Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 34

Thread: Bee Hive

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lexington
    Posts
    12,258

    Default Bee Hive

    Think I’m gonna start one this year. Still have a good bit of research to do but need to know the basics? Is there a specific temp it needs to be when introducing them to the hive?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    1,111

    Default

    Earliest I would install a package of new bees would be the last week of March. We have had good luck the second week of April.
    "Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian" - Henry Ford

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    145

    Default

    Research as much as you can between internet videos, books, and or mentors. Learning is so helpful but you have to jump in at some point and your most valuable learning will be hands on. I assume you are getting package bees to start so it will all be dependent on their pick up dates. Horsecreek Honey Farms, for example has a pickup on March 15 and one on April 15 and you reserve a date when you preorder. Either date will be fine but you will have to feed them sugar water to get them established until they make their own honey. There is no way all instructions could be typed up here. But you will find numerous management methods. You have to pick one strategy and run with it to stay ahead of mites and hive beetles and again management is emphasized as bees are not a leave it and prosper hobby. You have to actively work your hives, treat them if you decide to do so, and very importantly invest and have the equipment ready ahead of when you need it. I personally recommend researching the OTS beekeeping method. This is not necessarily to direct you to treatment free but to use this to multiply bees. It is inevitable you will lose hives. So having multiple is an insurance policy and you can multiply to get hive increases to have free replacements. If you have to spend $100 for a package every time you need bees then the money can add up. I wish I had known this from the start as it would have saved me money. This is also a good way to get bees if you know someone that is willing to share their splits. Again, best advice is to just start and learn hands on. If you can watch a beekeeper work a hive and get answers to questions then you will learn much faster. It is a fascinating hobby where you will never quit learning if you are truly dedicated to keeping with it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lexington
    Posts
    12,258

    Default

    Thanks for the info. My uncle Mac that ran the deer processor in Chapin was an expert at them things. I wish I would have learned from him before he passed away. He had hives all over the place.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    SC
    Posts
    4,304

    Default

    I should have taken better notes when Mac was alive bro.
    Listen to your elders. Not because they are always right but because they have more experiences of being wrong.

    "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give" Sir Winston Churchill

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Campobello
    Posts
    3,033

    Default

    DB68 is an expert!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lexington
    Posts
    12,258

    Default Bee Hive

    Ended up getting an established hive and have someone walking me through the process. Gonna split the hive in a week and make a second hive. This whole process is fascinating.




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Last edited by b35w; 05-09-2019 at 09:43 AM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    Columbia, SC
    Posts
    47,877

    Default

    what's your plan to capture the queen?
    Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lexington
    Posts
    12,258

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 2thDoc View Post
    what's your plan to capture the queen?
    Couldn’t find her this am. We put a deep on today with new frames and gonna check back in 3 or so days to see if any have been laid. If not gonna split and introduce 2 new queens.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    In My Truck
    Posts
    3,652

    Default

    Never seen anyone set one on the ground
    Windows Down!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Summerville, SC
    Posts
    7,297

    Default

    Bobby gonna be raising them killer beez.
    I'm gonna have to buy him on of those Epipens for his birthday.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lexington
    Posts
    12,258

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by raybird View Post
    Never seen anyone set one on the ground
    It’s sitting on a small platform


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Lexington, SC
    Posts
    14,522

    Default

    How many times you got stung?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lexington
    Posts
    12,258

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Steelin' Ducks View Post
    How many times you got stung?
    None. One did go up my pant let but shook him out


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    82

    Default

    You may want to raise that hive up to a level that will be comfortable to work with. They get heavy real fast and if you’re bending over all the time you’ll rush the job.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    SPARTANBURG
    Posts
    2,358

    Default

    2 cement block height is about right for the lower brood box . Looks like plenty of bees in there so im sure shes in there somewhere....they can be tough to find when you've got a good population of bees . Look for swarm cells . If you put a new queen in there and there is already an established queen , they will kill the new queen quick like .
    If it aint got 8 toes & a green head,it aint a duck.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    FROG LEVEL
    Posts
    23,785

    Default

    How was the back Doctor visit. Damn that was funny
    Gettin old is for pussies! AND MY NEW TRUE people say like Capt. Tom >>>>>>>>>/
    "Wow, often imitated but never duplicated. No one can do it like the master. My hat is off to you DRDUCK!"

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lexington
    Posts
    12,258

    Default

    I split my first hive and now have 2. Both are flourishing and it’s a pretty amazing process to be honest. I’ve been fortunate to have a guy show me the ropes. To be honest I’ve pretty much have been a spectator but have learned a ton.




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Florence, SC
    Posts
    2,602

    Default

    Pretty cool Bobby. Interested to see how they do for you. Do you immediately notice more around the yard?

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lexington
    Posts
    12,258

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Rodney View Post
    Pretty cool Bobby. Interested to see how they do for you. Do you immediately notice more around the yard?
    I’m keeping it in a field away from the house. The queen laser about 2000 eggs a day so if you give her space you can imagine how many bees there will be. I didn’t realize it but the lifespan of a worker bee is only a few weeks. They have to be replaced.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •