Author Topic: Young woman looking to join the beekeeping world! (Read 40757 times)

LindsayBrower1 · « **Reply #20 on:** January 07, 2014, 10:01:57 pm »

Thanks Tecumseh! We do have bears here! We actually had one consistently showing up for about a year... Haven't seen it in awhile though... Luckily my husband is an electrician we were thinking about setting up a hot wire to fence the hives in. One hit from that should discourage them

lazy shooter · « **Reply #21 on:** January 08, 2014, 08:16:13 am »

Welcome aboard Lindsey. As others have stated, this is a friendly group of beekeepers. You look to be a good fit for this group. The boys and you make a beautiful picture, and i'm sure hubby is a nice looking guy. It gladdens my heart to see kids in pictures. Blueblood and some of the other posters also have beautiful children. Those youngsters will be interested in the bees.

Efmesch, one of our more educated and knowledgeable beekeepers, gives good advice about self sufficiency. However, having your own honey, beeswax, and other bee byproducts will certainly assist you in your quest for self sufficiency. April will make me three years with the bees. Initially, my reason for having bees was to give something back to nature. Now the bees make feel so good, that I feel like I am taking something from nature.

Beware that like all things in life, keeping bees is sometimes stressful.

Hey, order you a hive and stay with us.

lazy

Gary · « **Reply #22 on:** January 08, 2014, 10:03:09 am »

Lindsey,
Welcome. I think you'll find beekeeping tremendously satisfying and you are really doing something beneficial. I just started last year and I am surprised at how well the outcome has been. Not fully self sufficient but the proceeds from the sale of honey will allow me to double the number of hives I have and still leave enough to purchase feed and other needed supplies with a decent profit remaining. Some of the books will tell you not to expect any honey the first year and that could happen. I am simply an example of just the opposite. Dive right in. I've found that the best teacher as with most things is just doing it. If you can, I suggest you start with at least 2 hives so you can contrast and share between hives if you need to. Great advice on this forum.
Gary

robo · « **Reply #23 on:** January 08, 2014, 10:20:31 am »

Quote from: LindsayBrower1 on January 07, 2014, 10:01:57 pm

We do have bears here!

We will have an in-depth discussion about bears and dealing with them in the next session. Some great pictures too

riverbee · « **Reply #24 on:** January 08, 2014, 11:13:26 am »

just to add to what robo said lindsay about bears; myself and crofter utilize e fencing . i would get the fence up and running first before you place your hives, and not the other way around....

LindsayBrower1 · « **Reply #25 on:** January 08, 2014, 01:57:15 pm »

Great Riverbee and Rob! I don't want to have to resort to my BB gun method to get them out of here again haha!!! They can cause quite the havoc !

riverbee · « **Reply #26 on:** January 08, 2014, 02:40:21 pm »

bb gun?........lol!

when's lunch?.........or rather WHAT'S for lunch.......

LindsayBrower1 · « **Reply #27 on:** January 08, 2014, 02:48:40 pm »

Oh my he's a big one!!!! Hahaha yes Riverbee my husband was out working a night shift and I heard something flipping around the gang box outside... Sure enough it was the bear trying to make yet another garbage mess so I grabbed the BB gun just to scare him off, I hung out of my bedroom window and 3 shots was enough to get him to leave

I can't even imagine what they would do to a hive :'(

LindsayBrower1 · « **Reply #28 on:** January 08, 2014, 02:50:13 pm »

Your bear would need a few extra pumps in the old BB gun lol!

riverbee · « **Reply #29 on:** January 08, 2014, 04:43:43 pm »

"Your bear would need a few extra pumps in the old BB gun lol!"

........ too funny, i am still giggliing about the bb gun story.....! and yes, i can tell you personally that bears are very destructive on beehives, not to mention the thousands of angry bees that think you look like a bear after you discover what the bear did....
this is one of those circumstance where wearing shorts and no veil is not the prescribed method to salvage what you can....
oh and forgetting the smoker......

efmesch · « **Reply #30 on:** January 09, 2014, 11:41:48 am »

Quote from: Gary on January 08, 2014, 10:03:09 am

..... I've found that the best teacher as with most things is just doing it.

I won't say you're completely wrong, but with bees, there is a risk factor, you might just end up doing it wrong. The best teacher is an experienced beek with enthusiasm. Next best is the written word.

G3farms · « **Reply #31 on:** January 14, 2014, 05:34:38 am »

Welcome to the forum!

Marty68 · « **Reply #32 on:** January 14, 2014, 08:06:52 am »

welcome lindsay. new to this also and having fun doing it. lots of info here.

Gary · « **Reply #33 on:** January 14, 2014, 10:31:03 am »

I agree Ef. To have a mentor guiding you as you "dive right in" and to read, read, read is absolutely necessary.

iddee · « **Reply #34 on:** January 14, 2014, 01:07:17 pm »

""..... I've found that the best teacher as with most things is just doing it""

Also, many times the best teacher charges the most for their instructions. Sometimes it is a thriftier way to go by choosing the next best.

Gary · « **Reply #35 on:** January 14, 2014, 04:40:26 pm »

I have a pretty good mentor but most of the time when I am examining frames or working in the out yards, I am there alone. I have learned so much just by getting out there and doing the best I can based on guidance from sites like this, books or a call to my mentor. Just takes a lot of experience as you (Idee and Ef) have to learn what is best. And in this rather solitary wonderful endeavor, it takes a while to connect all the dots. I've found that there is so much guidance, so much information, so many different ways to do things that it takes a while to sort through that maze of information to get it right. I'm glad I made the decision to get out there and just do it last year even though I've made more than a few mistakes; thankfully none fatal to very many bees.

Perry · « **Reply #36 on:** January 14, 2014, 07:30:54 pm »

Hey Gary. A great piece of beekeeping advice I read on one of the forums was this: When in doubt........do nothing!
There have been a few times where I did just that. I reached a point where I really couldn't seem to make up my mind as to what to do, and decided the bees probably did.

efmesch · « **Reply #37 on:** January 15, 2014, 02:50:51 am »

Gary, I don't think I could disagree with you. No matter who mentors you and how much you may have read, as you stand there behind the open hive with the bees doing their thing (whatever it may be at the time of day, season of year, etc.) YOU are the one who has to make the final decision and, as you make more and more over the years (both good and bad decisions) you'll learn the art and become a "real" beekeeper.
It's all a matter of getting the right blend of advice, demonstrations, reading and doing. As long as you keep with it, you'll keep learning and improving

Gary · « **Reply #38 on:** January 15, 2014, 10:01:31 am »

Thanks Ef. At 71 I pray that I will have enough time to learn sufficiently to help lots of troubled soldiers with PTSD learn how to keep bees. I've read everything I can get my hands on, watched so many videos that I am beginning to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff, bothered too many other beekeepers with questions, and spent as much time inside the hives as I can without meddling too much. In the process I've discovered that I am absolutely smitten by bees and have a greater appreciation for this creation we are blessed to live as a part of.

LindsayBrower1 · « **Reply #39 on:** January 15, 2014, 02:24:21 pm »

Thank you guys! I went to my first bee club on Monday and it was amazing! A lot of great feedback and so many ways people do things! It's really giving me the opportunity to find my own personal path. I also became so fascinated by reading the backyard bee keeper I could hardly bring myself to put it down. I've got some great support here ( thank goodness!!!) and I'm looking forward to this springs journey. I've also found that some people are willing to help from the heart and some are looking for profit ( I understand). I will take my knowledge one day and "pay it forward" the way it has come to me.