Newbee from Southwest Tennessee

Started by rsharpe03, April 28, 2014, 07:11:44 AM

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rsharpe03

April 28, 2014, 07:11:44 AM
Hello from Mcnairy County Tennessee. Home of Buford Pusser and some other interresting folks. Married, kids, grandkids, christian...... Retired disabled Army and born and raised in Talladega County Alabama. Home of some other intersting folks and the Talladega 500, Nascar. LOL Anyway Roll Tide! New to beekeeping . Feb 2014. Attended a short course and joined SABA. (Savannah Area Beekeepers Association). That is Tennessee not Georgia.

Here is my beekeeping experiences so far.......I did a cutout in a home someone was remodeling. Huge hive, only 200 bees, no queen, half frame brood, no honey, moths, beetles, etc. Didnt make it through the cold. I did a second cutout that was under a mans trailer house. This was the biggest hive I have ever seen. It took 20 frames just for their brood comb. They have worker, drone and queen cells. I gave them an additional 10 frames of their combs for expansion and another 10 frames for honey. They had 21.5 pounds of honey comb still remaining even after this long cold winter. 4 medium supers just to get them all together. They had almost zero pest. I think there were only 3 little hive beetles in the entire hive. They are really healthy and doing great.

It was really amazing to be lying on your back with thousands of bees less than 2 feet above your face. I build all my own hives. So far I have built 16 medium supers, 2 nucs, inner and outer tops for all, screened bottoms, 170 frames, 2 swarm traps and 2 hive trapout boxes. I trim and rubber band their own combs in on the frames.

I have also since done a cutout in the roof of an old historic 3 story home in Mississippi, 2 hive cutouts about 26 years old in a 100 year old home in Mississippi, 2 hive cutouts 30+ years old in a home in Tennessee and scooped a swarm up in Mississippi.

Currently I have 6 hives and my beekeeper friend has 2.

I did order me a little starter kit off ebay..smoker, comb brush, cell uncapper, entrance feeder, frame grabber tool, hive J tool. It was only $59 with free shipping. I started out using A coleman $3 insect net for my head, $5 disposable painter jumpsuit and $4 longcuff playtex dish cleaning gloves. My kids say the gloves are purple but I am color blind and they look blue to me. LOL I only wear the cheap getup when doing the cutouts. Checking on them daily I only protect my eyes. I try to spend as little possible, not over complicate or over think everything and make what I can and so far with great success. I now have upgraded to a cheap $20 smock veil suit off ebay and Army surplus chemical gloves with great success. I am so into this and enjoy it with a passion. My wife says im obsessed LOL.

I found this site by accident a couple of days ago and visit almost everyday since and have learned so much information.

thanks for everything,
Randall
Randall....first hives Feb 2014, 6 hives, 7 cutouts, 1 swarm, TF, zone 7a, 410ft , lat 35.07, long -88.61

"The Sphinx, the Pyramids, the stone temples are, all of them, ultimately, as flimsy as London Bridge; our cities but tents set up in the cosmos. We pass. But what the bee knows, the wisdom that sustains our passing life—however much we deny or ignore it—that for ever remains." —P. L. Travers - What the Bee Knows

hjon71

#1
April 28, 2014, 10:20:38 AM
Hello neighbor.
Quite difficult matters can be explained even to a slow-witted man, if only he has not already adopted a wrong opinion about them; but the simplest things cannot be made clear even to a very intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he already knows, and knows indubitably, the truth of the matter under consideration. -Leo Tolstoy

rsharpe03

#2
April 28, 2014, 10:53:10 AM
thanks  where you located
Randall....first hives Feb 2014, 6 hives, 7 cutouts, 1 swarm, TF, zone 7a, 410ft , lat 35.07, long -88.61

"The Sphinx, the Pyramids, the stone temples are, all of them, ultimately, as flimsy as London Bridge; our cities but tents set up in the cosmos. We pass. But what the bee knows, the wisdom that sustains our passing life—however much we deny or ignore it—that for ever remains." —P. L. Travers - What the Bee Knows

Joe D

#3
April 28, 2014, 11:46:30 AM
Welcome to the forum, Randall.  Glad you found us.  Sounds like you and your bees are doing fine.  If you have any questions, just give them a post.
Your wife is right, once you get the bug, it is an addiction.  Good luck  




Joe

tefer2

#4
April 28, 2014, 06:04:57 PM
Welcome to our neck of the woods Randell.

hjon71

#5
April 28, 2014, 06:44:43 PM
Also in Buford Pusser country  ;)

I'm not far from the airport. Just 1 hive I inherited from my father last winter/spring. I'd love to catch a swarm or help with a cutout, but my work hrs. are CRAZY  :shock:

Quite difficult matters can be explained even to a slow-witted man, if only he has not already adopted a wrong opinion about them; but the simplest things cannot be made clear even to a very intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he already knows, and knows indubitably, the truth of the matter under consideration. -Leo Tolstoy

rsharpe03

#6
April 28, 2014, 10:27:23 PM
cutouts are really interesting and a rush. no two the same so far. Im retired military so I finally have some time to do things I want to do and every now and then still need an adrenaline rush! Im in Ramer. If you get some time off let me know. I have a waiting list of about 6 cutouts now. Most of these are in trees though. Havent done a tree yet.
Randall....first hives Feb 2014, 6 hives, 7 cutouts, 1 swarm, TF, zone 7a, 410ft , lat 35.07, long -88.61

"The Sphinx, the Pyramids, the stone temples are, all of them, ultimately, as flimsy as London Bridge; our cities but tents set up in the cosmos. We pass. But what the bee knows, the wisdom that sustains our passing life—however much we deny or ignore it—that for ever remains." —P. L. Travers - What the Bee Knows

BeeMaster2

#7
April 28, 2014, 11:19:02 PM
Welcome to the forum, Randall.
Try doing a Trapout on the trees. Much easier. The biggest trick is to make sure they do not find another way in.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

rsharpe03

#8
April 29, 2014, 12:14:36 PM
can I drill a hole in the other side of the tree and put something in, that would not harm them, to run them out with,  something that I could make short of buying the bee gone or bee robber stuff,  has anyone tried this and how effective was it
Randall....first hives Feb 2014, 6 hives, 7 cutouts, 1 swarm, TF, zone 7a, 410ft , lat 35.07, long -88.61

"The Sphinx, the Pyramids, the stone temples are, all of them, ultimately, as flimsy as London Bridge; our cities but tents set up in the cosmos. We pass. But what the bee knows, the wisdom that sustains our passing life—however much we deny or ignore it—that for ever remains." —P. L. Travers - What the Bee Knows

BeeMaster2

#9
April 29, 2014, 12:35:07 PM
It depends on how long they have been there. If a swarm just moved in, you do not even have to drill a new hole. just put a lot of smoke in the hole and they will come pouring out. If it is an old hive with lots of brood, it is very difficult to get them to abandon the larvae.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin
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