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There is talk in our house of getting a bee hive! My hubby has had some experience with them but I am worried this is not a good idea. I love working in my yard and have read that some hives are territorial even when you are nowhere near their home. Yikes!

Getting stung is definetly part of beekeeping. Sometimes they are agressive and sometimes not. Most of the time you can stand right next to the hive and not be bothered. Sometimes they will get you just walking past several feet away. We have three hives and I think one is more agressive than the other 2, so I surmise that some bees are cantankerous and some aren't.If they are a problem you can sell them, more and more people are getting bee hives. But you will get stung unless you live in a bee suit. That's my experience anyway. I hate getting stung.

It sounds like a really cool idea to me! I have heard it said that the global bee population is decreasing so it can only be a good thing if you are looking after some bees and helping them thrive, and think about the honey! :licking: Can you not find an out of the way place to keep the hives?

littleAudrey said:

I have heard it said that the global bee population is decreasing so it can only be a good thing if you are looking after some bees and helping them thrive

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This is very true and depending on who you ask the situation is still serious. Bees are critical to several differnt types of Agriculture. So you are helping out if you can get a hive or two.
It's a siginificant ivestment up front with hives, bees, and other equipment. There is a lot to learn and in some states you have to register your hive, (I guess the county can't pass up a chance to get tier hand in you pocket) this means regular inspections. Where I live you can not sell your honey without some kind of USDA inspection, so the only tangible return is all the honey you can eat and give away.

Long ago when we were growing alfalfa we kept several hives an LOTS of honey bees ...
they are fun to have around, but you don't keep them in your yard.. :smile:KennyV

one of my neighbors has kept hives for yrs.He stopped me one day to show me his new Queen he just got through the post office,they ship it in a tiny cage and a hole plugged with a piece of candy.he explained that you place the cage into the hive and the workers will eat the candy and free the Queen.I thought that was really neat.I had one of his swarms take up residence in an old waterheater and told him about it and he came over and collected them using smoke.He also told me about this trachea mite that's killing them and then I saw this show on NOVA about the Honey Bees disappearing. They called it sudden hive collapse syndrome where it's a combition of several things like a virus and enviornmental factors.Kinda scarey because we rely so much on the honey bee to pollinate our produce. russ

It would be great to help the bee population out. Unrealistic for me with the goat, who I know would try to eat them! I once read that the hive take on the characteristics of the queen so if they are moody and aggressive you can replace her and change the mood. That sounds amazing! (I would have assumed that once they have a character they would all need replacing.)

Mr.McGinty said:

the characteristics of the queen so if they are moody and aggressive you can replace her and change the mood.

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:laughing:
I've known some gals like that... not many ...but there are some like that :biggrin::biggrin:
:smile:KennyV

How big is your yard? Sure bees are territorial, unlike wasps once you are out of their territory they will stop chasing you. If your yard is big enough it shouldn't be a problem.

Gosh I'd love to keep bees, it sounds so interesting. I'll just bet that there is a load of health and safety rules though, especially here in the UK where there is talk of the new government repealing them....sorry, a bit of politics crept in there! :ashamed:

KennyV said:

:laughing:
I've known some gals like that... not many ...but there are some like that :biggrin::biggrin:
:smile:KennyV

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Thanks for the smiles!

Thanks to everyone for the replies too. We have a fairly big yard, sadly nowhere else we could keep them. I will do some more research into the local legislation, I never imagined there would be inspections and so on, though it makes sense I guess. My hubby has lots of ideas but many come to nothing and I am starting to think this may be one that should go that way too.

173abn said:

one of my neighbors has kept hives for yrs.He stopped me one day to show me his new Queen he just got through the post office,they ship it in a tiny cage and a hole plugged with a piece of candy.he explained that you place the cage into the hive and the workers will eat the candy and free the Queen.I thought that was really neat.I had one of his swarms take up residence in an old waterheater and told him about it and he came over and collected them using smoke.He also told me about this trachea mite that's killing them and then I saw this show on NOVA about the Honey Bees disappearing. They called it sudden hive collapse syndrome where it's a combition of several things like a virus and enviornmental factors.Kinda scarey because we rely so much on the honey bee to pollinate our produce. russ

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We bought our first 10,000 bees through the mail. They came in a rectangular box made from screen about 4x6x10 inches. The queen was inside a small box by herself only a piece of tape was over the candy so the bees couldn't get at it until you put her in the hive and remove the tape. The box was made to accomadate a can of syrup that the bees ate while en route.
The postman would not deliver the box so i had to go to the post office and get it. Boy that sure turned some heads and generated some questions as these bees were anything but quiet.
That hive has since spilt at least twice. Once the bees swarmed in an orange tree near thier original hive on my property. (I guess they do that when the swarm gets too big, kind of like humans) We caught them and put them in a new hive and they are ready to split again. The hives are loaded with honey. No CCD here (Colony Collpapse dissorder):laughing:
We still have a bunch of honey from the spring. So I guess we will be giving out honey for Christmas.:licking:

Rawlings said:

There is talk in our house of getting a bee hive! My hubby has had some experience with them but I am worried this is not a good idea. I love working in my yard and have read that some hives are territorial even when you are nowhere near their home. Yikes!

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This sounds like an interesting project. I like honey. It has many benefits. But hey, not in my yard dude! Having a beehive means living with the possibility of getting stung. I may live with that, but I won't impose that on my wife and kids. If my nasty neighbor would permit me though, I can put those beehives in his yard, hahahaha.

I have known several people who have kept bees, some even in urban settings, and the bees were no problem. I have not done it, but a couple of my friends say the bees are mesmerizing to watch. Given that, I suspect you will be more interested in the bees than they will be in you!

My dad had a hive for years while the four kids were growing up. We never had any problems with them being aggressive and I don't remember ever getting stung. I'm thinking about getting a hive so we'll have honey bees to pollinate our garden.

Our area has many apple orchards. Every orchard has its own hives for pollinating the apples. Seems like a great idea - you get your apples and your honey both!