Comments On: Beekeeping 101 by Gillian Anderson

Re: Beekeeping 101

Greg — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:30:52 -0700

@14: Dude, Halo 2 has been out for years now.
Posted by Greg

Re: Beekeeping 101

Bethany Jean Clement — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:49:48 -0700

Yay for bees! I bet the honey will be very, very good (hint, hint).
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement

Re: Beekeeping 101

Cascadian Bacon — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:16:41 -0700

I <3 bees.

Posted by Cascadian Bacon

Re: Beekeeping 101

catherineku — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:38:03 -0700

Mount Vernon High School has installed a bee hive on campus! http://www.goskagit.com/youtube_af3864b8…
The buzz on campus isn't just from the bees!
Posted by catherineku

Re: Beekeeping 101

Bauhaus I — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:24:28 -0700

Congrats, Gillian. I've always had the deepest admiration for people who know how to keep bees. Where I lived in Vancouver - about three houses down in the front yard - there was a homemade stand with a slot to drop in $4 and a few jars of honey there to take. Totally the honor system. Wouldn't dream of stealing honey from someone so trusting, eh? Anyway, I loved that. And I love beekeepers. It's right there on my bucket list with learning how to forage wild mushrooms.

Have you gotten stung yet?
Posted by Bauhaus I

Re: Beekeeping 101

Sandiai — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:10:53 -0700

From 9:
"Make sure you keep sugar syrup on them until the blackberry bloom happens in June. Otherwise, you will starve your bees. We have a nectar dearth that lasts from about now (maples) to the blackberry. Bees need the sugar to raise young and they will starve out without it. Starving a new colony from a package is the most common mistake for new beekeepers."
Posted by Sandiai

Re: Beekeeping 101

venomlash — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:29:02 -0700

As long as they're being fed, they're easy to medicate. Fumagillin, the standard treatment for nosema disease, can be administered in syrup, and should be used preventatively due to how common nosema is.
Also, put a brick or similarly heavy object on top of the outer cover. All it takes is for one raccoon to get at your hive and start pulling out frames...
Posted by venomlash

Re: Beekeeping 101

Beeman — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:50:53 -0700

Make sure you keep sugar syrup on them until the blackberry bloom happens in June. Otherwise, you will starve your bees. We have a nectar dearth that lasts from about now (maples) to the blackberry. Bees need the sugar to raise young and they will starve out without it. Starving a new colony from a package is the most common mistake for new beekeepers.
Posted by Beeman

Re: Beekeeping 101

teamcanada — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:47:04 -0700

I hope your bee-happiness-making plants include borage. It is super easy to grow, reseeds like a weed and bees go totally wild for it. Bonus! Its beautiful flowers are the old-school, original garnish for a Pimm's Cup!
Posted by teamcanada

Re: Beekeeping 101

Gillian Anderson — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:40:51 -0700

I haven't been stung. The bees can feel my goodwill.
Posted by Gillian Anderson

Re: Beekeeping 101

Cephalodude — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:34:03 -0700

While I am a consumer of honey (yum!) and surely appreciate the ecological roles that bees play and the stately, dignified profession of beekeeping, you, and all beekeepers, are INSANE.

I NO WANNA GET STUNG.
Posted by Cephalodude

Re: Beekeeping 101

ItsAllOverNow — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:10:33 -0700

Thanks for all the good info rob!
Posted by ItsAllOverNow

Re: Beekeeping 101

rob! — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:08:19 -0700

In prepping my house for painting, I replaced a lot of old trim and ratty railings, and found plenty of evidence of leafcutter bees in the vertical gaps between the window-trim nailers and the siding, as well as orchard bees nesting in the empty screw holes during the procrastination gap between prep and actual painting.
Posted by rob!

Re: Beekeeping 101

rob! — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:59:46 -0700

What prompt said @2, plus the advice that you vary the hole size to attract different species of native bees:

http://baynature.org/articles/web-only-a…

http://buzzybeegirl.wordpress.com/2008/0…

http://cagardenweb.ucdavis.edu/?blogtag=…

http://www.catalystmagazine.net/index.ph…

http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/…

Posted by rob!

Re: Beekeeping 101

prompt — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:44:44 -0700

Again, I'll put in my word for native leafcutter and mason bees, which you can have in your yard with only a block of wood with holes drilled in it.
Posted by prompt

Re: Beekeeping 101

Nugget — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:56:35 -0700

OH COOOOOLLLLLL!!!!!!
Posted by Nugget