[riverrat]

As the new members start to come into this forum I thought it would be interesting to ask how long you have been keeping bees how many hives you got and how you got started. I believe it would help us all get aquainted and know each other a little better. I know we have an introduction page but thought I would try to get some posting going in the general chat So I guess I can start

I got about 70 hives been keeping bees for going on 5 years. I got started when the doctors thought I needed a hobby to help relieve stress and maybe help control my Blood pressure a little easier. I dont think he had 70+ hives in mind when I took on the hobby

 

[Iddee]

But, RR, think of all the wonderful, free apitherapy you are getting.

 

[LAC]

Hello to all,
I currently have two hives that were started from 3# packages on 4/19/08. Italian's but the queens were superseded within the first week of installing the packages, so I will call them mutts. This is my first year in beekeeping and so far so good. Both hives are still alive. I have to more packages on order for the month of May. I have always wanted to try beekeeping but I'm sorry I never pursued it earlier in life. I plan on keeping it at a hobbyist level and learning as much as possible.

 

[Guest]

Thought I'd say Howdy;
I had 7 hives in the early 60's. Now have 4 hives of Russians.
I knew little in the 60's and have forgotten most of that now.

I build most all of my equipt.
Would like to attempt Queen rasing, just to see if I could do it.

Live in South Central Missouri { Ozark Mts. }

Notice a lot of you are on the "other" Boards also.

PCM

 

[Iddee]

Welcome, PCM and LAC, and any others I missed.

Yes, many of us are on the other boards, but we feel we have more input to this one, so are spending more and more time here. Hope you do the same.

 

[ski]

I am starting my 3rd year with the bees. I started with 2 hives and collected swarms and received bees form one cutout, which brings me up to 7 hives. 7 hives if they all survived the recent cold spell.
I wanted to start keeping bees because I wanted some honey, hope I get some this year. They swarmed too many times last year.
How I got started: A very generous master beekeeper invited me down to his hives, I just sat and watched the bees come and go. The next trip we went into a hive. He has taught me many things about bees, cutouts and trapouts.
Many Thanks,
Ski

 

[Conchis]

Hi gang,

I started keeping bees a few years back, only a couple of hives, but I lost them all 2 years ago. I didn't know enough about what I was doing, but this time, (I have a couple of 3# packages coming) I've got this forum, which I didn't have before and I'm joining a local bee club. I look forward to all of the information you guys have that I need.

Mike

 

[trumpet01]

I started keeping bees in '94.We lived in Yorktown,Va.I removed a hive from a Steam Jenny's heat exchanger and the rest is history.
We move to Chase City in '95 and I caught a swarm and started again.After a year a Black Bear destroyed my hives.
We moved to Danville in '04 and a beek friend of mine got me started again.
He's like my dealer!! He got me hooked again and now I can't quit!!I have seven hives now and will expand shortly.It's that or go to rehab and try to kick the habit.
I raise Buckfast, from Canada,and local mutts.

Jim <><

 

[Bcrazy]

A swarm settled on one of our pear trees, and at that time neither my wife nor I had a clue what they were. We got close to them to see if they were wasps, hornets. or whatever. Rang the pest controll in town and he stated it was a swarm of honey bees that will leave in a couple of hours, which they did.
So from then on its all good news.
Did my initial beekeeping course in 2000 and already had two hives up and running, (with the help of others).
Gradually built up to don't laugh twenty hives of which 2 are Langs poly and 2 Langs wooden. the remainder are Nationals, but I would willingly swop the Nationals for Langs as they are a superior hive.
I raise my own queens as if I purchased an imported queen I would not know if I was hiving a problem or a calm queen traits.
Because of the beekeeping I now have turned to Microscopy where I can study the anatomy of the honey bee, pollen, and disease. I have undertaken several courses in the pre mentioned and am confident in my disease recognition.
Lastly I am studying for my National Diploma in Beekeeping and hopefully take that in 2012 - 20014.

Regards;

 

[An-Nahl]

Photographed a beek while in Morocco a few years ago (summer 2005)...

moved south from Boston (spring '06)... took advantage of good open land and warm temps in GA, started summer '07...



Have made more mistakes than I care to admit... Iddee was always helpful when I had question in another forum, so I followed him here.

...I am quite pleased that I did.

 

[dogsoldier13]

i started having health problems in 06,had to quit working when i had chemo,as i started to recover from treatment in 07 my father inlaw gave me some old equipment and i started becoming interested as i had nothing to do,my wife and i went to a bee class in the winter of 08,that spring i ordered one package and then went to a local bee guy for some bees,the package didnt make it,but the local bees are still strong,this has taught me to buy local bees. i plan on 2 nucs this spring for my 2 empty hive bodies i have,thus,the saga continues.

 

[smgchandler]

this story will be up there with the top LOL - Iddee has already heard it as he was the first number i called when i had questions - ok i started wanting bees just for the garden - i have a big veggie garden - and the many many fruit and nut trees i ahve planted in the last couple of years - thats why i wanted bees - anyhow i will condense the story to make it shorter - got all my equipment and hives put together and tried and tried for a swarm -it was too late to order so a swarm is what i needed - iddee even helped me out there with a few calls that just didnt work out - day late dollar short - anyhow heres the story ----this all happened on a saturday - i had a friend to GIVE me one of his packages he bought for himself as he ordered 3 - i didnt know he was going to do this for me - on the same day he was going to bring the package to me i had a call from a neighbor/old friend about a swarm really close to his house while waiting on my friend to get here -he only lives a few miles from me - rushing there i saw the swarm all over the ground - i had no idea how to get them in my box so i laid my frames down on them and a few climbed on and i put the frames in the box - i had to go home and get more boxes and frames - got back and they had left the box - i did it again with all the frames and had several bees in the box this time - left when friend got to the house to put the package in a hive and after we both went back to see the swarm - he had never seen a swarm either so we go and then the bees were out of the boxes again - we look up and there is the ball up high in a tree and there was still several on the ground - well we leave to get a ladder but we cant find a ladder tall enough so we go back and sure enough the ball is gone and only a few bees are on the ground - very few - so swarm is gone - i ask him if i can just put my boxes on the back of his truck to save me a couple of trips and he says sure - he goes to pick the boxes up and raises the lid to top box and guess what - the boxes are full of bees - the ball and queen and almost all teh bees went in the box - i came back later that evening and closed it up and took them to their new home and they have done well right beside the package next to them - how easy was that i thought especially for the first time being around bees -they were as calm as could be and that surprised me but now i know why - i knew from then on im gonna like this hobby

 

[gingerbee]

I began years ago, when my husband decided to start keeping bees. It was neat, I was his helper. I learned some then but many years went by without beekeeping and I forgot most of what I learned. A few years ago I decided to start keeping bees again, and have read and had help from many folks.

I consider myself still a beginner, have only three hives but hope to have more. Still trying to understand what's the best way to manage them and keep them healthy.

 

[Cathy]

I have only had bees for about two months. I have been interested for the last 5 months or so, but hadn't taken the first step. I use a lot of honey in my cooking and baking (clean eating, no refined sweetners) and also wanted them for pollination of my vegetable garden, fruit trees and flowers. I never realized how interesting they would be. My neighbor down the road is the president of our beekeepers association and has helped me with advice, equipments, you name it. I have no idea what type of bees I have ( two hives, getting ready to split one). My neighbor called and told me someone in down had purchased a home and there was an old hive in the backyard with bees, and a hive in a tree and he wanted someone to come get them, was I interested. I jumped at the chance knowing that I could get at least one hive right away (my two hive boxes with bees wouldn't be in until mid April). My husband and a fellow experienced beekeeper helped me get my hives that day. It was so exciting. I've been hooked ever since. I wanted 2-3 hives to start with, but if all goes well, by the end of April I should have 7. Oh, and the old hive, which consited of two deep brood boxes (full of brood and honey) has turned out to be a great hive. I've added another deep brood box on top, due to both bottom boxes being full of brood, a queen eliminator and medium super on top of that. The hive in the tree is smaller, but busy. I have three nucs coming in the next week or so and then 2 deep supers with at least two frames of brood in mid-April. Can't wait!

 

[indypartridge]

I'm now in my 5th year keeping bees and currently have 4 colonies; 3 Italians and 1 Carniolan I just picked up a couple days ago.

How did I get started? Blame it on Laura Ingalls Wilder. Yep, that's right, the author. Several years ago when the kids were younger we did a homeschool curriculum one year that was based on her "Little House" books. In "Little House in the Big Woods" there's a chapter on 'Pa and the Bee Tree', so that meant we did a unit study on honeybees. As part of that, we did a field trip to a visit a local beekeeper. I caught some kind of bee virus there that just kinda lay dormant for awhile until we moved out of the city. My girls got horses and I got bees.

 

[barry42001]

I have kept bees in Pennsylvania, and Upstate New York, had 6 hives in both places. all was going well going into winter in NY, next spring---virtually no bees in 5 hives, one was apparently still doing well, had that lne colony until I moved to florida (3 years of the 12 I had bees ) never was able to figure out what actually happened--all still had plenty of stored honey---just no bees.
Thanks,
Barry

 

[BjornBee]

I have been keeping bees now for 9 years. Depending on the time of the year, I'll range from 300 to 500 hives.

 

[labeekeeper]

Hello all . Newbee here from Louisiana on this forum and to BK. Worked in a bee yard with my cousin back in the 60's for a couple of summers and really enjoyed it. Didn't think anything about until recently as I was thinking about what am I going to do when I retire in 2010. Bingo ! Keep Bee's . Won't interfere much with my Hunting season PLUS it would make a great hobby. Just got my first hive going last week with packaged bee's, but want to expand asap. My problem is I wanted more than 3lbs but that's all I could find locally. Will have to hope for a swarm or two to get more . Lokks like this is a good forum to be around.
Thanks

 

[BjornBee]

Welcome aboard labeekeeper. Hope you mention something down on the "Introduction" forum, so others can see what your up too and get to know you.

 

[Hobie]

I started thinking about beekeeping about 4 years ago. There was a hive in my barn wall, and we lived in peace for years. One year there must have been a Changing Of The Queen, because they got feisty and nailed you every time you opened the barn door, and they had to go. Couldn't bear to kill then, so I started learning and buying equipment. By the time I was ready (spring)... they had died over the winter.

A few months later tree guys were felling a tree for one of my projects, and uncovered a hive 40 feet up. I decided to try to get them... totally unexperienced, in a high-lift in my shiny white, never-used suit, dripping honey everywhere. Long story short, I did not get the queen.

I finally got my first bees from a former coworker who developed allergies. Third times a charm!