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Author Topic: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)  (Read 3620 times)

Offline Redline

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I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« on: November 16, 2019, 06:11:34 pm »
Hey everyone.

I have always wanted to get a hive, but I have never had a place to keep them being a renter. I now have access to 50Acres to put some hives on mainly to provide pollination to an orchard that my good mate owns.

He has told me that he will pay for the hives and boxes  as long as I look after the bees as he knows Jack bleep (his words). I keep all honey produced.

I have no beekeeping gear at all, I found some secondhand hives for sale, brood boxes and supers, though no frames.

After thinking about it and talking to him we decided to price up some new gear, thinking about 6 brood boxes and then 2 supers for each brood box. all filled with full depth frames and foundation. I would ideally like to use foundationless for the supers at least due to the lack of separation gear and I love comb honey lol. But I have been warned against that due to the current tough conditions.

After pricing up 18 boxes, 6 lids and bases, 200 frames and other associated gear I asked about getting them assembled and painted but I don't think the cost is worth it, not when i don't need them all right this minute I can build them slowly. Also thinking maybe to cut costs that getting 6 supers at first will be enough given the hard conditions.

The next big issue is finding some bees, if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them, I am keen on setting up some swarm traps but I dont like my chances untill after next winter?

Please feel free to pick my plan apart as I am new to this and would prefer to change plans now than later.



Offline Skeggley

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2019, 07:49:50 pm »
Hiya Mate, welcome back to the forum, did you finish up getting native bees?
Would it be correct to assume that as you have no kit you haven?t kept honey bees before?
There?s a guy called Jeff H not far from you in Buderim that sells bees and has heaps of great advice and videos on YouTube. Not active on this forum however is on another. Definitely worth having a yarn to him.  :wink:


Offline Redline

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2019, 08:03:42 pm »
Hi Skeggley

thanks for ur reply mate

Yes I got natives off Jeff H actually in the beginning lol

i now have 2 hives ready to be split when i have time one of these years.\

had more but we have bad Phorrid fly in this area so its a battle.

correct I have never had any honey bees before, have watched days worth of good ole youtube vids and heaps of research also. my family when i was young actually had a large honey operation with over 600 hives at one point. so i guess its in my blood.

Offline Redline

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2019, 08:00:21 pm »
well an update,

My mate has decided he wants me to get brand new hives and get them assembled and painted by the shop, so that will be a bit less work for me. Though I will still have to assemble the frames and wire up and set the foundation.


Offline Acebird

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2019, 08:52:41 am »
Orchards are bad for bees as a permanent location.  The orchard farmer needs to use pesticides and nectar is only available for a very short time.  The bees will most certainly die if they are not moved in and out.
Brian Cardinal
Just do it

Offline sjh

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2019, 02:41:45 pm »
Redline,
If you are after frames, WellBees in Coffs might be worth a look.
Steve.

Offline Redline

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2019, 05:06:47 pm »
Orchards are bad for bees as a permanent location.  The orchard farmer needs to use pesticides and nectar is only available for a very short time.  The bees will most certainly die if they are not moved in and out.

and if the orchard does not use said chemicals and the orchard owner owns the bees and has a vested interest in their survival?

Offline FloridaGardener

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2019, 01:35:15 pm »
Then I would ask the orchard owner to investigate "plant guilds" that work with his/her crop. These supportive plants at the base of the trees can provide more nutritious, longer periods of forage for bees. 

Permaculture fruit tree guilds are mini-ecosystems that reduce predatory insects and disease. Any monoculture has weaknesses (for example, the Irish potato famine). Biodiversity reduces risk, even if it is not a cash crop like the fruit.  Legumes like clover can add nitrogen for the fruit's use.  Then the bees can forage on the clover (however some clovers work for butterflies but not bees).   Periodic mowing of certain fruit guilds can bring re-flowering for bee forage, and add green mulch to the soil.

Guild plants:
      Must thrive - proliferate, grow without support, self-sow freely, or expand through rhizomes or stolons. What may be invasive in a suburban garden is very useful on 50 acres.
      Be good for trees - pest-repellent, fertilizing or anti-fungal.  For example, garlic at the drip edge of apple trees can reduce fungal scabbing, but it won't expand fast enough to block noxious weeds.  And too much crowding isn't good if fungal issues are always a threat, so choose low-growers.
      Be good for bees - Such as early crocus, or mints that bloom into late fall.  But if crocus can't take heat in your location, it won't thrive and naturalize.
So the plants have to meet all criteria. 


 
 
 
« Last Edit: November 23, 2019, 03:02:59 pm by FloridaGardener »

Offline Bamboo

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2019, 06:26:01 am »
@Redline
What part of the world are you in? Sunny Coast?
Putting together 16 boxes and 200 frames is hardly going to take you a long time. Plus you really should learn how to do stuff like this if you are going to be a beekeeper and not just a honey robber.
It sounds to me that not only does your mate know nothing about keeping bees you don't either. There is more to keeping bees than watching a couple of YouTube videos.

Swarms will be occurring from now on and not after next winter altho they will then as well, but what I am saying now is the start of the swarm season if we get some flows happening.

Do not go foundationless as you will need to extract the honey, you will not be able to eat that amount of comb. The only way to extract foundationless is by crushing and straining and for each kg of wax the bees need 8kg of nectar to make it so you sacrifice a lot of honey.

I started keeping bees when I was 21 and I am a little older now and there is nothing like getting a few stings and seasons under your belt to learn about bees. I  am learning every day and discovered a new fact today about bees that I had never come across before, but then I started long before there was such a thing as the internet.... yeah I know old eh?

You need a mentor or someone who is experienced to help you get started otherwise you will kill a percentage of your hives and you won't know why.

Not criticising it's just you wouldn't go and run a cattle farm after watching youtube you need to do it first.
Good Luck.

Offline Redline

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2019, 04:49:03 am »
@Redline
What part of the world are you in? Sunny Coast?
Putting together 16 boxes and 200 frames is hardly going to take you a long time. Plus you really should learn how to do stuff like this if you are going to be a beekeeper and not just a honey robber.
It sounds to me that not only does your mate know nothing about keeping bees you don't either. There is more to keeping bees than watching a couple of YouTube videos.

Swarms will be occurring from now on and not after next winter altho they will then as well, but what I am saying now is the start of the swarm season if we get some flows happening.

Do not go foundationless as you will need to extract the honey, you will not be able to eat that amount of comb. The only way to extract foundationless is by crushing and straining and for each kg of wax the bees need 8kg of nectar to make it so you sacrifice a lot of honey.

I started keeping bees when I was 21 and I am a little older now and there is nothing like getting a few stings and seasons under your belt to learn about bees. I  am learning every day and discovered a new fact today about bees that I had never come across before, but then I started long before there was such a thing as the internet.... yeah I know old eh?

You need a mentor or someone who is experienced to help you get started otherwise you will kill a percentage of your hives and you won't know why.

Not criticising it's just you wouldn't go and run a cattle farm after watching youtube you need to do it first.
Good Luck.

South of the sunny coast,

I have put boxes and frames together,

I have not just watched youtube I have read books too!

My family used to keep 600 hives??

My mate does know nothing and does not want to learn either, he wants his trees pollinated and has decided that he wants to be the ones to own the bees and not have to deal with beeks that may not be flexible.

We will be doing a mix of foundationless and wax foundation, we can always sell what we dont want to consume!!

I have 3 different people that are more than happy to mentor me with anything I wish to know!

is there anything else you would like to assume about me??

Offline Bamboo

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2019, 05:15:11 am »
@Redline
Nup looks like you know it all and you've read books as well. If you kept 600 hives with your family? It's just you said you always wanted to get a hive, yeah I know I must be stupid assuming you had never had a hive let alone 600. You also stated you were new to this but maybe you meant new to posting on forums not new to beekeeping, my apologies.

Surprised as to why you would ask the original question.
Good luck with it.

Offline Redline

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Re: I think I have this!!! (means I probably Don't have this)
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2019, 05:32:50 am »
@Redline
Nup looks like you know it all and you've read books as well. If you kept 600 hives with your family? It's just you said you always wanted to get a hive, yeah I know I must be stupid assuming you had never had a hive let alone 600. You also stated you were new to this but maybe you meant new to posting on forums not new to beekeeping, my apologies.

Surprised as to why you would ask the original question.
Good luck with it.

didnt say i have kept 600 hives,

I was trying to get it across that I am not an idiot and not a total wombat, there are reasons we want foundationless and so on,

I am surprised why u would go on the attack??

I dont want to assemble the hives and paint them as I have a young family and work full time for 12-14hrs a day,

 

anything