Bees, Bees, and More Bees!!!

[so lucky]

I know almost nothing about beekeeping but admire both the keeper and the bees. Do you suppose the unusually warm winter we had in the midwest had anything to do with the excess of bees this spring? Or could it be that their natural wild habitats are disappearing and they are seeking homes in people-occupied places more frequently?

 

[JimWWhite]

This has been an unusual year for bees here in central NC. At least that's what the more experienced beekeepers tell us. They've been swarming more than normal this year and no one seems to know why. It could be we had a very mild winter and a warm spring. One thing I can tell you is that the Colony Collapse Disorder hasn't been happening here. At least not within our beekeepers' association. What we've been told is that CCD is something almost entirely confined to the large commercial beekeepers who move them all over the country from field to field on big 18-wheelers. It's thought the constant moving, changing diets, and the stress of it all is just too much for the bees and they just give up and quit thriving until the colony just dwindles out of existence. It's not like they're dying in place in the hives. What they're finding is that when they go look in the hive it's been completely abandoned with very few dead bees, if any. And normally a whole colony won't abandon the hive. Normally half the hive swarms with the old queen and goes to find a new home leaving a new queen and half the workers and foragers behind to build the colony back up.

Anyways, I have a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about beekeeping and possibly start keeping them. It's something great to get into and totally fascinating. Not only will you be collecting your own honey but you'll be helping your garden, your neighbors' gardens, and any farmers in the immediate area. And to me the greatest benefit is that your efforts will be helping Mother Nature do her job. The book I enjoy the most is: The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum. The subtitle 'An Absolute Beginner's Guild to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden' says it all. And there are a bunch of others that are really helpful and go into a lot more detail. This book has a lot of colored pictures and is written for the beginner. Highly recommended by just such a person!

Jim

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Anyways, I have a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about beekeeping and possibly start keeping them. It's something great to get into and totally fascinating. Not only will you be collecting your own honey but you'll be helping your garden, your neighbors' gardens, and any farmers in the immediate area. And to me the greatest benefit is that your efforts will be helping Mother Nature do her job. The book I enjoy the most is: The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum. The subtitle 'An Absolute Beginner's Guild to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden' says it all. And there are a bunch of others that are really helpful and go into a lot more detail. This book has a lot of colored pictures and is written for the beginner. Highly recommended by just such a person!

Jim

That sounds great. I've been looking for a good beekeeping book for hubby's birthday since he wants to start keeping bees. I'll see if I can find it.

 

[JimWWhite]

I know almost nothing about beekeeping but admire both the keeper and the bees. Do you suppose the unusually warm winter we had in the midwest had anything to do with the excess of bees this spring? Or could it be that their natural wild habitats are disappearing and they are seeking homes in people-occupied places more frequently?

So Lucky, it's my opinion that bees are going to be where they can find food. And during this recession we've been clawing our way out of for the past three years, more and more people have been growing their own gardens, orchards, etc. which attracts them. And I also think that farmers are using much less of the harsh chemicals on their crops than they have in the past and this may be helping them to revive. As I mentioned earlier the CCD is a concern but it may be an anomaly within the colonies of the commercial beekeepers. Bees are very prolific and will double or even triple the size of their colony in just a few weeks to a few months if conditions are good. We started two of our hives in march with about 12,000 bees in each of the packages we bought. Two and a half months later I'd bet there are almost 45,000 bees in each of the hives. And yes, I think the mild winter and the warm spring we've had has had a positive effect on the colonies.