[JayGee]

Finally, I'm a happy beekeeper!
I had a disaster my first year and the bees froze because of too much moisture - plus robber bees entered and stole all the honey. I replenished the hive and the second winter I had 3/4" blue foam up around just two sides of the hive and the bees survived. In late fall I pulled the frames of honey leaving an abundance for the bees' over-wintering.

A friend let me use is 2 frame extractor for my Langstroth frames and we extracted 9 pints plus 24 ea 4 oz bottles. I split with the owner of the extractor and he pushed over 5 pints for me along with half the bottles, which made great small gifts.
I actually had several people complement me on the "taste" of the honey being very good. SO, on to next season.
====================
AND, I did pull 2 frames out of my Horizontal Hive. Those bees were package bees shipped towards the end of May so they got a late start and were "busy as bees" however those 2 frames were the excess over having left 10 frames for over-wintering. And here is a good lesson for those getting into "larger frames" hives. IF you're going into those BUY THE EXTRACTOR for the larger frames. You won't regret it - even if it is only a 2 or 3 frame extractor. The cost of a DIY extractor for those frames that will last more than 1 or 2 seasons is about equal to the cost of a purchased item - and you will be much happier with the handling and cleaning of the purchased item.

 

[Gypsi]

That is good news @JayGee! I used to borrow the club extractor, but it was busy one year and I spent about $200 on CO2 equipment to keep the SHB out of my box of honey, turned out there were 2 in there, they just couldn't move with the CO2 and wreck the honey. I think anyone getting a honey harvest probably needs an extractor. Mine is a Dadant 2 frame that handles deep frames and I'm very happy with it. And Congratulations Jay!

 

[Wil]

First in three years? Ouch,I think I may have jumped the gun then. Last summer is when I got my first bees, a bought swarm. In the Fall, I bought one of those motorized extractors off of Amazon for close to $400. Still better than the high cost of one from a beekeeper's supply store, though I may live to eventually regret it. I usually do when dealing with Amazon purchases. Yesterday, I went out to check on the bees and scoop snow away from the landing and then I scooped out about 60 dead bees from behind the entrance. They were all small bees so I don't know if that means anything or not. As of now, I only have this one hive but more bees and hives scheduled for the Spring. Frankly, I don't even know why I am looking forward to harvesting honey. My VA doctors told me that I am boarder line diabetic so there goes my peanut butter sandwiches and honey. I sure love my bees though. They give me a warm fuzzy feeling ,all over.

 

[JayGee]

Well, as I said, the first year was a disaster of the bees freezing and raider bees getting the honey before I got to it. The second year I left what honey was there for the bees and the third year I harvested all but what was needed by the bees for over-wintering. Stuff happens! Don't be discouraged! AND sometimes it just takes time to build up a hive and have available resources in the fields for the bees to do their thing.

By the way, there is a guy in Ohio a bit south of Greeville who makes parts for Langstroth hives and you can get a good price for them - but - you have to pick them up! IF interested I'll call my brother and try and get his information for you.

 

[Gypsi]

I can't eat much honey either. I'm not quite borderline diabetic but I can't eat much sugar or I will get there. I waited until my bees got European foul brood to harvest honey and then I had to harvest it all and take all their comb and melt it down and start them with sugar water and antibiotics. I started keeping bees in a drought, and my state beekeeper said EFB was bored nursebee syndrome, no flow so they raise brood they should throw out and their honey stomachs get contaminated, I believe robbing from comb I used from a tree dead out spread it all the way thru my apiary, so in May 2013 I harvested about 50 pounds of honey and we ate it and I started my bees over and I learned to know where my comb came from.

 

[Wil]

Well, as I said, the first year was a disaster of the bees freezing and raider bees getting the honey before I got to it. The second year I left what honey was there for the bees and the third year I harvested all but what was needed by the bees for over-wintering. Stuff happens! Don't be discouraged! AND sometimes it just takes time to build up a hive and have available resources in the fields for the bees to do their thing.

By the way, there is a guy in Ohio a bit south of Greeville who makes parts for Langstroth hives and you can get a good price for them - but - you have to pick them up! IF interested I'll call my brother and try and get his information for you.

I'm located approximately an hour south of Greenville.I used to drive up to Greenville on the weekends for Skeet shooting once in a while. Sure,if it is not too much bother. I would be interested in the information. Thank you very much.

 

[Wil]

I can't eat much honey either. I'm not quite borderline diabetic but I can't eat much sugar or I will get there. I waited until my bees got European foul brood to harvest honey and then I had to harvest it all and take all their comb and melt it down and start them with sugar water and antibiotics. I started keeping bees in a drought, and my state beekeeper said EFB was bored nursebee syndrome, no flow so they raise brood they should throw out and their honey stomachs get contaminated, I believe robbing from comb I used from a tree dead out spread it all the way thru my apiary, so in May 2013 I harvested about 50 pounds of honey and we ate it and I started my bees over and I learned to know where my comb came from.

The biggest thing that is now lowering my glucose levels when I take blood from my finger a couple days a week, is trying to cut way back on the carbs. I do sneak a cookie every now and then and maybe a little dribble of honey here and there but I really have to watch, or it will shoot up. But carbs of any kind are the worse. I'm 74 and I have never had a problem with my A1C until just a year ago.

 

[Gypsi]

The biggest thing that is now lowering my glucose levels when I take blood from my finger a couple days a week, is trying to cut way back on the carbs. I do sneak a cookie every now and then and maybe a little dribble of honey here and there but I really have to watch, or it will shoot up. But carbs of any kind are the worse. I'm 74 and I have never had a problem with my A1C until just a year ago.

Wil I became allergic to wheat - as in a hamburger bun is good for a migraine the next day. I think for my blood sugar and overall health that allergy may be the best thing ever. It knocks cookies and donuts and muffins and bread out of my diet. Spaghetti squash instead of pasta....

 

[Wil]

Wil I became allergic to wheat - as in a hamburger bun is good for a migraine the next day. I think for my blood sugar and overall health that allergy may be the best thing ever. It knocks cookies and donuts and muffins and bread out of my diet. Spaghetti squash instead of pasta....

Holy cow. I had no idea that wheat bread could cause migraines if allergic. I know one thing for sure. Since I cut out the carbs, I can now see the toes of my boots. Sue and I always plant spaghetti squash in the garden just for that reason.

 

[israelavila35]

I can't eat much honey either. I'm not quite borderline diabetic but I can't eat much sugar or I will get there. I waited until my bees got European foul brood to harvest honey and then I had to harvest it all and take all their comb and melt it down and start them with sugar water and antibiotics. I started keeping bees in a drought, and my state beekeeper said EFB was bored nursebee syndrome, no flow so they raise brood they should throw out and their honey stomachs get contaminated, I believe robbing from comb I used from a tree dead out spread it all the way thru my apiary, so in May 2013 I harvested about 50 pounds of honey and we ate it and I started my bees over and I learned to know where my comb came from.

I work for a bee removal company here in Dallas and they are starting to get into producing honey. On average how many pounds of honey will a hive in DFW produce? I know we have evolving weather each season which is why i wanted to know how much you've extracted on average the years you've done it.

Best,

Israel

 

[JayGee]

I'm located approximately an hour south of Greenville.I used to drive up to Greenville on the weekends for Skeet shooting once in a while. Sure,if it is not too much bother. I would be interested in the information. Thank you very much.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this. I checked my computer (it had crashed since contact and I lost many contacts) and my brother checked his and neither of us came up with the source.
But, I did check for Beekeeping in South West Central Ohio and they do have a beekeeping Society going on there. You might try them to see if they know who the person is who builds the hives.

 

[Gypsi]

I work for a bee removal company here in Dallas and they are starting to get into producing honey. On average how many pounds of honey will a hive in DFW produce? I know we have evolving weather each season which is why i wanted to know how much you've extracted on average the years you've done it.

Best,

Israel

What are you planting to feed the bees? Will you be watering. We are in a severe drought, if you don't water there will be no flowers and no honey.

 

[Wil]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this. I checked my computer (it had crashed since contact and I lost many contacts) and my brother checked his and neither of us came up with the source.
But, I did check for Beekeeping in South West Central Ohio and they do have a beekeeping Society going on there. You might try them to see if they know who the person is who builds the hives.

Aren't these computers something? I wish I had a 10 year old running around here that could fix mine. Microsoft came on my monitor one day about 3 months ago and messed something up bad. I couldn't get to my homepage until I found help to do that over the phone but that didn't fix everything. I can no longer load pictures from my camera onto the computer and can't even see the pictures from my bore scope plus all my saved pictures and bookmarks are gone forever. I figured out how to get my homepage back by going into settings and jumping through the hoops but that's all I know how to do.I usually have to do all this about every couple of weeks.

 

[Gypsi]

Aren't these computers something? I wish I had a 10 year old running around here that could fix mine. Microsoft came on my monitor one day about 3 months ago and messed something up bad. I couldn't get to my homepage until I found help to do that over the phone but that didn't fix everything. I can no longer load pictures from my camera onto the computer and can't even see the pictures from my bore scope plus all my saved pictures and bookmarks are gone forever. I figured out how to get my homepage back by going into settings and jumping through the hoops but that's all I know how to do.I usually have to do all this about every couple of weeks.

I lost drive D and it spent a few days trying to fix itself on my windows 10, but when I saw it going down I went to best buy and bought an external hard drive and moved all the good files over to it, then started it correcting the corrupted files and when they were fixed moved them over, then didn't turn it off and surfed the net for a couple of days before it crashed and burned on New Year's Eve. Got a friend to change Drive D. cost $50 for a new one at Best Buy, and I owe him a computer part next time he needs one in that price range. And I'm up and running. Sure beats learning windows 11 for a $1000.00 for a new desk top. And I have to have a real computer for the business. I tried to load quickbooks on the ideapad I brought my grandkids and crashed it as soon as QB tried to update. I've sent it off to the same friend. I think if he pulls the battery it will stop the loop and then if he uninstalls quickbooks the computer might recover. It wasn't expensive but its worth a shot.
If I were closer Wil I'd take a look at your computer but I am too far away. I'm not a tech but I've been in computer operations since about 1980 so I know a little bit about where things hide. You might try undoing your last update, it may fix everything

 

[Wil]

I lost drive D and it spent a few days trying to fix itself on my windows 10, but when I saw it going down I went to best buy and bought an external hard drive and moved all the good files over to it, then started it correcting the corrupted files and when they were fixed moved them over, then didn't turn it off and surfed the net for a couple of days before it crashed and burned on New Year's Eve. Got a friend to change Drive D. cost $50 for a new one at Best Buy, and I owe him a computer part next time he needs one in that price range. And I'm up and running. Sure beats learning windows 11 for a $1000.00 for a new desk top. And I have to have a real computer for the business. I tried to load quickbooks on the ideapad I brought my grandkids and crashed it as soon as QB tried to update. I've sent it off to the same friend. I think if he pulls the battery it will stop the loop and then if he uninstalls quickbooks the computer might recover. It wasn't expensive but its worth a shot.
If I were closer Wil I'd take a look at your computer but I am too far away. I'm not a tech but I've been in computer operations since about 1980 so I know a little bit about where things hide. You might try undoing your last update, it may fix everything

That's my problem. I didn't update anything on my own. It's like Microsoft took over and did everything without my hands on. I do have a message to upgrade to Windows 11 that has been on here for several months but I refuse to click on it. I just got this laptop about 2 years ago. It's a Lenovo but that doesn't mean anything, I know. I didn't get my first computer until 2000 and that was a Gateway and one big bugger with a monitor that took up the whole desk front to back.lol From there it was two HP's and then this. And I still don't know nothing. lol I did go to a computer class and for my $100, I learned how to turn the darn thing on.

 

[JayGee]

Windows 10 and Windows 11 are like the version that came out after Windows 8?? - Windows Vista! That was a piece of trash. Had to use it in the Community College I taught in and couldn't find files whenever I needed to get anything off of that machine. I started keeping the necessary files on a flash drive.

Windows 7 Pro was, and still is, a good solid platform! In fact some of the guys in our CNC group were buying used 32 Bit systems with Windows 7 on them to run some of their CNC equipment and they work great. I finally bought one of those too!

 

[Gypsi]

I loved Windows 7 Pro, but eventually my laptop with Windows 7 was dying, I waited until Windows 10 had been out a year or so and bought a HP desktop with 10, and it's been good. Windows 11 might be ok but I don't like new software, I like to wait a bit. My Lenovo ideapad bit the dust over a quickbooks install and upgrade, it may recover, but I'm not betting on it It was the grandkids computer and I tried to use it, lol I do updates, and if I get a bad update there is supposed to be a way to remove it, but my geek died of diabetes back in 2017 and I've been winging it since then

 

[Wil]

I too am on my Lenovo IdeaPad S340. Sure wish I knew my way around on this thing though. I sure do have to use spellcheck a lot. Sometimes I type away and when I look up to see the words, some are not even what I typed.

 

[Gypsi]

I bought the ideapad for the grandkids, but they watch youtube and don't do much with it, it is not a computer for an adult I suspect, certainly not one for Quickbooks which is a HUGE program.

Wonder if he's looked at it yet. One thing is for sure, you have to run updates. Regularly. After you run updates your information may come back.

 

[jessgless99]

Wonder if he's looked at it yet. One thing is for sure, you have to run updates. Regularly. After you run updates your information may come back.

MORE OFF THE TOPIC INFO!
When your as busy as bees and forget to Update or run Utilities you should set your Calendar to do those few important tasks. Run them when you're busy with other chores and can check back on them regularly.

ALSO running a couple of utilities like Malwarebytes' latest and greatest also does Anti-Virus - and - you can also get their VPN and automate it to "ON" each time you open your Browser. AND I also recommend SuperAntiSpyware.

Set those up to run automatically OR set them up a SCHEDULE to run those on a very consistent basis depending on how much you use the Internet. The more hours you're on that the more often you should run the Utilities. Every week for sure!!