Farmall Cub

I've been a bee keeper now for 6 years. My 12 yr old daughter goes in the hives with me and has been now for 2 yrs.
Anyone getting any swarms? I got one this year.

Had 12 hives going into fall and lost all 12. I now have 4 including the swarm.

Kevin Bigwin

I have one hive. This is my first year.

I lost so many hives, i just bagged my boxes up and stored them in the barn. I'd like to have time to get back into it someday. i never harvested any honey, i just had them for pollinating. One year the y swarmed and ended up in my neighbor's chimney. They built a small fire in the fireplace and eventually they moved on to more suitable quarters.

My blueberries are pollinated by bumblebees. they chew a hole in the side of the blossom to get to the goodies. honeybees don't touch them. For a few years all I had was native bees pollinating my apples. now i am starting to see a few honeybees in the area but i am not aware of any local beekeepers. i can tell you that with all the rain we have had lately anyone with bees is dealing with some pretty touchy hives. They get a little testy when they can't get out and work.

I am not a beekeeper, but honey bees have really been on the decline in this area for the last few years. They seemed to make a little comeback last year, but are down again this year, form what I have seen around the garden.

Bob in CT wrote:I lost so many hives, i just bagged my boxes up and stored them in the barn. I'd like to have time to get back into it someday. i never harvested any honey, i just had them for pollinating. One year the y swarmed and ended up in my neighbor's chimney. They built a small fire in the fireplace and eventually they moved on to more suitable quarters.

My blueberries are pollinated by bumblebees. they chew a hole in the side of the blossom to get to the goodies. honeybees don't touch them. For a few years all I had was native bees pollinating my apples. now i am starting to see a few honeybees in the area but i am not aware of any local beekeepers. i can tell you that with all the rain we have had lately anyone with bees is dealing with some pretty touchy hives. They get a little testy when they can't get out and work.

bob what led to you losing your bee's?

Varroa mites. They spread through the colony in the winter when they cluster together to stay warm. Now there is a colony collapse disorder that is not understood. Very difficult time to keep bees.

yup, those varroa have been pretty tough, i plan to treat with the apistan strips this fall as late as possible. probably give them a full regiment of everything from the fumidel to the antibiotics ,as i left them go last year it being there first . the empty hive syndrome mostly was hitting the big guys,due to the use of insecticides derived from what appears to be tobacco products........totally disorientated the bee's so they couldn't find their way home. kinda reminds me of life in the sixties.

Been Beekeeping since 1991 had as many as 3 hive s going but currently only keep one, get 5 gal a yr. enough for my wifes baking ,give some away and sell the rest.
I have been asked to get a few swarms this past fall however they are to small a group to winter so I don't fool with the late summer swarms. Seems I have been more of a free extermination service lately.
I really enjoy keeping them. Great hobby. apart from the pests you have to deal with.
Phil

me thinks that this is going to work out. today it was near 60 degree and it's supposed to go into the seventies this week. time to slide in there and treat the bee's, take out the queen excluder and grab at least a bucket of honey to boot.now if i could only get my supervisor to take a few pic's

My bees were really active today.

I keep anywhere from 2 to 12 hives. My biggest problem is the local farmers spraying for critters in their crops. I've lost all 12 hives in two days after the aircraft were spraying two miles away. Do like the honey when I can get it.

I checked one hive yesterday and we are getting light on food. I need it warm up to put the feeders on! Kevin

We are losing more and more bees every year. A big problem is the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Federal law says that any use of pesticides not listed on the label is a crime. Unfortunately many people believe that total elimination of a pest is the way to go. Pesticide concentrations that strong will kill bees and many other beneficial insects. A simple thing like Grandma dusting her roses can cause tremendous problems. Check with your County Agent about pesticide use. A few simple things can help a lot. Never use more than recommended on the label. Apply pesticides only in the early morning or late afternoon when bees are less active. Identify the pest and target only that pest. Use only at dead calm. If a breeze comes up STOP. A person can be liable for use of a pesticide on his own property if used in a way not spelled out on the label. With the recession and the Green movement back yard gardens are booming. So are pesticide and seed sales. Bee populations are decreasing.

I just bought one hive .This will be my first try at Beekeeping .

Johnny,

I have two suggestions. Join the local beekeeping club. Do it now, before you get your bees in the spring. You can find it at the following web site.

http://www.msbeea.org/main/home.html?ex ... chkPapers=

After you have joined the club, try to find an experienced beekeeper nearby to act as a mentor for the first year or so. Get to know the County bee inspector. That person can be very helpful, too.

I guess that's three suggestions.