Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
MEMBER BULLETIN BOARD => GREETINGS/TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF => Topic started by: yrots on May 28, 2011, 07:31:02 pm
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Like most hobbies I take interest in, I'm late in the year getting started with this new undertaking. Currently building my 8 frame mediums boxes from lumber I already have to save money. (2 in college another daughter planning her dream wedding). Waiting for next month to try the local beekeeping club and doing a lot of on-line and off-line reading and watching of videos.
Dirk in Central FL
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Welcome Dirk!
I'm pretty new to all of this too. I just joined this site earlier this week and I'm already learning new stuff.
I'm from Mims, where are you from?
Larry
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Central FL is a pretty big area Dirk, can you maybe narrow that down a little? There's quite a few of us crackers here :-D
Welcome!
Scott
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To be more precise, I'm in SW Orlando near Universal Studios. I have been interested in bees off and on for several years and with the internet there is so much more information available and video and podcasts. My father used to keep bees with a partner in the early 40's before going into the Army for WWII. I'm trying to get with my brother to see if he can locate in some family papers the label my father had. I remember seeing it in a file on beekeeping he maintained back in the 70's.
Dirk in Orlando
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Thanks Dirk! I'm over by Deltona...glad to have you on board.
Scott
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I'm "newly registered in Cental Florida" also. I'm in SE Volusia Co., south of New Smyrna Beach. I bought my bees from Scott/"Hardwood" just a couple of months ago. Thank you!!
One of my hives is still laying eggs, but the other (with somewhat more bees in the colony) seems to have really slowed down the larvae production. Plenty of capped brood & capped drones, though.
Have other Cent. FL beekeepers noticed a slow down in egg laying / larva production? Perhaps we're in between the flows?
This same hive has gotten more fiesty. Yellow jackets?
Thank you,
-Randy
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Welcome Randy...good to see you here!
Scott
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Welcome Randy !
I am a little south of you and I have noticed a slow down in egg laying. I just checked them yesterday and was surprised that there wasn't more brood in some of them.
Larry
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Our main flows are pretty much over so they will slow down a bit. There is almost always at least a little nectar coming in here though so they will keep building up just a lot slower at this time of year. The saw palmetto flow was pretty much a bust but get ready for cabbage palm!
Scott
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Scott, when do you think the cabbage palm will start. I have plenty of those here and I need something real soon. Larry
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It'll be a while yet Larry...you should start seeing the bloom spikes in about a month but then it can take another month for them to open. If we stay as dry as this they might not produce very well either.
The cabbage palm (swamp cabbage) honey is usually pretty wet and can ferment quickly. It is normally sold as a bakery grade. I like it. It's darker and has lots of flavor.
Brazilian pepper comes right after the swamp cabbage and, knowing where you are, you better make sure to hold on tight!
Scott
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Welcome Dirk
its never too late to start a hive in Florida
Bob
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What can we expect after the peppers? I'm hoping for some kind of flow to build these colonies up!
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I'm not really sure how your pepper flow will go Matt....you're in a kinda spotty area for them. Down by Larry you could expect to fill 2-3 supers (med) within just a couple of weeks. After the peppers comes our dearth. If we don't get too harsh a winter this year the spanish needles should provide enough for them until the citrus flow in spring. Goldenrod should be good in your area and coincides with pepper.
Leave them with the honey they have made in the brood boxes (you can take the rest) and they should pull through our "winter" just fine.
Scott