I’ve always been interested in it. Have several books and regularly read several blogs. Sadly, I haven taken the leap.
There are a surprising number of YouTube videos on the topic, and the people I’ve met who do it (both for business and hobby) are very helpful.
Check around to see if you have a bee club nearby. Lots of help and good information available there.
Beeeekkkkkkeeeeepppppeeeeerrrrr
No, but if Aunt Bee offers you a Pickle, don’t eat it.
Trust me.
I am cleaning up my 3 backyard hives now. 3 new packages arrive the 1st of May.
You have to have a plan on how you are going to handle the Varroa Destructor. If you dont, they will handle you, and kill all your bees.
My advice is just let them be.
There is a codyslab youtube channel that did a lot of videos on beekeeping from scratch several years ago. I think some of what you need to know depends on where you live, so getting advice from local bee keepers is where I would start. You might even find someone local who is getting out of it and will sell you their hives.
I’m a beekeeper... but not by choice. Wish I could find someone to come move this wild hive, I can’t because I’m allergic to them. And I don’t want to kill them. Bees are good critters. lol
Don’t know anything but can recommend a movie about a bee keeper.
Ulee’s Gold set in Wewahitchka, FL.
I checked and cody has 109 videos on youtube about beekeeping.
You gotta hang out here.
https://www.beesource.com/forums/
Tons of great info and people that want to help.
I always wish I learned how to weld.
I know beekeeping. I have done it in NY state and FL. It really matters a lot where you are located. Climate and vegetation types make a huge difference. Where are you located?
Had a few hives for awhile. Got out because of the varao mite.
Maybe I could help. What would you like to know?
I’ve kept bees for some time. Lost my hive last fall to robbers (the robbers were bees, not people). It is a pleasant hobby. It teaches one to be calm in the face of catastrophe. Bees are like people, they have their good days and their bad days. If you’re working a hive on one of their bad days, they’ll let you know. If you insist on working the hive on one of their bad days, you will get stung.
Let’s say you’ve lifted up a box, if full can be up to 50 pounds or so, and you get stung, dropping the box is not a good idea. So you have to gently put the box down while the bees are stinging you. Yelling and waving your arms does no impress bees. So you calmly do what you have to do, back off, and deal with the stings. Then go back and close up the hive.
I don’t mean to discourage you. I worked with my last hive for the better part of three years and didn’t get stung once. Wear a veil, of course, but work the hive with bare hands and arms—makes it easier. Take care not to crush a bee, the release a pheromone that tell their hive mates they are in trouble. Do everything slowly and carefully.
It’s a neat hobby. If you have specific questions just ask.
Wear white socks.
Been keeping bees for 14 years, with a peak of 9 hives at one point. With the loss of my last one last fall, I’m taking a “sabbatical” this year.
Gotta keep up with the Varroa. Research all the methods, and pick a few.
I just got my hive for this year on Tuesday and I am confident that I have at least two Queens. The one that came with the Nuc was still in her box and I have 6+ frames filled with comb.
I wish I could share the pictures with you. They are amazing.
This is the start of my third year.