crashdive123
07-23-2008, 05:52 PM
he wants 300.00 a hive.

You may want to start with 2 hives. You can buy bees with a queen through the mail. They sell them by the pound. I found some here http://www.honeybeegenetics.com/order.html but that doesn't include the hive and all of the equipment you'll need. I think I paid around $150 for my bee suit.

Another thing you can try is to set up your hives and then try some artificial fermone to see if you can attract a swarm.

Rick
07-23-2008, 06:15 PM
I found a slug or articles on Indiana's DNR page:

http://www.state.in.us/dnr/entomolo/5632.htm

crashdive123
07-23-2008, 06:20 PM
Here's a bit more info on em. http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/bees.htm

TrappinGal
07-23-2008, 06:23 PM
thanks for all the info. those links have alot of good information.

trax
07-23-2008, 06:44 PM
...or threaten to spill the beans.

Spill what beans? I'm an innocent man....

crashdive123
07-23-2008, 08:51 PM
That's the story I'd stick to.

http://www.worth1000.com/entries/142500/142742JpRO_w.jpg

Ole WV Coot
07-23-2008, 10:28 PM
Don't know where you are but we have very few in the southern part of WV. I kept bees for a few years when I was a kid. First thing make sure you are getting the yellow Italian and not the smaller black. You won't get stung if you don't get in front of the hive. You can order a new queen if you need. Don't dump the queen in, she's packed with a sugar tunnel and the other bees need to eat the sugar and free her themselves. She kills the present queen mates once with a drone, drone dies and she kills all the other queens still in cells. You need the hive body, a couple of supers, racks and I would recommend starter comb and between the hive & super a rack like a grill to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey, smoker, hat, veil, gloves, tape the usual. Take a book to tell you what you need to know so call the extension agent for the county you're in. Bees are in short supply because of disease and only now are coming back. You should get top dollar for the honey, get lucky and they may swarm and give you another hive full. Won't get stung handling a swarm but the agent will tell you all about that including feeding, watering etc. Birds I know nothing about:D

Ole WV Coot
07-23-2008, 10:41 PM
$300.00 that's three hundred dollars? That's a ripoff. Do like I said and call your county extension agent. He should be glad to help you get set up. You probably could catch a swarm or he surely knows somebody honest. Hives & supers are easy to make if you are handy, just have to be almost on the money for the racks. CALL YOUR EXTENSION AGENT post or pm me if you need to know anything. I kept a dozen hives and sold the rest.

TrappinGal
07-24-2008, 10:31 AM
ty coot, im gonna get ahold of Ed Smolder today and see what he can offer in the way of advice.Hes our counties extension agent. Im in Jackson county, right against the ohio border.

Omid
08-18-2008, 10:04 AM
make sure u get a queen or the population wont last too long.

Brazito
12-29-2008, 10:39 AM
I worked here 1975 -76, bees everywhere during warm weather. Stung twice, both times my fault.
http://www.dadant.com/

ClayPick
12-29-2008, 11:07 AM
Coursing for bees is fun. Worse part is following them and ending up at somones hives. The bears usually beat you to the honey before you can collect it in the fall also.