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Author Topic: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!  (Read 2608 times)

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Offline stewie

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The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« on: February 25, 2017, 08:29:58 AM »
This is the next chapter in the saga known as the life of "farmer _________" (insert stewie if you dont know my real name). My family now thinks i am nuts, i dont even tell my coworkers anything anymore because now i am "weird" and a "hippie". They can kiss my ass. I always say - everyone's a hater until they want fresh eggs or _______ (fill in the blank).

So @ the homestead fair in Belton, TX i pre-ordered a hive setup and a colony. I should be getting them in May. I am real excited. Honey opens the doors to so many lines of business, but also from a prep standpoint, i now have a sweetener, something else to ferment and make delicious beverages from, antiseptic and ingredients to make candles, etc.

A buddy up the road is a hive remover but most of what he's finding are africanized so i have to pay a boatload for a docile hive :(

My wife was stung for the first time 2 weeks ago, so she now refuses to help, so this is all me. She calls it the "box of pain". It's all me on this. I now need to learn the ins and outs and join a local apiarist club.

Honey production can be around 2 gallons the first year and increase after that.

Raw honey is good $ out in these parts. the yuppies and hippies will fight over it.
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Offline Farmer Jon

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2017, 09:47:40 AM »
I say good for you! I thought about getting bees myself. Its on my "somday" list.
When I started canning everyone called me a prepper. I'm not a prepper. I just got to missing my grandmas canned peaches. Decided instead of pouting about it make my own. When all the naysayers tasted my canned meat they changed thier minds real quick.
Don't be supprised if you have friends and family wanting some honey now.

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Offline TexasRedNeck

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The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2017, 10:39:40 AM »
This is a real interest.  Please detail it for us and walk us through the hows and whys

And just in case , you might want to have an epi pen handy
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« Last Edit: February 25, 2017, 10:40:17 AM by TexasRedNeck »
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Offline Wilbur

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2017, 01:15:06 PM »
I love this idea....and supposedly local honey made from local plants are good for allergies. All that said I'm allergic to bees so won't be having any on a property I have unless I "let" someone else do it and they're a mile away from me! Ha. Good luck. I agree you can get good money from it plus it will help your veggies and any fruit trees you have or plant.

Offline KensAuto

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2017, 11:55:50 PM »
Interested in this as well. My wife's been bringing it up for a while now, even though (or because) I'm allergic to the sting.
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Offline stewie

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2017, 08:16:54 AM »
im going to be joining a local group to learn the ropes, but i also have my friend to help out. I am really excited and i hope the hive does well.  there is a lot to learn and i dont expect a huge honey glut for at least 2 years, so it's a long term thing.

We do have an epipen here (expired), but other methods are a syringe loaded with benedryl up the kiester - then ER. Regardless of epipen, one needs to get to the ER. The hive will be a ways from the house, and we already have a lot of bees (from rouge colonies i guess) on the property, anyone who sets foot on here needs to realize that.

My prop is not some sterile environment.

i've been called a lot of stuff by alot of ignorant people when i moved out here. If it hits the fan, the first place they'll wanna come is here and then i expect the shocked look on their face when i charge admission at the door.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2017, 08:18:53 AM by stewie »
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2017, 09:28:28 AM »
I think I'd like to build up a hive down at the farm.

Does one need to "Tend" to the bees often or do they just go about their daily "Buzz" by themselves?

Be nice to have that integrated into the farmstead...
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Offline stewie

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2017, 09:59:54 AM »
I think I'd like to build up a hive down at the farm.

Does one need to "Tend" to the bees often or do they just go about their daily "Buzz" by themselves?

Be nice to have that integrated into the farmstead...

you gotta check on them like once a week or so. I have a lot of learning to do before May rolls around.

My farm is inclusive.
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Offline Sammconn

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2017, 11:09:34 AM »
Oh how we so love unpasteurized farm fresh honey.

The bees are not an option for us with the too long too cold winters.
However, my mom always picks up a gallon for us.

I just don't want to wind up missing a digit or limb.  I can sometimes get in a hurry to get results.
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Offline stlaser

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2017, 12:23:31 PM »
Don, I think you need bees too! & we all need a video feed of the folly.....
Living in the remote north hoping Ken doesn’t bring H up here any time soon…..

Offline Wilbur

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2017, 12:50:32 PM »
I know there's guys around here that have someone else bring bees to their place and then the beekeeper manages the process. An apple orchard near us does that- they don't own the bees but a beekepeer brings the hives, gets the honey etc etc and the Orchard gets the improved pollination the bees provide. The beekeeper sells the honey he collects in their farm store. I don't know all the details but they have some tradeoff in place. The Orchard owner doesn't have to do anything.

Offline Farmer Jon

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2017, 01:18:32 PM »
I seen an ad around here someplace that for $200 a guy will bring a hive to your place. If it survives you get half the honey. If it don't then it don't and you get nothing. That's what I was thinking about doing.

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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2017, 09:01:47 AM »
Don, I think you need bees too! & we all need a video feed of the folly.....
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2017, 09:05:37 AM »
I know there's guys around here that have someone else bring bees to their place and then the beekeeper manages the process. An apple orchard near us does that- they don't own the bees but a beekepeer brings the hives, gets the honey etc etc and the Orchard gets the improved pollination the bees provide. The beekeeper sells the honey he collects in their farm store. I don't know all the details but they have some tradeoff in place. The Orchard owner doesn't have to do anything.
I watched this program on such an operation. With hundreds of hives, this company makes a 9 or 10 month circuit of the nation, spreading his bees to the contracted farm. For some unknown reason, the bees are dying. He loses one third to one forth of his bees every year!

I hear that bees are nearly gone from China due to all the pollution and insecticide usage. There, workers actually pollinate the flowers of the fruit trees. I read that the process is incredibly inefficient and yields are way down from when the little critters actually did it naturally.
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Offline stewie

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2017, 09:34:55 AM »
For some unknown reason, the bees are dying. He loses one third to one forth of his bees every year!

same reason as china. insecticides, disease and mites that have become resistant to mans stupidity.

my biggest concern about having bees is all the crap the cotton and corn farmers dump and spray every year around the area.
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #15 on: February 28, 2017, 09:42:26 AM »
For some unknown reason, the bees are dying. He loses one third to one forth of his bees every year!

same reason as china. insecticides, disease and mites that have become resistant to mans stupidity.

my biggest concern about having bees is all the crap the cotton and corn farmers dump and spray every year around the area.
Its likely already in the water and probably in the air as well...
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Offline Wilbur

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #16 on: February 28, 2017, 09:56:30 AM »
A few years ago I was talking to the same orchard owner about the bee colony die offs...I asked him what he was experiencing. He said the bees from one guy (guy who brought the bees to his place) had all died off. I asked him what happened and he said natural/wild bees all picked up the slack and he had no noticeable drop off in apple production. He said he was disappointed as he didn't get his honey barter but it hadn't impacted his apple crop.


Offline stewie

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #17 on: February 28, 2017, 10:10:23 AM »
we have a lot of rogue africanized colonies out here too. since they're more aggressive they tend to overpower docile hives.

It's frankly an uphill battle really. I am joining a local bee club so i'll have extra support.

as far as the air and water, i am sure of it. we do the best we can.
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Offline cudakidd53

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Re: The buzz about Stewie the Apiarist - He's Gettin' Bees!
« Reply #18 on: February 28, 2017, 10:46:34 AM »
My guess, is that the "hives on the road" are actually contributing to the "die off" as they're traipsing around the country and mixing in with the locals, without any resistance to "local ills" so to speak.  Just like when the Europeans introduced small pox etc. to our Native tribes......die offs due to lack of resistance.  Why do we have bed bugs? Cause dirtbags travel and share their friends with others....Killer bees are definitely a problem too.
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