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Author Topic: Hello from Kentucky ( and Go Cats!)  (Read 2219 times)

Offline Pillpeddler

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Hello from Kentucky ( and Go Cats!)
« on: March 19, 2010, 12:05:50 am »
This was supposed to be my first year of beekeeping.  In late May, 2009 my father-in-law and I were sitting around bemoaning the fact that there wasn't very many feral bees left in the area and that the vegetable gardens just did not produce as well as they should.  Our bright idea was to start ourselves a few hives to help things along and maybe get some beautiful amber goodness in the process.  In the 2nd week of June a local beekeeper had a late swarm that he didnt want... hive #1.  A couple of weeks after that a neighbor had a downed tree full of bees ...  hive #2 (plus 50 stings for me, cut outs suck).  So here I am 10 months later still trying to learn as much as I can.  Hive #1 is going great,  hive #2 died out ( long cold winters suck too!) and I have a package of bees on reserve with my name on it in the near future.  On a bright note hopefully the package bees will be more gentle than the only-slightly-nicer-than-yellowjackets feral bees that I lost.  :oops:

Offline Sparky

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Re: Hello from Kentucky ( and Go Cats!)
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2010, 10:35:45 pm »
Hello and welcome  Pillpeddler. You say that the hive you lost was mean. What is the other hive of bees like ?  If they are gentle and have been good to work with you may want to split that one.
 

Offline olky

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Re: Hello from Kentucky ( and Go Cats!)
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2010, 07:07:36 am »
hello pillpeddler. like sparky said you may be able to split, and you may just want to start a package and see how they compare. good chance you'll catch another swarm or two this year too. where are you located in ky? this is a good place to learn. good luck.

Offline Pillpeddler

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Re: Hello from Kentucky ( and Go Cats!)
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2010, 08:22:11 pm »
The hive that I still have was captured as a swarm from a local beekeeper.  He had heard that me and my father-in-law were interested in getting bees and called us the day they swarmed.  The swarm had only gone about 20 yards from the hive to a bush that was right beside the roadway.   Very easy access.  Very gentle bees, but I'm watching the queen closely in my newbee way, to see how she does this year.  I have no idea of her age or heritage.  The hive that died out were feral bees, little bitty ladies.  Easily aggitated.  I was stung about 50 times cutting them out of a huge oak tree that had toppled in a storm.  Ouch.  By the way, I'm from Grayson, KY.

Offline Cindi

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Re: Hello from Kentucky ( and Go Cats!)
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2010, 01:01:30 am »
Pillpeddler, welcome to our forum, so great that you found us.  Already held beneath the spell of the honeybee -- clearly.  That feral colony, those stings, and you still want more, smiling.  Good.  You will be that great keeper of the bees.  Stick around, we love new members.  This will be a place for you to learn, a place to tell your stories, tales and experiences, and make some new friends.   Do have that most wonderful day, great life, great health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Pillpeddler

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Re: Hello from Kentucky ( and Go Cats!)
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2010, 07:39:04 pm »
Thanks Cindi, by the way I love your cheerful greetings.  Nice to see that these days.  And yes I do want more bees, but not more stings. :-)  The more I watch them the more I think that God must have spent some special time working on bees.  They are that amazing and so very essential to us.   Thanks.

Pill

Offline Cindi

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Re: Hello from Kentucky ( and Go Cats!)
« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2010, 10:34:31 am »
Pill, thank you for your kind words, most beautiful days, of love and health, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

 

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