# Anyone else into beekeeping?



## MesquiteMan (Jul 3, 2015)

I have had an interest in beekeeping for the past year or so and finally, this year decided to get into it.  I bought my first hive in March of this year from a yuppy in Austin that was trying to save the world until his girlfriend got stung.  I then caught a swarm, split my original hive into 2, bought 2 Nucs, and caught another swarm for a total of 6 hives now!

The fellow that lives across the street from my mom and the house I grew up in has been keeping bees for 40 years so I asked him to mentor me.  He is 72 and really enjoys taking me to work his 50 or so hives since he gets to make me do all the work!  It has been a very valuable learning experience with him and it has been worth every minute of it!  He was also a high school principle so he is an excellent teacher.  I have learned a ton from him and have worked with other beekeeper that thought I had been doing it for a number of years.  What can I say?  I learn quick and tend to do everything to the fullest!

Of course being a woodworker, I make all my own boxes.  The typical Langstroth (square box, traditional type) hive has a flat top and I wanted something a little different that also sheds the water better.  Being in Texas, I also wanted better ventilation so I built a gabled cover.  The huneycomb cut out has screen behind it to keep things in and bad things out while providing ventilation.  I cut the shape and did the engraving with my CNC router.

Here are some pictures I thought some might enjoy!
















A swarm I recently caught


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## CREID (Jul 3, 2015)

I don't keep bees, but I do have some knowledge of them, specifically it hurts when you get stung about 50 times in about a minute.
I'm sure you will get a great deal of help, I know someone who keeps bees and they seem to be a very sociable group and very helpful.
We need bees, especially now, I don't know about where your from, but out here bees are threatened by pesticides and habitat loss to the point that there are some serious concerns if something isn't done.
There used to be some talk show radio hosts in Texas that are now or were when I moved a couple years ago in Seattle, Maybe you heard of them, The Ron and Don Show. Ron started keeping bees in Maple Valley and used to keep everyone updated on the bees, really interesting, even if it does hurt when they sting. Actually it was wasps that stung me. 
Keep us updated, it is a real interesting subject. Maybe you can cast some honeycomb.
Curt


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## robutacion (Jul 3, 2015)

MesquiteMan said:


> I have had an interest in beekeeping for the past year or so and finally, this year decided to get into it.  I bought my first hive in March of this year from a yuppy in Austin that was trying to save the world until his girlfriend got stung.  I then caught a swarm, split my original hive into 2, bought 2 Nucs, and caught another swarm for a total of 6 hives now!
> 
> The fellow that lives across the street from my mom and the house I grew up in has been keeping bees for 40 years so I asked him to mentor me.  He is 72 and really enjoys taking me to work his 50 or so hives since he gets to make me do all the work!  It has been a very valuable learning experience with him and it has been worth every minute of it!  He was also a high school principle so he is an excellent teacher.  I have learned a ton from him and have worked with other beekeeper that thought I had been doing it for a number of years.  What can I say?  I learn quick and tend to do everything to the fullest!
> 
> Of course being a woodworker, I make all my own boxes.  The typical Langstroth (square box, traditional type) hive has a flat top and I wanted something a little different that also sheds the water better.  Being in Texas, I also wanted better ventilation so I built a gabled cover.  The huneycomb cut out has screen behind it to keep things in and bad things out while providing ventilation.  I cut the shape and did the engraving with my CNC router.



Oh boy..., better you than me, I like to keep my distance, I have had enough bad stories/experiences from bees, working on trees is almost inevitable that one day, you find yourself in big troubles high up from the ground, they don't seem to make a descent device that can be quick enough...!

I like the honey though and chew the comb when full of honey, bees don't taste particularly good either...!:biggrin:

The last time I had a swarm in my front yard Bottles Brushes bushes, no one (some local beekeepers) seemed to be interested so, I had to wait to get dark and cut the branch where the swarm was attached to, into one of the garbage bins, after that some Baygon spray and was all over, never found the queen, though...!

Good luck with it...!

PS: As if you haven't enough flees to scratch on, sort of speak...!

Cheers
George


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## TonyL (Jul 3, 2015)

Very nice designs Curtis. I hope the hobby brings you many decades of pleasure.


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## TellicoTurning (Jul 3, 2015)

I have no interest in bee keeping, but love good honey on a hot butter biscuit.

When I was in high school, my best buddy kept bees as a 4H project... he had about 10 hives I think... he wanted to show me one day and went to one without any protective clothing, opened it up and called me over.. I was chicken and stayed on the road, at least 20 or 30 feet away... I got stung, he didn't. 

My Uncle Roy Burke (long gone now) was pretty famous around his home town in Freestone county as a bee keeper.  Not sure how many hives he had, but he had pretty much given up farming and just worked his bees and sold his honey.  His hives ranged from the square boxes to old hollow logs he cut and just put a top on... 

I like your hive boxes.. very classy.


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## Edgar (Jul 3, 2015)

Very nice hive design, Curtis!
Best wishes with the new hobby.

A fellow from Paris, TX used to bring a flatbed truckload of hives to our place for a few months each year to get honey from Chinese Tallow pollen (we've got a LOT of it around here). He would give us a case of honey each year - best honey I've ever tasted.

Unfortunately, he eventually retired so we haven't had any hives here for over 10 years. We really miss it, but I've just never had the motivation or desire to get into it myself.

This guy was into it commercially and would move his hives to different parts of the state at different times of the year to get access to the best & most pollen that he could. If you ever run into anyone like that who is interested in Chinese Tallow pollen, please have them contact me.


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jul 3, 2015)

Given the decline of honeybees, I think anything that one can do to help is a good thing (and no, I'm not a Yuppie!  

I always thought that fresh honey sounds great - but I'm accident-prone, and allergic to everything - so I made the prudent call to pass on beekeeping! :biggrin:


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## Smitty37 (Jul 3, 2015)

Good Luck Curtis, for the last several years there have been serious declines in the honey bee population some think it is pesticides but I wouldn't make bets on that, pesticides were used for years without adverse effects on bee keepers but now they seem to be unable to keep their hives thriving.


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## alphageek (Jul 3, 2015)

I have a friend up here that keeps bees and makes some different materials from the by products.

It's a cool hobby and I'm glad to see it as bees are so important to life as a whole.

The only problem she has is that it can be tough sometimes to keep the alive through our winters up here.


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## MesquiteMan (Jul 3, 2015)

Yes, bees are in decline.  It is due to a combination of issues and there is no definitive scientific proof of any of them but it is believed to be a combination of issues.  Newer pesticides that are grown into the plant, monoculture (huge corporate farms of single crops), new pests, and new diseases are all suspect in combination.  My mentor has been keeping bees for 40 years.  There is a new mite that was first discovered in the US in 1987 that is decimating untreated hives.  There is also a new beetle from Africa that was just discovered in the US in 1996 that can wipe out an already weak hive in a matter of days.  There is also relatively new fungus that weakens colonies.  All of these together have been really hurting the bees.

It is said that one out of every three bites of food in your diet is directly linked to honey bees and their pollination.  Supposedly, without bees we would not have almonds or pears at all.  Many other crops would be significantly affected to the point production would not be high enough to be sustainable.

All that said, bees are not on the verge of extinction as many in the media would have you believe.  Sure, lost of colonies are being lost but lots of new colonies are also being created.  For example, I took one strong, healthy hive and split it into two.  I let them make a new queen and now I have 2 new strong hives.  This is done every day all around the world among beekeepers.  Most beekeepers are increasing their numbers annually.  It is kind of like buying wood...when you keep bees, you start out only planning to have 1 or 3 colonies.  When I started in March, I only planned for one and I now have 6.  Next year I will probably have 12-15.  It is addicting!


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## Smitty37 (Jul 3, 2015)

MesquiteMan said:


> Yes, bees are in decline.  It is due to a combination of issues and there is no definitive scientific proof of any of them but it is believed to be a combination of issues.  Newer pesticides that are grown into the plant, monoculture (huge corporate farms of single crops), new pests, and new diseases are all suspect in combination.  My mentor has been keeping bees for 40 years.  There is a new mite that was first discovered in the US in 1987 that is decimating untreated hives.  There is also a new beetle from Africa that was just discovered in the US in 1996 that can wipe out an already weak hive in a matter of days.  There is also relatively new fungus that weakens colonies.  All of these together have been really hurting the bees.
> 
> It is said that one out of every three bites of food in your diet is directly linked to honey bees and their pollination.  Supposedly, without bees we would not have almonds or pears at all.  Many other crops would be significantly affected to the point production would not be high enough to be sustainable.
> 
> All that said, bees are not on the verge of extinction as many in the media would have you believe.  Sure, lost of colonies are being lost but lots of new colonies are also being created.  For example, I took one strong, healthy hive and split it into two.  I let them make a new queen and now I have 2 new strong hives.  This is done every day all around the world among beekeepers.  Most beekeepers are increasing their numbers annually.  It is kind of like buying wood...when you keep bees, you start out only planning to have 1 or 3 colonies.  When I started in March, I only planned for one and I now have 6.  Next year I will probably have 12-15.  It is addicting!


I had heard about the mite....which is why I said I would not be too sure about pesticides. It's good that some are coming back strongly.


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## WIDirt (Jul 3, 2015)

I have always wanted to keep bees, and I have about a dozen books on the subject and many, many plans for building hives, supers, etc. However, being highly allergic to bee stings....

So, I continue to dream.

...Mmmmmm, fresh honey....... Mmmmmmm!


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## MesquiteMan (Jul 3, 2015)

cdirto said:


> I have always wanted to keep bees, and I have about a dozen books on the subject and many, many plans for building hives, supers, etc. However, being highly allergic to bee stings....
> 
> So, I continue to dream.
> 
> ...Mmmmmm, fresh honey....... Mmmmmmm!



Are you truly allergic to the point of anaphylactic shock where you need to carry an epi-pen?  Many folks say they are allergic but they are just sensitive and swell up.  This is quite normal with bee stings.  When I first started, I was working some Afracanized (killer bees) with my mentor and got stung through my gloves 6 or 7 times.  My hand swelled up and itched but that was it.  Even if you are truly allergic, you can get shots that will eliminate it in many people.  There are a number of commercial beekeepers on a bee forum I frequent that used to be truly allergic to bee stings.  Now they are not after the shots.


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## tbroye (Jul 3, 2015)

Years ago my good friend and driver of our race raised bee and i would help him.  Fresh honey is good. Loved it my Coffee in morning nice flavor to the coffee.  Have fun, good looking hives.  That's on left getting some air.


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## MesquiteMan (Jul 3, 2015)

I had heard about the mite....which is why I said I would not be too sure about pesticides. It's good that some are coming back strongly.[/quote]

Varroa Mites are just a contributing factor.  All US hives pretty much have them but they are manageable.  As a matter of fact, a new treatment was just approved by the EPA for them.  It uses wood bleach which is Oxalic Acid in a vaporizer that heats up and sublimates it in the hive.  It kills 98.9% of the mites in a hive with one application if done at the right time of the year.  Other times of the year, you apply 3 applications each 5 days apart and it also kills 98.9%.  Oxalic Acid is an organic acid and is found in spinach, rhubarb, and even lettuce.  The mites will not kill a colony unless they get out of control.

The newer systemic pesticides HAVE been proven to cause many problems with honeybees but they are not the sole contributor.  Look up neonicotinoids and bees for more info if you wan to verify this.  Again, it is a combination of things.

And I would not say they are coming back.  This practice has been going on since man first started keeping bees.  In the past, they just did not loose colonies like they do now.  You also have an over active media involved as well.  

Just like the so called "killer bees".  Their sting is no more potent than a regular honey bee and they can still only sting once each.  As a matter of fact, you can not tell them apart by looks except under a microscope and by DNA.  They are a lot more aggressive though while the normal European Honeybee is very docile.  When you disturb a Africanized (killer bee) colony, they come out in force and attack.  I have worked with them and have experienced them first hand.  They are prevalent in Texas to the point that some Africanized genetics are most likely in all Texas bees.  I have had to exterminate 3 Africanized colonies in the past 3 months.  Many times, you can fix them by finding and killing the queen, then introducing a new queen.  Once they get big, however, they will not accept a new queen, thus my need to get rid of them for folks.  The swarm I caught in the pics above ended up being real aggressive once they built up so I killed the queen and bought one from Hawaii and introduced here.  I checked today and all was well, they have accepted her.


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## MesquiteMan (Jul 3, 2015)

Speaking of queens...can you spot the queen in this photo?  Hint, she is in the middle of the frame and looks different.


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## CREID (Jul 3, 2015)

MesquiteMan said:


> Speaking of queens...can you spot the queen in this photo?  Hint, she is in the middle of the frame and looks different.


 Noooooooooo I don't like pictures of bees, I remember those movies.


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## Janster (Jul 3, 2015)

I was interested and looked into it but it
 is not legal to keep em' in the city where I reside!


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## mecompco (Jul 3, 2015)

My BIL is into it--he lives a couple hundred yards down the road from me. Lost one or two of his three hives over the winter. They sure do make some tasty honey and I've used some of the wax for my mustache wax recipe. Kinda funny, he had a trail cam up and got pix of a black bear investigating the hives. I've lived here all my life (51 years) and have never seen hide nor hair of a black bear before this. He now has an electric fence up around the hives.

Sure seems like a lot of work for a fairly small return, but I guess the "bottom line" is not the object, like in many other hobbies. 

Regards,
Michael


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## manik (Jul 3, 2015)

My dad used to have a couple of hives. Collected honey sold it at work and and sent some to my Uncle who made Baklava from it. Those were good Christmases.

A lady at work asked him to show her how to manage bee hives and then she started selling honey at work.....sigh

He got out of it after a while, he got older and it was too much for him.

I heard a report on NPR this past week about industrial honey management and how large industrialized farms are starting to keep their own bees and not move them around on flatbeds as the stress and bad diet is contributing to the colonies collapsing.

One guy, on the program, said he was in the bee management for 30 years and gets $50k for 3 weeks managing bees on an industrial farm, and they are provided by someone else.

Not sure how much of this is true, but it may be one of those "dirty jobs" that soemone does, but we never think to ask about.

Good luck with the hives and maybe you can find an "Uncle" to make you some baklava.


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## Smitty37 (Jul 3, 2015)

MesquiteMan said:


> Speaking of queens...can you spot the queen in this photo?  Hint, she is in the middle of the frame and looks different.


Fairly easy to spot --- the queen is much larger and usually does have somewhat a different look.  When I heard about the mites they really didn't know what to do about them yet.  I had heard some time ago that the African bees had pretty well spread throughout Texas - I don't think they have gotten as far north as Delaware in any significent numbers yet though.


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## maxwell_smart007 (Jul 3, 2015)

Killer Bees Sting Texas Man to Death : People.com


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## CREID (Jul 3, 2015)

Killer Bees, I seen that movie too.


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## sbwertz (Jul 4, 2015)

My brother is considering putting a couple of hives on his property with these boxes

This Amazing New Beehive Design Allows You To Have Raw Honey On Tap | Collective-Evolution


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## BJohn (Jul 14, 2015)

I too have thought about putting in a hive or two, my veggie garden did not do very good this spring. Tons of blooms on the cucumbers and tomatoes but very very few of either. I do believe it was a lack of bees to pollinate them. I actually played honey bee and went around with a Q-Tip that helped get some, but boy I missed those bee's.

Curtis i was wondering what we might talk about during the breaks at SWAT but I guess we might talk bee's.


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## 76winger (Jul 14, 2015)

Ron in Indianapolis (rej19) has gotten into beekeeping also. 
http://www.penturners.org/forum/member.php?u=5497


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## MesquiteMan (Jul 15, 2015)

BJohn said:


> I too have thought about putting in a hive or two, my veggie garden did not do very good this spring. Tons of blooms on the cucumbers and tomatoes but very very few of either. I do believe it was a lack of bees to pollinate them. I actually played honey bee and went around with a Q-Tip that helped get some, but boy I missed those bee's.
> 
> Curtis i was wondering what we might talk about during the breaks at SWAT but I guess we might talk bee's.



John,  We can certainly do that!  One thing to keep in mind, though...tomatoes are not pollinated by honeybees!  In your garden, cucumbers, squash, watermelons, and others cucurbits as well as okra, beans and peas are though!


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## Fatdawg (Jul 15, 2015)

My neighbor has taken me under his wing this year and has started teaching about the process. He has 100 hives across 12 locations. My wife and I produce maple syrup in the spring, and my neighbor offered to show us the ropes of beekeeping to expand.


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## MikeinSC (Jul 16, 2015)

I've been too late to the party the last two years to get a hive started. My plans include planting about 3/4 acre in clover and wild flower mix and have a few hives. The previous owner of my house tried to cut a new driveway through the wooded portion of the property. Some of it I've kept cleared back and has a 30' deep treeline to break the westward winds. I always thought thatd be a good place to keep my bees out of prevailing winds, etc but the downside is no winter sun to keep the hive warm. 

Maybe this year I'll get hives ready early enough to move in bees in the spring. That way they can build enough honey stores without having to feed them sugar water all winter long.


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## rej19 (Aug 18, 2015)

Curtis, I just saw this conversation. This is my 3rd year beekeeping. I presently have 3 hives doing well. I have split them and gave a friend a good start. We just harvested about 80# off of 2 of them. I am leaving the 3rd alone as it was a little weak coming out of winter. It is a great family hobby. We love harvesting and fixing those hot biscuits on extraction day! I have bought a small bee suit for the grandkids to share and they love helping. Your design is very nice. Keep us posted on your progress. Here's a small portion of this year honey.


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## Michael67 (Aug 19, 2015)

Has anyone seen the new hive design from Australia?  It is called "Flow Hive" it looks really cool.


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## leaycraft (Aug 19, 2015)

I have kept bees in the past, got wiped out with mites, have cleaned up equipment, want to start again next spring.  Kept them for 10 years or so (that was pre-spouse-  30 yrs ago).  Love the hobby and will restart soon.


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## MesquiteMan (Aug 19, 2015)

If you had problems with mites, you may want to consider Oxalic Acid Vaporization.  You need to buy or build a vaporizer that you connect to a battery and heat up the OA.  This vaporizes it and fills the hive.  The OA vapor is 98% effective on mites but does no harm to bees, brood, or the queen.  It has been used in Europe for nearly 20 years and just got approved by the EPA in the US earlier this year.  It is considered the most effective tool we have against mites.

BTW, Oxalic Acid is also known as wood bleach and is a natural acid found in spinach, rhubarb, honey, and many other foods.


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## rej19 (Aug 20, 2015)

Michael, I have seen only videos of the Flow Hive. I think the jury is still out on it. They did a great job getting investors that is for sure. It is expensive and it may be fine on a small scale but if you going to have several hives not sure it would be cost effective. Plus there is nothing that is going to replace getting into your hives and doing inspections etc. I would certainly like to try one though!


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## silent soundly (Aug 20, 2015)

Every time I see this thread on the front page, I misread it as "Anyone else into bookkeeping?" I just think to myself, who would be into bookkeeping?


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## Dave S (Aug 31, 2015)

I've kept bees on and off for almost 50 years. It's true a lot of challenges that were not there then. Swarms were plentiful and not many hive losses. Now very few swarms and feral bees are a thing of the past in my area at least. almost every swarm I see of hear of are near a bee keeper's yard. I also remember when the government guaranteed 60 cents a pound to keep us in business, before that I would get less than 45 cents sometimes. Now I get $7.00 a pound at local markets and I hear of $15.00 in some big city's. With all  the challenges we have today I still don't make over $10.00 per hour (I retired from a  job that paid over 4 ort 5 times that, best move I ever made) but I'm having a blast selling all my honey retail, even have a honor stand down by the road, never stole from, sometimes over paid with a note "no change will even up next time". 
Their are a lot of claims being made about "real" honey, bee stings etc. one thing I know for sure is I had severe arthritis in my knee (before replacement) and I couldn't wait for spring to work the bee's and get the occasional sting, after 6 or 8 stings the pain would be reduced 10 fold any medication my doctor would give me. I have also sold bees for sting therapy, probably the most profitable thing I do with bees, still not much money for the time and investment, but again enjoyable, fun work.
Dave


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## sbwertz (Aug 31, 2015)

Michael67 said:


> Has anyone seen the new hive design from Australia?  It is called "Flow Hive" it looks really cool.



Back up to page 3, half way down the page I posted a link to an article on them.

Sharon


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## WoodCarverOH (Sep 4, 2015)

Curtis check this guy out.
He does bee keeping also and uses his cnc to design some impressive hives.

CNC Shark Forum &bull; View topic - Some Bee Equipment


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## Curly (Oct 31, 2015)

I was poking around on "FacePlant" and saw this and immediately thought of you guys. Anyone seen or tried this kind of hive system  before?


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## Jgrden (Oct 31, 2015)

How do you find time???  You are a busy guy.


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## WIDirt (Nov 6, 2015)

MesquiteMan said:


> cdirto said:
> 
> 
> > I have always wanted to keep bees, and I have about a dozen books on the subject and many, many plans for building hives, supers, etc. However, being highly allergic to bee stings....
> ...



Sorry for the delay in responding. Yes, anaphylactic shock. I am allergic to every insect that stings. A mosquito raises a welt on me over 2" in diameter.
When I was 10, I was given a brand new Hodaka 100 dirt bike for my birthday. The following weekend, we went to the Beatty sand dunes in Nevada. (I grew up in Las Vegas) I was the first one up Saturday morning, and before anyone could stop me, I was on the bike and headed for the dunes 1/2 mile away. (You couldn't camp on or ride on the dunes at night. Don't know if that still applies or not.) I never made it. I hit a pucker bush and went down. On an anthill... I only got stung once. By the time I got back to camp, with out the bike, I could barely breathe and my arm was almost twice as big as it should have been. My uncle, a surgeon at Sunrise Hospital, later Sunrise Humana, was with us and pumped me full of  some antivenom, I know not what. The only thing that did was make breathing easier. I didn't get to ride my new bike for almost 2 weeks after that.....

I spent the next 5 weeks having allergy tests done. I react to everything.

I have been told I should have an epi with me always. I still won't carry one, and I have a see it/kill it policy with any insect that can sting/bite.  

My wife and my mother have discussed the situation, and I have been very firmly told, "No, you may not have bees" by SWMBO....


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## steamshovel (Nov 6, 2015)

I'm not scared by bees, wasps, spiders, snakes and so on. They are all a wonder. I saw on TV awhile back about someone using bees for detecting drugs and was quite interesting. They are fast and accurate. 


Preston


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## rej19 (May 3, 2016)

Curtis, how about an update on the beekeeping. All of my hives made it through the mild winter here in Indiana. I have put out a top bar hive just for fun. I captured a swarm about a week ago and that's what I have installed in the top bar. Looking good so far! Very interesting and rewarding hobby.


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