Numerous websites place the average cost of starting a traditional Langstroth hive at ~$200-300 dollars on equipment alone. This is not factoring in $50-100 for the bees themselves (if you do not catch a swarm). Recently, I received the 2011 catalog for Dadant Beekeeping Supplies and chuckled when I look at the hive bodies available for purchase. You could select from three different "levels"; essentially: deluxe, run of the mill, value. The only difference was the quality of the pine used.
The first question is DO THE BEES EVEN CARE?! The answer is NO. Does the beekeeper? He shouldn't. If you have wood at home use it; you can have a hive in relatively no time and at relatively no cost. Top Bar hives, like the ones I build, are the most budget friendly hives available. They are used in areas of the world that (e.g. Kenya) where people have little-to-no income. You allow the honey bee to do what God intended - and leave them well enough alone.
With each top-bar cut to 1-3/8'' wide, build the box/rectangle according to how many bars you wish. Reminder that if the hive is too small the hive may swarm, and if too large the hive will not be able to maintain its temperature during winter. My hive has ~20 bars and is 10'' (bottom width) and 16'' (top width). By the end of the first season my little ladies had built comb through the entire box.
With my dad's abundance of wood in the garage, our first hive cost $0.00.
YOU CAN DO IT!
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Bees: Myths vs. Facts
Bee Myths
(from http://www.surviveoutdoors.com/reference/beeswasps/index.asp)
Myth: After your first bee sting reaction, future bee stings double and triple in severity.
Fact: In many research studies, repeated stings over time actually have a lesser reaction not an increased one.
Myth: Elderly individuals are more susceptible to a severe reaction than middle-aged.
Fact: The older one gets, the body's histamine production is less. Subsequently, the allergic reaction is less. This is not to say that an anaphylactic reaction cannot occur, although it is rare.
Myth: Bees can see and sting in the dark.
Fact: This is partially true, bees can sting in the dark as a stimulus response reaction. However, they cannot see in the dark. If being chased by a swarm of bees during the day, you can decrease their intensity by running to a dark garage or a darkened area of a forest.
Myth: A severe anaphylactic reaction will usually occur in the first 5 to 10 minutes after being stung.
Fact: Most anaphylactic reactions do occur in the first 15 to 30 minutes. 60% occur in the first hour, and the remaining occur in the next 3 to 4 hours. If there is not a severe reaction in 5 hours, the chances are very good that one will not occur.
(from http://www.surviveoutdoors.com/reference/beeswasps/index.asp)
Myth: After your first bee sting reaction, future bee stings double and triple in severity.
Fact: In many research studies, repeated stings over time actually have a lesser reaction not an increased one.
Myth: Elderly individuals are more susceptible to a severe reaction than middle-aged.
Fact: The older one gets, the body's histamine production is less. Subsequently, the allergic reaction is less. This is not to say that an anaphylactic reaction cannot occur, although it is rare.
Myth: Bees can see and sting in the dark.
Fact: This is partially true, bees can sting in the dark as a stimulus response reaction. However, they cannot see in the dark. If being chased by a swarm of bees during the day, you can decrease their intensity by running to a dark garage or a darkened area of a forest.
Myth: A severe anaphylactic reaction will usually occur in the first 5 to 10 minutes after being stung.
Fact: Most anaphylactic reactions do occur in the first 15 to 30 minutes. 60% occur in the first hour, and the remaining occur in the next 3 to 4 hours. If there is not a severe reaction in 5 hours, the chances are very good that one will not occur.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Medicating the Honey Bee
Part of the reason in creating this blog was to share the ease of beekeeping! You do not need a lot of know-how, because after your first season there is more learning than most books teach. As with most things in life, you can spend as much as you want on this hobby. An aspect of beekeeping that could be expensive is the medication of hives. If you only have one hive (as I currently do) then purchasing any amount of medication seems cost inefficient.
The Honey Bee is an amazing social insect. While there are times for medication I feel that the hive should be given the opportunity to create anti-bodies for self-preservation. Will every hive survive? No. But beekeepers want to preserve EVERY hive, because they have placed such large amounts of money, resources and energy into each hive. It's time to allow nature to micro-evolve, to eradicate low disease-resistant colonies.
There is a school of beekeeping-thought that it is vital to provide preventative medications to combat a plethora of diseases that could effect the hive. The one thing that bothers me with this line of thinking is 1) I plan on eating a portion of the hive's honey, and I'd rather have no chemicals present in the hive; 2) bees have survived for thousands of years without these modern medications. They seemed to do just fine without them. Additionally, during this "era of medication" there has been a seemingly obvious rise in bee illness.
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