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Beekeeping

michaelskis

michaelskis

Sawdust Producer
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My oldest has sparked an interest in beekeeping. He saw an episode of ask this old house where they set up a beehive. The next episode they harvested the honey. We are going to wait one more year until we get a little more settled in after we move, but it is something that I though would be a great hobby for him, in addition to basic gardening.

Does anyone in here keep bees? If so how do you like it? We are going to spend this summer learning about it, getting books from the library, and visiting some local people who have bee hives.
 
I haven't kept bees but I've been interested in it for some time. I read a book about starting out in beekeeping and based on that it sounded rather simple.
 
I spent a semester last year studying bees and colony collapse disorder for an environmental class. They're interesting little creatures. I think my father keeps bees, or is going to... not sure... Some communities have clubs/non-profits where you can go do it with a group/learn about it - I know Vancouver does. Maybe look and see if one of those is nearby?
 
You of course have looked at this website - http://www.michiganbees.org/

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Does anyboy's fair city zoning code allows for bee hives within city limits ?
 
michaelskis said:
My oldest has sparked an interest in beekeeping. He saw an episode of ask this old house where they set up a beehive. The next episode they harvested the honey. We are going to wait one more year until we get a little more settled in after we move, but it is something that I though would be a great hobby for him, in addition to basic gardening.

Does anyone in here keep bees? If so how do you like it? We are going to spend this summer learning about it, getting books from the library, and visiting some local people who have bee hives.
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I have a colleague who is a big name in beekeeping around here & we've discussed at length when we've worked together. I suggest doing thorough research and visiting several beekeepers before jumping in to a commitment to keeping animals. A half-way step is mason bees, no honey but pollination services.
 
My paternal grandfather used to have 20-30 hives. He'd harvest the honey of a few of them. He mainly did it for the pollination benefit as he had a huge garden and small orchard. I used to help him capture swarms of bees to start new hives. I'd climb up into trees and cut the limb that the swarms were on. I'd ether carry it down or lower it by rope. I started when i was in my early teens with the understanding that he would tell my mother and I wouldn't tell grandmother. He was a woodworker and he made his own bee boxes (deep supers, supers, and frames). My father and maternal grandfather kept a couple of hives for pollination. After my paternal grandfather died, my father gave away most of my grandfathers stuff to folks getting started. I'd found out I was allergic to honey bee stings and most other bees and wasp; so I wasn't interested. I do have his old smoker that you use to calm the bees when you open the hives. It's a neat reminder of the time I spent with him.
 
My tailor started beekeeping on a whim last year on a small plot of rural land he bought that he plans to build a small house on once he retires. This year he was selling his own honey that he had made and it's really good. I know nothing more about beekeeping except that he seemed surprised at how easy it was to get going.
 
Big Owl said:
My paternal grandfather used to have 20-30 hives. He'd harvest the honey of a few of them. He mainly did it for the pollination benefit as he had a huge garden and small orchard. I used to help him capture swarms of bees to start new hives. I'd climb up into trees and cut the limb that the swarms were on. I'd ether carry it down or lower it by rope. I started when i was in my early teens with the understanding that he would tell my mother and I wouldn't tell grandmother. He was a woodworker and he made his own bee boxes (deep supers, supers, and frames). My father and maternal grandfather kept a couple of hives for pollination. After my paternal grandfather died, my father gave away most of my grandfathers stuff to folks getting started. I'd found out I was allergic to honey bee stings and most other bees and wasp; so I wasn't interested. I do have his old smoker that you use to calm the bees when you open the hives. It's a neat reminder of the time I spent with him.
Click to expand...

That is a great story! Well, except for the part about you being allergic to bee stings.



A neighbor friend of mine has a hive that has been quite successful. He got started about 4 years ago and was able to successfully overwinter his bees thus far. He said that anytime I want to bring my oldest over, he will give us a tour of his hive and show my oldest what can be expected in bee keeping.

I downloaded the plans on how to make a langstroth beehive, so for this summer, our project will be to make the supers, frames, and other parts. I think it might be a good way to teach him about woodworking too.
 
My mom tells me stories of my grandfather raising bees. He and his neighbor didn't get along so the neighbor complained. The city came out to tell him no bees. He was going to be okay with it since it was just a hobby, but the paper got wind of it and wrote up some nasty articles about the horrible city taking a poor old mans hobby away from him and the city decided to drop the whole thing. Damn evil planners!
 
At the moment I am still concentrating on my orchard, but expect I will get into beekeeping at some point in the future.
 
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