Revision as of 10:11, 4 June 2018

Overview

Information pertaining to bee keeping

Fellow Apiaries and Contacts

• Jonathan, Chad
• Asa
• Greg Brown's Uncle
• Yellow Hat Guys' Dad

Contacts for Purchasing Live Bees

• Allen (Scottsboro)
  • 256-200-4575
  • Had a bad year in 2018, not selling, but might in the future
  • Jonathan said $160 for 4 frames was Allen's price
• Craig (From ad on Alabees.com)
  • One of the hives appeared to have virus, Craig said he would make it right if the frames didn't survive.
  • $140 ?
• Fork Mountain Bees (Scottsboro)
  • $170+

Treating Diseases

• Craig said Teetree oil can be used to treat verona
  • He said this will destroy your blender, get a cheap one from a thrift store.

Catching Swarms

• Lemongrass Oil. Rub some on the top of one single frame. Put cotton ball with a few dabs of the oil on it in a zip lock bag, and then tear a small corner out of the bag. Place on top of the frames.
  • This mimics the pheromones of a queen

Places to Purchase Equipment

• Mann Lake
• OSBeehives (BuzzBox, IOT Bee Monitoring, Android App for listening to hive health)

Lessons Learned

• We're in Alabama and it gets hot here. Purchase a well ventilated bee suit. They are double the price.
• Getting the first frame out of a bee hive is difficult without a frame grabbing tool.
• You can't use your touch screen on your phone if you have gloves on. There's usually a way to snap photos using the mechanical buttons on a phone.
• Hive foundations should be up off the ground, use a pallet or paving stones. If the ground is slightly sloped, angle the opening of the have downward so that any rain or moisture runs out of the box.
• Political signs work well as a buffer between the top most box and the lid. Bees will glue the lid down, this helps with that.