Hoping to Keep Bees in South Florida!

[HoneeBee]

Hi there! My name is Faith and I'm an early, twenty-something teacher to be.

I have always been interested in beekeeping but never thought it was possible given my location... I have a small backyard with hardly any flora. Despite my circumstances, my heart is in keeping and I have joined the forums to learn (even if I can't keep bees!).

I'm going to the library tomorrow to check out some books on beekeeping but I'd love to know how much land/flora you need to keep bees.

Looking forward to chatting and learning,
Faith

[AllenF]

Welcome to the forum and with keeping bees, look at all the flora for a couple of miles around you.   Bees are not just going to collect from your back yard but minimum 2 miles around you.  Don't worry about them, they can find food.

[BlueBee]

Are you more congested than Chicago City Hall?  People are keeping bees in downtown Chicago!
http://www.startribune.com/nation/126391093.html 

The article goes on to claim that bees might even be healthier in urban settings!

[mikecva]

Welcome to the forum.   :cheer:

If you look at: http://www.bees-on-the-net.com/florida-beekeeping-clubs.html   you might find a club near you. -Mike

[Larry Bees]

Welcome!

I have a friend up in Jacksonville who keeps about 5 to 10 hives on a very small back yard. He's right in the middle of town near I-10 and I-95 junction and he does very well.

If I were you though, I wouldn't let too many people know that you have them as you would get blamed for every bee sting in the neighborhood.   :-D

Good luck! You can learn a lot from this site. I'm still learning and I'm in my second year of beekeeping.

Larry

[BlueBee]

I second what Larry says!  Try to restrain your enthusiasm when talking to the neighbors or else you will get blamed for every bite anybody gets.  

I had never been stung by a honeybee prior to keeping bees.  In my area, they are rarely aggressive.  I have been stung by TONS of wasps and yellow jackets over the years.  Since you don't often see what stings you, people are going to blame anything they know about.  If they know about your bees and don't know about the dozens of wasp and yellow jacket nest in the area, then your bees will get the blame.

I've only been stung by my girls when working the hives.  You always end of squishing a bee or two in that process and they don't like that.  Luckily for me, I find a bee sting MUCH less painful than a wasp or hornet.  For me, a bee sting hurts for about 3 minutes and then it's done, a wasp or hornet will hurt for hours.

[HoneeBee]

Thanks for the warm welcomes, links, and tips!

Can't wait to start the beekeeping process!

[Bee Brothers Apiary]

 :cheer:  :piano:  :rainbowflower:

[specialkayme]

Welcome to the site!