Oh, beehive!

A quick talk about swarm prevention: We, as beekeepers, have a responsibility to the public and to the bees and the industry as a whole, to keep the reputation of the hobby/career in good standing with public views. It is our responsibility to do our best to manage our bees so that they do not swarm (colony level reproduction "fission") and take up residence in our neighbors homes, or in this case, a ball park WHILE a game is in progress.
Since this is the second time a game was interrupted this year in the same stadium, I'd be willing to bet there is a beekeeper nearby.
http://content.usatoday.com/communit...rockies-game/1

Made a run down to my supplier to get my bottling tank and seive, and talked to him about the swarming. Some other old guys were there and they all agreed that swarming is not our responsibility, to which I promptly and very sternly replied, "If you are the only person in your neighborhood with bees, and they swarm, and land in the wall of your neighbors' houses, not only do you lose the respect of your neighbors as a responsible beekeeper, you give the negative connotation to the hobby / industry as a whole.", to which they also all agreed. (A bit two-faced, if you ask me)
Consider the struggles of the honeybee and that an estimated 4 million colonies were lost last year to various ailments (most of which are being called CCD). Down from 144M the previous year, not only is honey supply lower, but also wax and other commodities that most folks don't realize are in their everyday goods, like cosmetics and soap, and even candies. Demand for the products of the beehive are considerably higher while supplies are constantly dwindling. We, as beekeepers, have a responsibility to keep the views of the general public as clear and upstanding as any respectable contractor you would hire to work on your house. We do not need local governments placing zoning laws and other stipulations on us, making what we do that much more expensive and difficult. That is just one more item on the list of honeybee strife.
I was quite disappointed that these folks whom I had great respect for, would so callously spout off that something that we beekeepers should be learning and at least attempting to understand and prevent, and an event that would not happen at all if we didn't keep bees, could be "Not our responsibility". If your kids go vandalize someones house, you'd be responsible, right?

On a happier note, My honey is ready, just waiting for bottles and labels to arrive. I got some new equipment that is all my own, so no more borrowing! Pics of the process as we extract due to come. I wish I could say I will have enough to share with you guys, but I've had a waiting list for this stuff since Feb. At least 99% of what I expect to get next weekend is already spoken for. Luckily I was offered an opportunity to set my production hives on a 60 acre field of sunflowers in about 3 more weeks, so hopefully I will get two crops this year and still have enough time for them to build winter stores.

How many frames will your extractor hold? Top crank extractor?

YCC - Perhaps that was how they were taught and no one had ever placed it in that context before. It doesn't matter the age of the person. We can always learn.

I saw this and thought you might be interested in the article. They are releasing short haired bees back in Britain. They have been extinct there for several years because of loss of habitat.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...03f76a69115255

We have never seen honey bee's on our farm until this year. This is the second swarm in two weeks. It makes us happy to see them here.

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/...eeswarm064.jpg


http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/...eeswarm060.jpg

@ Crash, It's a two frame that will do any size. I run deeps for brood and mediums for honey

@ Rick, It's refreshing to see someone make a difference on a single-person level. Something very similar happened around here with a nearly extinct woodpecker.

@ Spartan, While that is a very beautiful thing, the chances of a swarm finding a suitable home and surviving is limited by habitat. One estimate I heard was that 80 - 90% of swarms will not survive. It's too bad you didn't have some hives to catch them in. With two swarms landing on your place, either there is a beekeeper nearby, or a very nice sized feral colony. If you happen to find them, try to be as accommodating as possible. The swarm pictured looks fairly large to be a secondary, and is definately enough bees to start a hive. Have you considered keeping bees on your farm?

We called local bee keepers as soon as we seen the bee's, and they collected both swarms. They were very excited to get them. :thumbs_up:

Thanks for the thread, brings back lots of memories. When I was a lad my dad and granddad had bees. My dad sent his to my granddads due to the bears. They just wouldn't leave the hives alone. I remember when I was a teenager and my granddad sold his bee operation, it was a sad day. I've been wanting to get into it.

Incredible shots on that swarm!
I've read a lot on beekeeping. I've always been fascinated, but I can't keep Bees here in the suburbs.
My neighbor has a swimming pool which really rules out bee keeping.

@Your_Comforting_company,
Have you thought of making mead to supplement your income?
I just made a batch of mead from store bought honey.

jc24, I've been asked about mead at least 3 times since I put word out that I would have honey available. One guy is already looking for a horn to drink it out of LOL. Maybe in a few years when honey production and pollination services have returned some of my investment, I will get into mead. One of the regular catalogs I get sells everything you need to make mead (but for some reason we still can't make moonshine?)
Also, I would like to add that my mentor's mentor lives in a suburb called westgate (there is a school across the road) and his lot can't be more than a half acre with neighbors on all sides. He has 5 hives and one last year had 7 supers on top. Another bk in my town lives just about 100 yards off dead center of town and he has 8 hives AND a swimming pool and it's not an issue. The oldest local beekeeper I know of, who still sells honey, also has his apiary in town. What I'm getting at.. talk to your neighbors and educate them on the bee/water issue: bees normally only sting to protect their nest. Unless you directly disturb a field bee, by stepping on it or swatting at it, they really have no reason to sting you away from the hive. Yellow jackets, on the other hand, resemble bees and that distinction needs to be made. YJ's don't seem to care who or why they sting. But they don't die from stinging you either so I guess there is less at stake, so they can afford to be more aggressive?
I have read several articles on urban apiculture, keeping bees on top of skyscrapers in the city, with little garden spots up there too. I haven't read much about it, though, because where I live is a long way from "suburban"!
and please, just call me ycc. kinda a long UN to type out lol.

Quote:

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(but for some reason we still can't make moonshine?)

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I know, Aint that a .... Peach?

I applaud you on the pollination services, I'm sure that will be far more lucrative than making mead! :thumbs_up:

Harvest Weekend. Enjoy!
http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/g...ney%20harvest/

Awesome! I'll bet it goes fast.

Wonderful picutres. Thanks for taking time to share.

That's 4 1/2 gallons off off 10 frames, plus 36 4" slices of cut-comb in boxes at a little over a pound apiece. I might make most of my investment back this year! I'll harvest a little more in 3 more weeks, just need to let a few frames with brood hatch. Don't worry about the bees stores, that 10 frames was from all 3 hives. Never take more than half of a single colony's stores at a time.
Despite the worries at the beginning of the season, all my hives appear strong and healthy. Healthy bees make lots of honey. I understand that if you raise healthy bees, you get honey as a product of your efforts. It's less important to manage for honey production and much MUCH more profitable to manage for bee production.
I still have 20 more frames worth to extract, possibly, provided I can manage the brood out of the supers.
I'm so proud of the comb honey. It is definately the most marketable as it is considered gourmet nowadays. Most beekeepers don't want to take the time or effort to produce it due to the possibilities of beetles and increased monitoring. For the effort, that's where the money is, though. IMO it doesn't take any more management than extracted honey. I use the same techniques either way.

Congratulations on the good yield. I’d say you deserve it. The bee keepers here have a good go of it as the bee population is quite isolated and free of many insect and disease problems. Low bush wild blue blueberries get grown here on an industrial level and are dependent on bees for pollination. Because the growth coverage of berries is artificially large the native bees can only pollinate 60 to 70% of them. The growers want to import bees that are more efficient pollinators at the risk of watering down a healthy native population. Bet ya $$$$ wins in the end.

Money always trumps.
Blueberries around here are actually opened by carpenter and bumble bees, THEN honeybees can get in to get the nectar, so remember the pesky ones are important too!

Hey bud, congrats on the Honey. I'm also impressed with the labeling! I've always believed that the best label sells the most!

V's B's Hunny!

Hey can we send you money and get a jar of your honey shipped to us?

I'd be very interested in knowing if anyone has kept bee's at high elevations, like 7000 to 10,000 feet... :)

Or is it unfeasible?