A Sharp Spike in Honeybee Deaths Deepens a Worrisome Trend Suffice to say there is enough worrying to go around for all. I am doing my best to keep up the good fight though, getting a new shipment of bees tomorrow. Starting to feel like this guy:
Bee populations are so low in the US that it now takes 60% of the country’s surviving colonies just to pollinate one California crop, almonds. And that’s not just a west coast problem—California supplies 80% of the world’s almonds, a market worth $4 billion.
Well sure but there's the fact that the bees pollinating the almonds are starving... when the almonds bloom, great, but for weeks before and after the bloom, there's nothing for them to eat. Beekeepers actually feed the bees corn syrup. So maybe the stress of that is what makes colonies less able to fight off disease?
I am now the papa of over 6000 bees! I see myself as the bee protector, I now have to shift emphasis on security to protect my bee empire. We (bees) will go down to the last bee against all that work for our demise!It is amazing how differently I see living creatures then I did a couple of years ago. When you really stop and think of the function and symbiotic relationship between all living things, the world is indeed seen though different eyes. This is something that most indigenous cultures have always known and more importantly lived. Now, who is teaching whom?.
Congratulations, man! That is totally cool... labor/love intensive! Good for you!
I am now the papa of over 6000 bees! I see myself as the bee protector, I now have to shift emphasis on security to protect my bee empire. We (bees) will go down to the last bee against all that work for our demise!It is amazing how differently I see living creatures then I did a couple of years ago. When you really stop and think of the function and symbiotic relationship between all living things, the world is indeed seen though different eyes. This is something that most indigenous cultures have always known and more importantly lived. Now, who is teaching whom?.
That is awesome! I will pass that along to the wife. Also, we are heading to Tennessee tomorrow to pick up a couple of queens so I think we are set, but that is good information!
It's better to have queens already grown... (I'm assuming they come in a sugar cage ready for insertion into the hive?)
Good Luck with that... Bees are a great hobby.
My brother and I used to raise them until his allergies became so pronounced that he kept going into shock when stung.
Now I have to buy my honey from a friend who still raises bees when I want to brew more mead.
If you have bees with a bit of brood material with it, the bees will sometimes feed royal jelly to one of the brood and create their own queen.
That is awesome! I will pass that along to the wife. Also, we are heading to Tennessee tomorrow to pick up a couple of queens so I think we are set, but that is good information!
I actually can't get attached to them. We got these as a starter kit because bee ordering season is over and we could not get a queen. We are going to try to lure a queen naturally and see if we can get a hive going but we know the odds are not good for success and they may die after about 6 months or so. We will go full fledge into creating a hive with queen next spring. They are great, these guys were bred for gentility we just let em all over us with no worries. I have really come to respect and admire the bee for all that they do.
If you have bees with a bit of brood material with it, the bees will sometimes feed royal jelly to one of the brood and create their own queen.
That is so cool. Honey and beezwax to boot ! Candle making in your future plans ? Their wax is a premium ingredient in the finest candles.
Huh, never even thought of that. The primary function of this batch is to pollinate, we actually have them in the greenhouse. Yea I guess we can do candles too, why not? Can't wait till next year when we join the farmers market, we will have vegetables, fruits, honey, tilapia and I guess candles too!
I actually can't get attached to them. We got these a starter kit because bee ordering season is over and we could not get a queen. We are going to try to lure a queen naturally and see if we can get a hive going but we know the odds are not good for success and they may die after about 6 months or so. We will go full fledge into creating a hive with queen next spring. They are great, these guys were bred for gentility we just let em all over us with no worries. I have really come to respect and admire the bee for all that they do.
That is so cool. Honey and beezwax to boot ! Candle making in your future plans ? Their wax is a premium ingredient in the finest candles.
I actually can't get attached to them. We got these as a starter kit because bee ordering season is over and we could not get a queen. We are going to try to lure a queen naturally and see if we can get a hive going but we know the odds are not good for success and they may die after about 6 months or so. We will go full fledge into creating a hive with queen next spring. They are great, these guys were bred for gentility we just let em all over us with no worries. I have really come to respect and admire the bee for all that they do.
I am doing my best to keep up the good fight though, getting a new shipment of bees tomorrow. Starting to feel like this guy: 
It is amazing how differently I see living creatures then I did a couple of years ago. When you really stop and think of the function and symbiotic relationship between all living things, the world is indeed seen though different eyes. This is something that most indigenous cultures have always known and more importantly lived. Now, who is teaching whom?.
