Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Acebird on May 31, 2018, 09:09:13 am
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I put an ad up on FB Marketplace and boy was that a storm. First time I used it and didn't know what I was doing.
Anyway a local guy came down and took both queen right hives. I knew they had become a little testy but when they started slamming boxes around they were in for a treat. I stayed back but when the guy was almost finished he walked up to me with bees circling his veil. Of course I got tagged right above the eyebrow. Trying to make an escape I fell down and cut my head. I got up and kept retreating with bees in pursuit.
I really can't see me having bees anymore. I am not one that can deal with raising bees in an AHB area in southern FL. Then there is the problem of keeping animals in general. They tie you down. My plan is to escape to the north in the summer (not quite a snow bird). I don't think leaving hives unattended in the summer is the right thing to do. Even if it wasn't a AHB area.
I am going to count up and collect what equipment is left and try FB again.
Don't feel bad for me. I had a lot of fun with bees. I don't regret it one minute. I just don't see keeping them in my future.
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Ace
You are correct about animals tying a person down. For me that is enjoying being a hermit, the chickens are the greatest excuse ever to leave the party at dark. Good that you sold the hives and bad that you fell and cut your head. Have a good life in the sunshine state.
Cheers
gww
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I know plenty of people with nice bees in Florida. It may take a bit more attention to requeening now and again.
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It may take a bit more attention to requeening now and again.
I am sure I could purchase queens every year and keep the hives calm. As much as I have not intervened in my hives I do not feel comfortable both in my heart and liability wise to just walk away from the hives in the summer. If I team up with a local that can watch the hives while I am gone my decision could change. Nothing is cast in concrete. Initially, where we are going to live it isn't even an option.
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the chickens are the greatest excuse ever to leave the party at dark.
Chickens are about as easy as cats to take care of. I made a coop door that closes at dusk and opens at dawn. The dogs were another story.
My closest relative is an hr and a half away. I didn't get to see them much and always had to leave the get together early because of the dogs.
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Ace, you could get hooked up with a bee club after you move and I'm sure somebody in the club would babysit your bees while you are gone. Just a thought, there are a lot of bee clubs here in Florida and the AHB thing really isn't that big a deal once you recognize it and know how to deal with it.
When I moved down from Pennsylvania I brought my two hives. Beekeeping is easier in most ways here in Florida once I got the hang of it. If you get the itch you could always start over. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
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It is more of a thing below interstate 4. We will see.
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I'm below I-4 and some swarms in my area have been tested at 80% AHB. It's manageable with a little pro-active bee keeping.
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For the first year, until you become acclimated.
I got rid of all my bees, giving the last ones to a local dealer. I now go to his place when I want to tinker with bees, or when he needs my help. I can do mostly as I want. Work the bees for an hour, or all day. If I want a jar of honey, I get it. If I want to take a hive home for a day or a month, I do. It relieves me of all responsibility, but gives me free access to the hives whenever I want.
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Ace, when are you moving south? Be sure to stop in on your way. Let me know in advance so my wife can plan the meal, lunch or dinner.
Jim
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The schedule is up to my wife and she is saying around Nov 1,2018.
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Sounds good. Let me know. Do you have my number?
Jim
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Sounds good. Let me know. Do you have my number?
Jim
yes.
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Ace, in the future do you plan to keep bees again when you find the gentle type bees to keep?
And are you selling all of your bee equipment now?
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How do you tell if your bees are being taken over by AHB and how do you know if a swarm is AHB?
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For a swarm after you hived them and the inspection is full of
aggressive bees compare to your gentle hives then you will know. It is
really hard to tell by looking at the bees to say that they are AHB. Only by
genetic testing that they can assess what percent they got the AHB in each hive.
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In AHB territory, if you keep your queens marked, you can check to see if they have been replaced and then if so, replace them again with a known queen.
The Florida Best Methods And Practices calls for replacing the queens on a regular basis.
Jim
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@Ace
Wow Ace, I have gotten use to having you on the forum and reading your comments. Even though you don't plan on keeping bees, will you remain a member on our forum? Would hate to see you go!! Thanks, Phillip Hall "Ben Framed"
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Ace, in the future do you plan to keep bees again when you find the gentle type bees to keep?
And are you selling all of your bee equipment now?
Yes, most of the equipment is for sail. Whether I take up beekeeping in FL will depend on quite a few things. Location, my ability to keep bees in a southern state and whether I can find a partner that wants to work with me.
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Even though you don't plan on keeping bees, will you remain a member on our forum?
I don't plan on quitting the forum. I am going to have to learn all over again to be successful in FL with bees. I am going to have to pay more attention to the posts from the south and less from the north. Back to being a newbie you might say. I wasn't much more than that to begin with.
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Even though you don't plan on keeping bees, will you remain a member on our forum?
I don't plan on quitting the forum. I am going to have to learn all over again to be successful in FL with bees. I am going to have to pay more attention to the posts from the south and less from the north. Back to being a newbie you might say. I wasn't much more than that to begin with.
Glad to hear that... I feel certain that you will do very well. Once you are reestablished and settled with your new home, I bet it won't be long before you are back in the bee business !! Wishing you and your family the best !!
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Thanks a lot Ben.
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""I wasn't much more than that to begin with.""
Whatta ya mean "wasn't"? :wink:
Just cause you're moving south doesn't mean I'm cutting you any slack. :cheesy:
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You don't have to find a bee partner to start again 2 hives. Start small and see what drones you
have when making splits in your local area. If they are mean bees then hook up with the local
bee club to source their gentle bees to keep. It is still doable and not completely over yet.
Also, next time you are close to a hive, whether or not you are the hive inspector, put on a full vented
bee suit. This way you don't have to run away and cut your head or other body part. Remember, a veil is better than
having nothing on! Rule #1 of beekeeping from now on.
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Also, next time you are close to a hive, whether or not you are the hive inspector, put on a full vented
bee suit.
I wasn't next to the hive. The beekeeper covered in bees with a veil on walked over to me. He never gave it a thought what he was doing. I don't think I will ever wear a full suit.
If it is one thing I have learned it is hard for a backyard beek to stay small. If you try to stay at just 2 hives there will be times of being bee less or times you have 4 hives. I built up to 4 hives of all medium equipment. So 24 boxes and nearly 200 frames. That is probably what you are going to need to maintain 2-3 hives. At least that is what I had to do. Maybe I can learn a new way to just keep two hives.
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It's an opportunity to learn a new way, like top bar hives. With a tbh, you only expose part of the hive at a time, so you don't have the whole bunch coming at you at once. I have a TBH body and bars almost ready to go when I get another swarm. Looking forward to trying that.
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I see two groups of beekeepers with TBH's Those that are micro managers and want to control the bees and those that want very little interaction with the bees. I am in between.
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That may be a good place to be. :cool:
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Most of the people with nice bees in AHB areas are not buying queens, but they are also not afraid to requeen with queens from their nicer hives.
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Most of the people with nice bees in AHB areas are not buying queens, but they are also not afraid to requeen with queens from their nicer hives.
Michael, educate me 😁. The people in AHB areas are not buying nice queens, this brings a question. If the virgin queens from these nice hives mate with AHB drones, what will the results from the mated queen be. They will definitely be a cross but which way will they go? Sometimes nice, and sometimes mean? Or some other answer? Thanks Phillip
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The only vicious bees I find are F1 crosses. AHB that I have seen in New Mexico, Arizona, the Virgin Islands etc. have bee workable. It's the F1 crosses with European bees that are unworkable. Breeding from the local bees that are nice is the best way I've seen to avoid unworkable bees.