Holy Cow, I'm A Beekeeper!

I never planned to heighten chickens or bees, all the same hither I sit, a card-carrying chicken junkie and a brand novel beekeeper! I felt fairly prepared for my starting fourth dimension flock of chickens earlier they arrived, but non the bees. Honey bees are such unusual creatures, I don't know that I e'er would cause got felt the same score of confidence going into apiculture that I had amongst my starting fourth dimension chickens. But, later on Harvest Lane Honey laid me upwards for success amongst all the equipment as well as supplies I needed to acquire started, whatsoever apprehension almost working amongst bees shortly disappeared every bit I pigeon head-first into a amount immersion apiculture instruction phase!

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Backyard apiculturist kit as well as equipment.

It was May past times the fourth dimension I unboxed the hive components as well as equipment, as well as I shortly learned that throttle is non the correct fourth dimension of twelvemonth to source bees. Where on populace does 1 acquire bees, anyway? I had no idea. Come to detect out, normal people get ordering bees from local sources inwards the wintertime for delivery inwards spring. Oopsie. 

I began my crash class inwards apiculture past times enrolling inwards an introductory apiculture shape online, visiting as well as consulting amongst several beekeepers as well as excavation into several terrific books.

Backyard Beekeeping: We Take the Sting Out of Beekeeping, authors Waite & Waite

Keeping Bees & Making Honey, authors Benjamin & McCallum, accompanied me on the bird to the Purina Animal Nutrition Center inwards Missouri terminal week. 

The Backyard Beekeeper, writer Kim Flottum

My starting fourth dimension in-person, apiculture tutorial occurred alive on my Facebook page amongst a seasoned, local beekeeper, Mo Shea. She demonstrated how to setup my hive as well as showed me how to seat on my protective suit. Fashionable, no? Catch the whole conversation here! (begins at xiii minutes into the video)

Beehives should travel raised off the soil for ventilation as well as to avoid moisture-related problems. 

I bought this beautiful cedar beehive stand upwards from jbf-12 on eBay.

With a tutorial inwards hive assembly nether my belt, all I needed was the bees! Most folks lodge their bees from local beekeepers inwards the wintertime for throttle delivery, but non me. Luckily for me, beekeepers oftentimes grab as well as sell swarms. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 swarm is a grouping of bees that leaves as well as existing, crowded colony amongst their queen to institute a novel colony elsewhere. They tin travel found inwards unusual places until they locate a suitable home. 

Enter the lovely as well as talented Brenda Nye of WaggleDance Apiary. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Facebook follower of mine who lives non far from me inwards Connecticut as well as is married to a homo I went to high schoolhouse with, 

(#smallworld) had late caught a swarm correct on the deck of her house. When she shared the swarm grab on her Instagram as well as Facebook pages, I contacted her almost the possibility of buying only about bees from her as well as she offered to sell me that real swarm! Timing is everything. You tin sentinel the video of that swarm grab HERE on Brenda's Facebook page. 

Brenda held onto that bee colony for several weeks until I was able to alternative them up. During that time, they settled into their novel frames as well as acquire to piece of job edifice honeycomb, making to a greater extent than bees as well as of course, making honey.

This is Brenda showing me my busy, novel bees on 1 of the frames. 

The solar daytime I visited Brenda's chicken yard/apiary to collect the bees, she spotted a small-scale swam of bees inwards a tree behind her chicken coop!  Little did I know at that 2d that I would shortly travel helping Brenda grab that swarm!

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 closeup sentiment of the swarm inwards the tree.

Brenda suiting up. Safety first.

Brenda, lighting the smoker.

 Beekeepers run fume every bit a means to maintain bees calm, occupied as well as mask the scents (pheromones) they run to communicate amongst each other. When bees olfactory belongings fume they instinctively react to the possibility that at that spot may travel every bit a woods burn downwards nearby; they motion into honey-hoarding mode, scrambling to salve their golden nutrient stores inwards anticipation of a possible emergency hive evacuation. Smoke also interferes amongst their mightiness to communicate panic or danger to each other through their sense of smell, which keeps them calm piece beekeepers piece of job inwards the hive.

We used the smoker to inspect several of Brenda's hives as well as to transfer my bees from their temporary frames to the box I would accept them abode in. Brenda uses her hive tool to loosen the frames away from the box. Bees construct a super glutinous heart as well as soul known every bit propolis to gum things together within a hive. It's messy business!

Meanwhile, the swarm behind the chicken coop was hanging out inwards the nearby tree. When nosotros finished amongst Brenda's hives, she asked if I wanted to assistance grab the swarm inwards the tree. Apparently, swarm catching is something of a correct of passage inwards the apiculture world. The goal is commonly to sense a swarm grab within one's starting fourth dimension year, non the starting fourth dimension day! I was game as well as nosotros headed to the tree amongst a cardboard bee carry box amongst a few frames inwards it. This is the video of our swarm-catch below. There is no big, "GOTCHA!" moment. Everything proceeds inwards a calm, deliberate, manner. The goal is to acquire the queen inwards the box amongst every bit many of the worker bees (females) as well as drones (males) every bit possible.

Brenda sent me abode amongst double the let on of colonies I was expecting. That sounds a lot similar  chicken math, doesn't it?
Stay tuned hither as well as on my Facebook page every bit my adventures inwards apiculture continue!

The bees inwards their carry boxes on the means to my chicken yard.

Home sweetness Hive. 

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Eligibility express to the States residents only. Winners chosen past times random drawing from eligible entries as well as notified past times e-mail if provided and/or here. Giveaway ends 6/30/17, 9pm EST.