Honeybees

[AlittleSalt]

I was replying to a PM and wanted to show the person a picture of what I was writing about. Our son wants to get into raising honeybees, and I know that some of you are beekeepers. (I will probably misword several things )

The bees would be kept on our property. There are already honeybees nesting here and have been for at least the 24 years we've lived here. They nest in a hollow part of an oak tree in our back yard. None of us have ever been stung by them. Most of you already know this, but we live out in the middle of nowhere, so the bees wouldn't be bothering anyone.

Edit - I meant to add that I would like to read about your bees, experience/s, and see other pictures, etc. That's why I didn't post this in the pictures section.

Here are some pictures:

[ako1974]

Very cool! Feral hives are neat. I currently have 6 hives - one is dying (they killed all the queens I've tried to keep in the hive). It's a really fun hobby. Just like gardening, you constantly learn. This is my 8th year.

If you have other beeks in the area - or a local club - it would be great to find a mentor. Talking through things - the many, many iterations of things that can go right, wrong, or in the middle - is extremely helpful. As well as having hands-on guidance from an experienced beek.

The "killing the queen" thing can just happen. And it created what's known as a laying worker. Without the queen's hormone for acceptance among the colony or suppression of the workers' urge to lay eggs (workers have undeveloped ovaries, but can lay eggs in these kinds of situations), that hive is a drone factory - none of the eggs are fertilized, so they're all boys. Probably TMI right now!

Good luck!

[Lastfling]

Like a lot of things they never do what you want them to. Haha
IMG_0945.jpg

2 creeks and a pond within a few hundred feet yet where do they prefer to drink ... the humidifier hose discharge. Their own designated parking place in the driveway 😊

This is my second year. After a failure to carry over from last year I had to start fresh this spring. Only advantage I had was already having the equipment .





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[Worth1]

I see it but will let the experts chime in first.
We raised bees when I was a young one.
First hive is a long story.
Thinking about getting some bees myself.
Everything seems to be going good at work.

Worth

[SteveP]

Is there very much of a threat of bees becoming Africanized in Texas? I think bee keeping would be a great hobby. Sadly I haven't seen any bees this year and I have a decent amount of clover in my lawn.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by SteveP

Is there very much of a threat of bees becoming Africanized in Texas? I think bee keeping would be a great hobby. Sadly I haven't seen any bees this year and I have a decent amount of clover in my lawn.

Yes there is and they are aggressive.
Just another learning curve.
Nothing like any of the stupid crap in the movies.
Learn your bees and how to deal with them.
Bees do NOT like dark colors and the smell of fear.
Worth.

[AlittleSalt]

I always wear a plain white T shirt when I go out to that tree. I've never seen a bee keepers outfit that wasn't white.

[dmforcier]

Is that the Bee Tree from Fried Green Tomatoes?




Idgie was brave but she wasn't stupid. Bees are cool.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I always wear a plain white T shirt when I go out to that tree. I've never seen a bee keepers outfit that wasn't white.

I had never realized that about colors, but you are right about the keepers outfits.

[brownrexx]

I am not the beekeeper in the family, hubby is - but I do help out. We have 4 hives so I never have a problem with pollination in my garden. We had several swarms this year which we gave away to another beekeeper. I will attach pics of some swarms from last year.

[brownrexx]

Here is how we get a swarm into a new hive box. We park our buggy with the empty box under the swarm and then just shake the branch over the box. As long as the queen falls into the box all 10 - 20,00 of the rest of the bees will follow her inside. Within an hour or two they will all be inside and settling into their new home.

It is impressive to see a wild hive in a tree though. That is very rare these days with all of the diseases that now affect honeybees.

[Spartanburg123]

This is just soooo cool!!!!

[AlittleSalt]

brownrexx, I had only seen bees like that in cartoons (Bugs Bunny days) and movies/TV. (The pictures in post #10.) It is amazing.

AKO1974, not TMI. All the Info you want to share - the better. My son is a member here too - although he doesn't post very much. I know he does read here. He is in his mid 20s.

Worth, in many ways adashofpepper is interested in a lot of stuff you are interested in. Today, he showed me a knife he made. The best comparison is to Old Hickory knives with a much better handle made from trees on or property. He wants bees - he will make it happen.

Lastfling, bees in a hose - it is funny in a way. I know it's not where you wanted them.

I don't know anything about honeybees other than they are here naturally in that tree and the experiences I have seen. I do know that they are European honeybees, they like anything sweet including hummingbird feeders and recycle cola and orange drink cans. When there is a swarm they fly in circles of what looks like hundreds or even thousands. I was told that is when the hive has more than one queen and part of them are relocating.

There is a whole lot to learn.

[Lastfling]

A swarm is usually because the hive has become overcrowded and to make space it splits - the old queen and roughly half of the bees leaving. Those staying behind have raised a new queen or queens. The first queen to hatch will kill those who haven't. This virgin queen will need to make a mating flight at which point she hopefully returns to begin a career of egg laying in the hive. And... the cycle continues.

As mentioned a feral hive that has lasted several or more years is a rarity in this day and time. The varroa mite has been deadly to hives causing the collapse of many colonies.

If the ones you have are true survivors and not different colonies occupying the same space (tree) over time they are a treasure, as that would imply they had a resistance to the conditions that might cause a colony to collapse.

[Worth1]

From what I remember the workers feed some of the babies royal jelly to make Queens in queen cells.

What we call a couch potato these days was once called a drone.
They are worthless do nothing but hang around and eat.
In the fall the workers kick them out to die.
I have watched them do it, sort of sad in a way.
They keep trying to come back into the hive only to be push back out in the cold.

Worth