Bees

[Chuck]

I used to be a members of the MLM Forever Living Products, USA who are specialised in Aloe Vera based products and they also market pure honey but very expensive.
I have no knowledge of honey having black colour. Here it is golden.brown.

Honey is expensive here too. Almost all honey here is a golden color too. This black honey is local to the central Texas area where the predominate pollen that the honey is made comes from a type of juniper tree that is pervasive over this large area. We call it a cedar tree and when it is blooming its pollen is everywhere and causes untold misery to millions of people. This allergy is called Cedar Fever. This black honey somehow helps control Cedar Fever or at least modifies the symptoms so it isn't too bad.

 

[Kansas Terri]

My garden keeps getting bees that build their hives. I do not touch them till they leave the place. And when they do, I see they have eaten up all the honey that they have collected.

Yes, when bees leave they take their honey with them. They bring nectar into the hive by way of their "honey stomach", and when the bees all leave they take the honey out of the hive the same way. They can carry a few day worth of food with them that way.

When a hive swarms (leaves in search of a new home) the bees are not capable of stinging. They are so stuffed with honey that they cannot bend in the middle, and they must point their stinger downwards in order to sting. Since they cannot bend they cannot sting.

So, a swarm of bees that has JUST left will be very safe to be around because they cannot sting even if they wanted to. After a few days, however, the honey will have been all used up and so a swarm that has not found a home can get both hungry and cranky, though. Fortunately the bees usually find a home pretty quickly and then they settle in.

 

[grouie]

Honey is expensive here too. Almost all honey here is a golden color too. This black honey is local to the central Texas area where the predominate pollen that the honey is made comes from a type of juniper tree that is pervasive over this large area. We call it a cedar tree and when it is blooming its pollen is everywhere and causes untold misery to millions of people. This allergy is called Cedar Fever. This black honey somehow helps control Cedar Fever or at least modifies the symptoms so it isn't too bad.

Those trees when they shed flowers affect most people out there. My extended family talks about it.

 

[grouie]

Yes, when bees leave they take their honey with them. They bring nectar into the hive by way of their "honey stomach", and when the bees all leave they take the honey out of the hive the same way. They can carry a few day worth of food with them that way.

When a hive swarms (leaves in search of a new home) the bees are not capable of stinging. They are so stuffed with honey that they cannot bend in the middle, and they must point their stinger downwards in order to sting. Since they cannot bend they cannot sting.

So, a swarm of bees that has JUST left will be very safe to be around because they cannot sting even if they wanted to. After a few days, however, the honey will have been all used up and so a swarm that has not found a home can get both hungry and cranky, though. Fortunately the bees usually find a home pretty quickly and then they settle in.

Thanks for this very useful information.

 

[dave david]

If you are in the USA, there are many varieties of bees, and some have been "africanized" through interbreeding with more and less aggressive bees in nature. Hybridized bees are also available in some locations, for purchase, that have been bred with less aggressive bees in a controlled environment, to produce bees easier to keep and work with. They still do a great job of pollinating crops, while making honey for they and Us to use.

Size, stamina and resistance to disease are traits that the bee keepers strive for.

We should be looking longer and harder as to why the bee killing pesticides are still being so widely used. The production of food crops without bees looks pretty scary and very expensive.

 

[marlingardener]

My husband keeps bees, and I help him. It is a fascinating hobby, and we can't supply enough honey to meet demand. One spring we had the very dark honey, but usually our honey is like gold. To start out we purchased two Italian queens and the "nuc" (nucleus of a hive) that she would need to get going.
We have been told German bees are very aggressive. Our little ladies are pretty calm, unless the weather has been bad and they have been confined to the hive for a few days. When they get out they are looking for nectar and trouble!

 

[pixie N.C.]

marlingardener,
was wondering what you meant by trouble ? ?
The US has hundreds of native pollinating bees of different types including mimic flies the look just like bees.
I'm hoping to have a hive next month,I'm reading a book now called Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum,so marlingardener I'm sure I'll have lots of questions.

 

[marlingardener]

Pixie, by "trouble" I meant that our girls would be more aggressive than usual. If you get between them and the entrance to the hive, they get very upset; if you are pruning/picking where they are gathering nectar, they can get upset; and "upset" means you may get stung, or at least buzzed.
Almost all beekeepers have two hives to start--you can learn which hive is doing better and why, compare activitiy, and generally learn more than you would from just one hive.
You have picked a great book to get started in beekeeping. My husband has that one, and also Beekeeping for Dummies which he has found to be very helpful.
Please ask any and all questions you have. If I can't answer from my limited knowledge, I'll ask the beekeeper that lives with me to give an answer. Having a husband/beekeeper is a real advantage!

 

[pixie N.C.]

Hey, thanks for info, someone is giving me the hive, so I'm going to get as much info as possible before i decide on taking it, I live in a rural area,so that's not a problem. oh yea, wanted to ask about drinking water,i have 2 birdbaths and 3 - 18 inch round 2" deep watering pans that my girlfriend uses for all the birds we feed,there is a pond about 1/2 a mile away.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[marlingardener]

Don't worry about water if you have the birdbaths and watering pans. You may want to put some gravel in the pans and birdbaths to keep the water level where the bees can sit and drink (they are notoriously bad at swimming). The pond will help, especially if there is a muddy edge to it.
If someone is giving you a hive, make sure that the hive and honey frames are clean and disease/pest free.
Do you have a honey extractor? You will need one if you are planning on harvesting honey. Used ones are usually cheapest, and you can disinfect an extractor with very hot water and detergent.
Having bees is fascinating, and all the work that goes into it is repaid many times by the great tasting, local, golden honey you get from your girls!

 

[Rosyrain]

IcyBc- you are very talented with a camera! Are you a photographer by profession, or is it a hobby of yours? I have actually read a few articles in the last couple of years in which they are trying to get people to build their own bee hives to get the population up again. I personally could not be a bee keeper as the thought of getting stung again in my life scares me.

 

[Kansas Terri]

I like to put a couple of stones where I intend for the bees to drink: They stand on the stone and sip. Because the stone is rather rough in texture it gives them good footing.

I did use to have bees: I would like to get back into them but I never got around to ordering a package this spring.

 

[splinx]

Do you see a lot bees where you live?

Somewhat hard to find one here but I can find at least 2-5 per year in my home which I believe to be a good amount considering I do not go out often or have plants in my house.

But I remember going to a place near here where you could not stop without being surrounded by bees, I could not simply drink my sweetened drink and cookies without getting annoyed by many bees. Some people do not have patience and end up killing all they can.

 

[Trellum]

Surrounded by bees while drinking something sweet and eating cookies? Before thinking of killing anything I'd simply panic and run, lol. I respect bees for the work they do for our environment, but I also fear them! Their sting is very painful! I rather avoid them, that is no longer a problem though... none of them ever come here to get some water to drink anymore I find that so sad...

 

[Trellum]

My garden keeps getting bees that build their hives. I do not touch them till they leave the place. And when they do, I see they have eaten up all the honey that they View attachment 5741 have collected.

This got to be one of the most amazing tings someone in this forum will ever be able to show... simply because not many people have a mighty hive like that in their garden Kudos to you for being so kind to the environment, I salute you!!! Your garden must be such a wonderful place for the bees to actually feel safe enough to build their home there! Wow! Thanks a lot