Hi friends, I am a newbie in the Kalapana area(eastside) of the Big Island of Hawai'i. I purchased a strong hive from another local beekeeper about 2 months ago and am loving tending to the bees. I live in a rural area with many small farms and lots of wild fruit trees like Mango, guava, Noni, and Papaya as well as the forest tree, Ohia, which produces tons of nectar in it's Lehua flowers. I got into beekeeping because I find bees very fascinating and like to raise my own food. Im also interested in food security, as Hawai'i only has about a weeks supply of food for everyone, if the boats were to stop coming. I also have a feral hive in a small lava tube on my property that I would like to trap out and will need your help with ideas for that in the near future. Thanks to all who post, I am learning a ton! More soon.......
Welcome and good luck with your bees. I have seen quite a few posts from the island so you should be able to get a lot of helpful local specific information here.
Hoku, welcome to our forum. So nice that you have decided to keep bees, they will be so much fun, as you are discovering, you will be held deeply under their spell, yeah!!! Hawaii, that conjures up some very pretty pictures in my mind's eye. Stick around here, you will have questions answered, you can tell your tales and experiences, we are all listening, and you will meet some new friends. Have the most beautiful and wonderful day, love our life. Cindi