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Garden Gate:  organic bee keeping anyone?  |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4549 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4549 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 30 2009 : 05:15:14 AM
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I have caught bee fever again. I was supposed to have gotten a hive this spring, but the guy backed out last minute.
So recently I have been researching it more, and have read about the crush and stain method of honey collecting, and using foundationless frames. I think I have the right terms.
Does anyone do this?
Thanks Michele |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4840 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4840 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 3:32:52 PM
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I love honey, but really don't want to deal with the bees! Good luck on finding someone who does!
Dawn in IL |
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Peacebird
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Marianne
Afton
Va
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 4:58:32 PM
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I have read about top bar hives, where they don't use foundation and instead let the bees draw out a more "natural" shaped comb. It sounds interesting! Is this what you are talking about doing?
I really like Ross Conrads book "Natural Beekeeping". I am raising my bees without chemicals, and things seem to be going well so far...
I use an eight frame hive, so that the boxes never get too heavy for me to move. The bees are thriving, they swarmed once, and have since refilled the hive to overflowing again. I split off a second hive today trying to prevent a second swarm. Of course keeping bees healthy and happy in the spring and summer is probably the easy part. Helping them survive the winter - now that is another matter altogether...!
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4549 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4549 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2009 : 04:04:43 AM
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I have read about the tbh, but have read more of the langs. And I guess they do the foundationless frames with both styles. I am thinking of the med. boxes, with 8 frames. Surviving the winter will be a challange, living in north west Wisconsin. I need to find someone in my area to ask the winter questions to, like how many medium boxes do you need to overwinter bees.
Nice pictures you posted Peacebird, on your hives. Can I ask, why you are not harvesting some honey from your hives this year? It seems you have quite a few stacked up there.
Right now I am planning to start out with 1 hive. :) And I thought the crush and strain method of harvesting honey looked doable. My checkbook would like not having to buy an extractor!
My neighbor down the road is planning on starting a hive next spring also, so we could help each other.
this being a new adventure for me, it is kind of scary! So I am trying to read all I can. Have the bee keeping for dummies book, and reading a bee forum, but have not joined in to ask questions yet. It does all get overwhelming though. I have built a cage for my future hive, complete with electric to keep the bears out. Next will be ordering the boxes.
Thanks for your opinions and ideas.
Michele |
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Peacebird
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Marianne
Afton
Va
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2009 : 04:26:25 AM
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Michele - I am not harvesting this year because my hive is new, and it needs at least 60 pounds of honey to get through the winter. I know how quick they can empty it out too, if they swarm! LOL!
Is there a bee club near you? Mine has an extractor we can all sign up to borrow! I only have 8 frame boxes, due to weight. I can move a box with 8 frames full, 10 would be a problem. Have you looked at the styrofoam hive bodies? My mentor has them and swears by them. Says they keep bees cooler in summer and warmer in winter - and having worked her hives with her I can tell you they are much MUCH lighter. Betterbee sells them, they are less expensive than woodenware too!
http://www.betterbee.com/
Maybe we should have a beekeeping forum here at MJF? Then we could share tips and ask each other questions?
oh - there are a ton of good links here:
http://www.backyardbeekeepers.com/findclub.html
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
Edited by - Peacebird on Aug 04 2009 04:29:05 AM |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4549 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4549 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2009 : 05:39:40 AM
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Thanks Marianne for the helpful advice. There is no local beekeeping club, but there are a few people around I guess. I have been finding lots of info on the internet. though gets over whelming. My neighbor, who wants to get bees also, got me looking at the Top Bar Hives. Or I had looked at the bee max hives, thinking they would be ideal for our climate. I was thinking foundation less. And then we would do the crush and strain method of harvesting honey. I guess the only way to learn is to jump in! Thanks for writing about your adventures!
Michele |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4840 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4840 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2009 : 6:30:04 PM
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Michele, I'm sure you will be a great success! You are one incredible farmgirl and I'm sure you'll master bee keeping in no time!
Dawn in IL |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4549 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4549 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2009 : 03:57:03 AM
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Thanks Dawn for the encouragement. Doing something new is kind of scary!
Michele |
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gardeningLani
Farmgirl in Training
15 Posts
Lani
Rocky Comfort
Missouri
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2009 : 4:54:57 PM
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| I love bees! My husband and I had over 15 hives some 10 yrs ago, but when all the diseases started hitting the bees we sold everything and got out. This year we decided that maybe we would start off again. We now have two hives. One we got out of a bee tree. We had some bad weather and lost alot of trees in our area. The road district called us to say that they had found a tree full of bees and wanted to know if we could come get it. We did and Walla! We're back in business. The second hive was a swarm catch. I was driving to town and saw them hanging on a pipe fence. I went back and got hubby and we collected them that night. So, now we have our bees again. I guess you could say we're organic, we don't use anything on them and their doing wonderful! Just thought I'd post this. Good luck! |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4549 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4549 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2009 : 02:51:43 AM
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Hi Lani,
wow what a neat way to get your bees. Hope you have great luck with them.
I should of said natural bee keeping, not organic oh well. I am just doing lots of reading right now, and hoping to get bees next spring.
Michele |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2009 : 12:37:16 PM
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I don't use chemicals, etc., but I do use the regular frames. A great resource is Beesource:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/
They have entire forums devoted to top-bar hives and biological beekeeping.
Good luck!
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
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Garden Gate: organic bee keeping anyone? |
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organic bee keeping anyone?
