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Author Topic: growing in spite of my bumbling  (Read 6683 times)

Offline bill

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growing in spite of my bumbling
« on: July 13, 2005, 10:59:25 pm »
well I am growing in spite of my bumbling about. the nuc I made and lost my marked queen in, is growing finally. I think I put too many capped drone brood in it initially. it has got a huge amount of workers now, so they must of killed my marked queen because I must have inadvertantly gave them the queen of the old hive. The old hive must have raised a new queen, perhaps that is why they went so mean. and my one remaining swarm that stayed, has lots of brood and is building up the brood modestly but in a good pattern. unfortunately I still can't spot a queen. When I can do that I think I will be on my way. Like mr. bush always says everything will work if you let it lol. on top of that I have honey to eat and the farmers market is filling my wallet. Life is good
billiet

Offline Miss Chick-a-BEE

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« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2005, 09:27:09 am »
That all does sound good Bill. Even with mistakes you learn. The most important part is enjoying it.

Beth

Offline AdmiralD

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growing in spite of my bumbling
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2005, 02:40:15 am »
Beth,

How many hives do you have and what do you do with your 'extra' honey?

Offline bill

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« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2005, 09:41:39 am »
I only have one main hive that is producing honey. excess honey is hopefuly in the future, at the moment I have eaten most of my honey, which is only two small supers. When I get some excess honey I will sell it at the farmers market. what I have is one large and pretty mean hive. one nuc, that is ready for another super and one swarm, that is growing. I have collected about four swarms that did not stay. probably because of my not settling them in correctly. or not protecting them well enough. This is my first year sand I will be happy if the three are full blown hives at the end of the year. however I am on the list for collecting swarms so I might get more as the year goes.  Oh dear I have answered your query and now I see it was directed at beth, oh well read it anyway lol
billiet

Offline Miss Chick-a-BEE

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« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2005, 10:56:50 am »
I have only 3 hives right now. We eat alot of honey here at our house. And I mean really alot! But when I have "extra" honey, I've typically given it away. I did sell a little bit last year, but regreted it later because we ran out of our personal stash and had to buy store honey.

Beth

Offline AdmiralD

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« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2005, 11:30:39 am »
Hey Bill,

Your cool.  I am always interested in what others are doing with thier honey... and I may have to start a thread regarding that...but later in the season...

Beth, I can't remember where you are at..but I seem to remmber that your north of georga and south of DC. and have a long bee season...Are you going thru any nectar flows currently?

The reason I am asking is because of temperate zones...I, being on the west coast, and to the north a bit, have a rather temperate weather pattern. I suspect that our season is from late febuary, early march when the flowers just start to bloom and pollen begins...But we have lots of rain, or at least, this year we did. As for cold, I have lived in Idaho, and man, does it get cold there. Being in western Oregon is like being in the tropic in some respects....

For all the bee hives here inthe area, I have seen some clover fields where there were as many as 50-75 hives working a 25 acre  white clover patch. and the supers on those hives have reached 4 and 5 tall. ..Man, would I like to get my bees on that patch all by them lonesome selves..

Anyways, I was just comparing tempate zones. I realize that you have a more true tropic zone, and prolly have just as much nectar flows as I do...Of course, your areas, if I recall, are more of orange groves and other fruits suited to the tropics...While I have clover, I also have blackberry patchs....

Offline bill

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growing in spite of my bumbling
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2005, 02:57:56 pm »
It is semi arid  her in midland texas.November Dec and jan are our winter but it gets warm a lot even in the winter and the bees will fly. I got into bees because I am trying to break into growing melons. I do the farmers market here from the midle of june till about november. and melons without bees loses forty percent of yield. I was given a lot of equipment and my bees from an ex farmer here who still hadthem in his back yard although he didnt really use them anymore like a lot of people here have given it up because of the ahb so I was lucky not to have to buy a lot of equipment as I am living on ss and it would have been hard. I have always been interested in insects so it was just right for me .but I never guessed how much you had to know and do to keep bees, and I am not quick to learn but I am getting there. I think mesquite and cotton are the main plants plus all the many wild flowers that florish here when it rains. We only get 13 inches a year here so sometimes it is green and sometimes brown  there is a lot of good fishing  you just have to drive 200 miles in any direction lol.  when if ever I get suplus honey I will sell it at the farmers market,  I could sell a lot there.
billiet

Offline Apis629

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growing in spite of my bumbling
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2005, 04:13:54 pm »
I've got everyone asking me for honey; relatives(from out of state), the postal workers who handled the package, friends all over the contrey and random people who see that I have a hive.  Soon I'm not going to have any for myself!

Offline Miss Chick-a-BEE

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« Reply #8 on: July 16, 2005, 09:15:51 am »
I live in Georgia (south of the center), and it's not quite like you describe. The main crops in this area are cotton, peanuts, and pecan trees. I believe what my bees eat off of mostly are flowering trees, flowers (wild and part of home landscaping), and wild black berries. The people around here are big on pretty landscaping. It's not as prominant as the famous roses of Tyler Texas, but pretty all the same. I have no idea of the average rain fall, but it is often rainy. Often I feel we live in a rain forest, then other times it'll just be perfect outside - a nice temp, not too humid, but everything is lush and green.
To try to give you a picture of what it's like...... think of first a pine forest, add within that forest maples & oak mostly, with ferns and wild black berries as a thick undergrowth, PLUS honeysuckle & really thick vining plants (with a type of trumpet flower on it) growing on everything it can reach (up trees and phone poles - clumping across phone lines - and in some areas turning the forest into a mass of vine). The vine is called Kudzu, and looks like this:


But here's what an accessable area of the woods looks like (not my back yard, but looks just like parts of our 21 acres):


Another common Georgia forest scene. And if you are silly enough to decide to hike in these forests with a fog like that, expect to come out with a minimum of 100 mesquito bites:


And people landscape there yards with all these types of plants shown in this picture:


And this plant has taken over many parts of the landscape. It's also a vining plant, called wisteria:


I hope I didn't overwhelm you with pics, but I find it to be the best way to really show something.

It can get cold here in the winter, and might snow once every 10 years. But for the most part the weather is mild. We have flowers blooming in our yard year round. My first year I harvested some honey on my daughters birthday in Febuary, and had my hive swarm mid-march. This was from a hive I'd started at the end of June the summer before. I'm hoping to make one more hive this year from the extra bees in my three hives. I feel I really need to, or else all three hives might swarm early next spring.

I was hoping to sell my honey, but really don't seem to be finding the people to buy it. I tell just about everyone that I have hives, and no one ever says "I'd love some honey, do you sell it?"

Beth

Offline Jerrymac

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« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2005, 09:58:29 am »
Quote from: Miss Chick-a-BEE
I tell just about everyone that I have hives,....
Beth


Perhaps you should tell them you have Honey bees.
:rainbowflower:  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.   :rainbowflower:

 :jerry:

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Offline qa33010

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« Reply #10 on: July 16, 2005, 10:08:26 am »
I can't wait to get my first hive and stop assisting someone else (don't get me wrong it's been very educational) to get my bee fix.  Some folks are already asking me about honey.  My kids have been great public relations.  I have been very blessed!
     The pix are great and remind me of the years I was stationed outside of Valdosta.  I met some fantastic people there.  Thanks for the memory lane walk!
Everyone said it couldn't be done. But he with a chuckle replied, "I won't be one to say it is so, until I give it a try."  So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin.  If he had a worry he hid it and he started to sing as he tackled that thing that couldn't be done, and he did it.  (unknown)

Offline Miss Chick-a-BEE

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« Reply #11 on: July 16, 2005, 10:36:03 am »
Jerry... you are a mess! LOL Always the one ready for a playful remark. You must drive your co-workers crazy, but I'm sure at the same time they probably love it. :)

Beth

Offline AdmiralD

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« Reply #12 on: July 16, 2005, 09:53:05 pm »
Beth,

You live in a virutual green growing area, where any bee would be happy to enjoy seeking nectar and pollen...
I guess that would be "bee paradise", eh?

Offline Miss Chick-a-BEE

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« Reply #13 on: July 16, 2005, 09:58:22 pm »
I agree. I'd say Georgia is probably (of the USA) the best place to raise bees. Next best might be Florida, and I put it at second best because you have the danger of hurricanes there.

Beth