Why are honeybees so hard to keep?

[Brian Sisson]

Or is it just that every new beekeeper assumes that?

We had a church work day a week ago.  During a flower bed clean-out we discovered 4 separate yellow jacket hives.  These are the tiny ground wasps that fly really fast, have a light(er) sting, and live deep within the ground.
I was elected to wage the war on them as I keep bees.  I have no love of the yellow jackets.  I dug up all 4 of the basketball-sized nests, poured gasoline on them, let that soak in for a few minutes, then burned them out.  I sprayed the survivors with some Raid killer.
We tossed mulch on the charred remains, drank beer and talked about our bravery, and left.  

The next Sunday I walked over and saw that 3 of the hives were alive and working.  They had built the nest back, with 1/2 of them out of the ground.  It was crazy.  They had made paper at a rate that puts my bees to shame.  

It's sad that my bees have been bred to the point that they need attention and lack the survival skills of yellow jackets.  I dislike honey, so if this honey bee thing doesn't work out- I'm gonna hive some yellow jackets.
-B.

[Summerbee]

You don't like honey?!? :shock:   Whoaaa,  you're in the wrong business. :lol:

Well, you gotta figure whenever humans fiddle with nature we tend to mess it up.  We bred honeybees for the production of excess honey, so now they spend more time and energy on that then construction or defense.  So we have to tend to them, in exchange for us weakening them for their honey.  They could manage on their own, but compared to yellow jackets, they're fruit flies now. :)  That's my 2 cents...

[kensfarm]

 I dug up all 4 of the basketball-sized nests, poured gasoline on them, let that soak in for a few minutes, then burned them out.  I sprayed the survivors with some Raid killer.
We tossed mulch on the charred remains, drank beer and talked about our bravery, and left.

You have to go at night(everyone's home)..  pour in 1/4 cup of gasoline.. plug hole w/ rock.  The fumes kill them... you're done.

[Understudy]

I am no a big honey person either but I like bees.
Bees are harder to keep because they exist differently than wasps and yellow  jackets.

You try to get bees to live in a predetermined place. You try to take their food from them. You breed them to be gentle and productive in a manner you desire.

Wasps and yellow jackets don' have to deal with any of that.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Apis629]

I've never been that big a honey person either.  I'll use it in glazes on ribs, to sweeten tea or in other cooking.

[Brian Sisson]

I thought I was the only one who wasn't big on honey.  
I like it with my grandmother's cat head biscuits....but she died and has since stopped production of the biscuits.

I like to watch the bees work.  I find it more relaxing to sit in a chair and watch them come and go than anything in the world.  My wife thinks it's dumb, but to me it's heaven.

I like to watch ant too, but it's tough to hive ants.  

[Brian D. Bray]

If you don't like honey and want something interesting to watch try roller pigeons.  Watching those little critters fly about your yard doing sumersaults in the air--sometimes head-over-heals to the point they bounce off the ground--is very intertaining.  They are colony birds and their cooing can be music to your ears.  Their mating dances are as interesting to watch as a bees waggle dance.

I'm diabetic, honey is the one sugar source I don't have to regulate because its natural.

[melliphile]

Brian,  my question is two fold,  What kind of diabetes do you have(if I may ask) and how does it affect your blood sugar?  I work in hemodialysis, where many of my patients are diabetic and the dietician seems poorly versed on honey.

[shado_knight]

Or is it just that every new beekeeper assumes that?

.

I dunno, i'm a new beekeeper, & I never assumed that they were hard to keep, & in fact, they heven't been hard to keep so far. Actually, my son & I have a blast working with them !

[Brian D. Bray]

miilephile,

I have type 2.  It's rampant on both sides of the family so my genes say I get it.  Both parents had it plus numerous aunts uncles and cousins.

I control it rather unorthadoxily.  I drink 32 ounces of gatoraide or poweraide a day (electrolites), use honey as much as possible as a sweetener and only have to use metformin to keep it under control.  Before I started using the electtolites and honey I had to take, not only more of the metformin, a good dose of Gloucotrol XL as well and was looking at possibly going to insolyn shots.
My doctor as been pleasently surprised at the turn around to say the least.

[Michael Bush]

http://www.beesource.com/pov/dick/simple.htm

[latebee]

Michael I could not agree more-Dick Allen has hit the nail squarely on the head,thanks for posting this.