We Have Bees!

Here’s our Queen, notice she’s quite a bit bigger than the other bees.

If you follow us (the wife, myself, or our page on facebook) you know by now that we’ve got bees. In case you can’t hear us over all the buzzing… “WE’VE GOT BEES.” So….

Why Bees?

First off, why not? Secondly, they need all the help they can get, and so do we! It is estimated that one third of the food we eat is pollination dependant, and bees are a major factor in that pollination. And finally, honey! Plus, “From hive to bottle” has a nice ring to it…

Ok, So How Did You Get Started?

First, let me say that having bees is not a small, or cheap, undertaking, and I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time. I’d read a few books, watched some (a lot) of videos, and generally did a lot of research to make sure it was something I actually was serious about. So, I built a list of required tools as well as the woodwork (the actual hives and frames the bees live on and in), and added it to my wishlist (you can get ANYTHING on Amazon) so, when some of the equipment showed up under the Christmas tree last year, and then I caught a sale on the internet for a starter hive kit I jumped at the opportunity. And then a few weeks later ran across a BeeKeeper getting out of the business and selling more woodwork as well as a few more of the tools I needed/wanted. And pretty soon all I needed was the bees.

Where Does One Get Bees?

Ok, so maybe you can’t get EVERYTHING on Amazon… My initial plan was to bait my hives and catch a swarm, but due to some things outside my control, my hives did not end up in my first choice location, and my schedule prevented me from getting them set up in the second choice in a timely manner. So I checked into Texas Bee Supply (TBS) and they were sold out. To say that we were heartbroken was an understatement. Things were looking up, and then they weren’t. Story of our lives. But I decided that just meant I was supposed to go about purchasing the last few pieces of equipment I needed and then next year I’d get the bees.

So I went out to TBS to pick up something I needed one fateful evening and as I walked in, they asked if I was there to pick up bees. “Um, no, but yes!”

Well, it turns out they were sold out that night too, but they had a few spots left for next week. “Where do I sign?” So sign I did, and I got my first bees from the great people at TBS. I could have mail-ordered them, but there are lots of fun restrictions on that.

You Have Bees. Now What?

No speed bumps and avoid all the potholes!

So, we picked up our first nuc (a small colony of bees, with a queen, split off from a larger colony) and drove it across a couple of cities to deposit them in their new home!

The cardboard box is a temporary nuc, to be disposed of after the bees are moved in.

I suited up, smoked them, followed BeeKeeping 101, but these girls were very docile, and by the end of the night I was out of the suit and the bees were in the hive and no one got stung. And now we check on them every one to two weeks, make sure they continue to produce eggs and bring in pollen and nectar, and that they are parasite free.

Look at the pollen (yellow on the legs)
The lighter colored wax is new wax, produced since these frames were installed.
The inner lid. Burr comb, and somewhere buried in the mass of bees is the queen.=

And we wait…

How Can I Help?

First off, your support is always welcome, moral or financial. We are in the process of figuring out rewards for Patreon, and if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment below. If you see us offering honey for sale in the future, buy some, all of these proceeds will go towards the meadery.

Or…

Would you like the benefits of bees on your property but not interested in the upkeep? Let us know HERE and maybe we can do the work for you! There are a number of questions, but that is to make sure everyone involved is taking this seriously.