Bee Keeping

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Does anyone here do it??

It's something I have been interested in for a long time.

I am considering getting a hive once I move to my property later this year.

Looking at getting native Australian Bees.

Any info and photos of your set up would be appreciated.

[Geez Louise]

The bee population world wide is in decline so anyone who wants to get into it has my full support. I hope you give it a go. Keep us updated on your progress. 😀


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Just a 70's girl in a confusing world!

[1TUFFUTE]

Ive actually been looking into it myself recently. Want to do the native Aus bees aswell. Smaller less angry bees, easy to keep and look after and provides a highly sought after honey....although no where near as much honey as other breeds.

My wife's cousin is a bee keeper freak so I'll find out some more info....oh and I have a mate who may be able to split his native sis pod next season for me. Apparently it's that easy....
I'll try to update when I finally get around to it

[Giant Cranium]

my best mates dad does it up in tamworth, just a little hobbie one with 50 hives, started at one and got hooked and its all he wants to talk about.

they are one very special and important animal

there is nothing like the honey they make, you get no acidic burn on the back of your throat like with commercial honey.

[olfella]

I did it for a while. A very labour intensive hobby. Moving hives, looking for flowers, getting kicked out of national parks, separating, storing and selling the product. Then there is the health aspects of the hive. Hope you do lots of homework before you kill the poor buggers.

[Ratmick]

Originally Posted by olfella

I did it for a while. A very labour intensive hobby. Moving hives, looking for flowers, getting kicked out of national parks, separating, storing and selling the product. Then there is the health aspects of the hive. Hope you do lots of homework before you kill the poor buggers.

And make sure your bee keepers hood fits properly otherwise you'll be forever doing this

[Pepscobra]

I'll bee keeping an eye on this thread with interest.

[Road Games]

Honey i'm home and i've had a hard day.

[wodahs]

just need some one in perth to do it .... the best way to get honey

[olfella]

Bees are not only about honey. They are essential to our food chain. If they dont pollinate, crops fail, trees dont bear fruit and I have to manually have sex with my pumpkin vine. A lot of farmer invite bee growers into their property for just this reason. And there is a threat to the bee population fron disease that the government will not fund research for.

[CoupeKing]

Every fourth mouthful of food we eat can be attributed directly to the work of Bees.

Funnily enough around 30% of all food produced gets binned.

[1TUFFUTE]

I'm looking at Aus bees as I need them to pollinate my dozen or so fruit trees and all my veges! Their honey can be infused with certain flavours better then other honey aswell.
They're a great addition to mini backyard Eco systems!

[thefargo]

if anyone has links or info, I'd very much like a read, if they could post up a link or something.
Is there such a thing as 'too small' in terms of size or capacity. I'd like to try, but would like it to be small scale.

[Franco Cozzo]

I noticed with my tomatoes I've only seen one solitary bee going around pollinating the flowers :(

I thought it would be crawling with them.

[Tassie f100]

I hope more people will look at beekeeping because they are a dying race due in no small part to chemical co Monsanto.Monsanto are developing GM plants which are non seed producing forcing growers to buy new seed every crop.Also chemical Co,s produce sprays which might seem a good idea in the short term but they also kill off entire bee colonies

[thefargo]

Jumped on e-bay. There are booklets and bee keeping guides that you can buy. I will have a look and probably buy something. Also there were 'hives' to buy. Prices were about 100 -150. I think like Tassie said it would be a good thing, not just for the honey advantage.

[LyleXR8]

Make sure you have room or not to close to neighbours, our next door neighbour decided to become a bee farmer right over our fence next to the clothesline, my wife would get hammered by them, told the neighbour but she wasn't to fussed about it, I ended up relocating them to a new home,

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

I hope more people will look at beekeeping because they are a dying race due in no small part to chemical co Monsanto.Monsanto are developing GM plants which are non seed producing forcing growers to buy new seed every crop.Also chemical Co,s produce sprays which might seem a good idea in the short term but they also kill off entire bee colonies

Monsanto is the worlds most hated organisation!

Remember the terrible (floods I think) that destroyed Tahiti awhile back?.....well Monsanto shipped in tons of seeds but the farmers refused to use them because they knew the GM seeds would destroy their Eco system.....so they ended up burning them from memory! Good on them.

[1TUFFUTE]

Back on topic...a few things about the bees I've been learning about is using chemical sprays in your garden will KILL your bees. Big no no.
Also the bees I'm looking at that my mate uses are stingless.....but make small amounts of honey. They need shade all day and water nearby but the biggest thing is there's only like 10 or so breeds of stingless native bees in Aus, and they all need warm climates.......sory guys not in QLD. You'll most likely need to go with traditional bees!
The native stingless bees can be harvested for their honey every year....I'd say AFTER winter, as they use their honey to insulate the cold.
You can also split the hive every year for expansion......this is what I'm hoping of doing with my mates hive after winter. Not sure on the whole queen bee thing yet tho.....

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I noticed with my tomatoes I've only seen one solitary bee going around pollinating the flowers :(

I thought it would be crawling with them.

Funny fact about tomatoes is they are king of 'self pollinating'. Strictly they aren't but they don't need "cross" pollination like nearly every other fruit needs for big healthy fruit. Simple wind or for eg,vibrating bumble bees is all they need to spread their pollen. Obviously tho, bees make the process very efficient.

Calcium is important for your tomatoes bro.
And Basil planted amount tomatoes naturally keeps the aphids and pests off your tomatoes!
Just thought I'd throw that out there!

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Some good info there.

I have no idea about it, but have about 12 months to research a bit.

Always been interested.

Looking at small scale.

[SYZ]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

I hope more people will look at beekeeping because they are a dying race due in no small part to chemical co Monsanto. Monsanto are developing GM plants which are non seed producing forcing growers to buy new seed every crop. [...]

Sorry to correct you on this point, but that assertion is a baseless but commonly-held urban myth...

Monsanto has never commercialized a biotech trait that resulted in sterile – or “Terminator” – seeds. Sharing the concerns of small landholder farmers, Monsanto made a commitment in 1999 not to commercialize sterile seed technology in food crops... We share many of the concerns that farmers – especially small landholder farmers – have about this technology.

In June 2013, Monsanto, (the company so many love to hate!) sponsored the Honey Bee Health Summit at its St. Louis, Missouri, Research Centre. The summit's goal was to create an informed exchange among academics, NGOs, government and private sector participants to find a solution to improving the health of honey bee colonies.

In 2011 Monsanto acquired Beeologics, a company focused on developing biological tools for protecting bee health. Monsanto saw this acquisition as a means by which it could contribute to speeding up Beeologics research on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and its root causes.

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by SYZ

Sorry to correct you on this point, but that assertion is a baseless but commonly-held urban myth...

In June 2013, Monsanto, (the company so many love to hate!) sponsored the Honey Bee Health Summit at its St. Louis, Missouri, Research Centre. The summit's goal was to create an informed exchange among academics, NGOs, government and private sector participants to find a solution to improving the health of honey bee colonies.

In 2011 Monsanto acquired Beeologics, a company focused on developing biological tools for protecting bee health. Monsanto saw this acquisition as a means by which it could contribute to speeding up Beeologics research on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and its root causes.

Are you sure about that being a myth? Myself, my mum an co have spent many years loosely comparing the difference between Airloom seeds and generic seeds you buy from Bunnings for eg. Not ONCE have we ever been sucsessfull reusing seeds except from the Airloom seeds. Even they have a propagation success rate ranging from 60-90% depending what your planting.
Even certain Vegas are sprayed with 'growth inhibitor' so they don't sprout and have a prettier shelf life. For eg.....you can't get 'slips' from sprayed sweet potatoes, you need to buy fully organic ones if you want to reuse and cycle your produce in your own garden!

As for monsantos bee funding......are your sure it's not a 'public stunt' if you will, as that sort of research has zero impact on their seed sales yet makes them look good to the public! (I'd liken that to saying hitlers a great bloke for building the German people a "car for the people"....the vdubs, yet ignoring the damage he caused elsewhere)

Sorry if that seems blunt but I've read an awful lot about Monsanto, and the research they do, and block......and it's not good! I'm happy to expand if you wish.....feel free too yourself as I find it very interesting!

[Hippy]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Does anyone here do it??

It's something I have been interested in for a long time.

I am considering getting a hive once I move to my property later this year.

Looking at getting native Australian Bees.

Any info and photos of your set up would be appreciated.

its good ta see some one interested in Native Bees .

i breed [Austroplebeia symei] which is native of Nth Qld ..

Timid Little dudes , [Research]

A lot in the keeping of Natives , per climate ,- down in the south states , Carbonia species can handle cold some what .

and during warm days they will emerge early .

beware the Cadagi tree within 500 meters tho - research will help you .

And a word of warning . do not buy a newly split hive , buy one that is at least 3 months old [established ...]

Because some may have diseases , a strong hive can defend itself to a point .

also the Native Bee won;t pollinate Pumpkins ,, they go for small flowers , ..eg
mostly native . they love Macadamia up here .

there are many Native Bee Breeders Aust wide ..

just a start for you - link ...

http://bobthebeeman.com.au//BeeMan.htm

http://www.qnc.org.au/Papers/The%20c...%20cadaghi.htm

cheers . I love me little Dudettes , [aLL workers are dudettes ] no offence to the Human population ...

do some research , you will be rewarded with the . the going ons , and many hours or enjoyment watching them do their stuff ..

and they are very Timid ,, watch them from the side if the hive ,
not like the Big Honey Bee , those Muthas are scared of Nothing hehe.
Hope this post helps ,,,

[Pis-ton broke]

i think it was a landline show about couple in byron bay that invented a special honey comb. it meant that the honey comb didn,t need to be put into and extractor to get the honey out. http://www.honeyflow.com/
http://www.honeyflow.com/gallery-vid...60#xUQX5kfCT9U

we use untreated honey on horse injuryies sometimes, it has healing properties

[Boosted8]

I have a great interest in bee keeping. I am fascinated by Bees...

too bad I'm allergic to them :(

[mechanic]

Native bees build a different structured honeycomb to European honey bees.
I've had both and still have a house full of native bees, yes a house full, the walls of the house anyway.
They will build in any tiny crack or crevice in the wall of the house here in Cairns.
There's a lot of info on Native Bees, I just recently shredded all my books and leaflets but they're still available online.
My suggestion for native bees is to talk to a timber cutter, council worker or forestry worker and see if they can get a section of hollow tree with a hive in it. They're notoriously difficult to convince to set up in a box.
Interestingly the native bees are more apt to build near ground level and sometimes their hive extends below ground level.Although there's a lot of different species of native bees and they're individual habits may vary.
I have a plastic irrigation box set in the ground to enable me to access a tap, well, that was the intention. It's now solidly sealed up by native bees and they've been through major wet seasons, extreme heat and still persist.
Most concrete block homes in Cairns have got native bees building in the walls.
The native bee honey can be quite a challenge to eat sometimes although dead ironbark trees in the North Burnett area of Queensland yielded nice honey usually, you knew it was there when the chainsaw started throwing long strings of sticky stuff everywhere.
My brother still has 100+ hives in the Avacado plantations on the Atherton Tableland, recently though disease has had a huge impact.

[hawkgirl]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

Also the bees I'm looking at that my mate uses are stingless.....but make small amounts of honey.

correct - approx 1 litre a year.

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

but the biggest thing is there's only like 10 or so breeds of stingless native bees in Aus, and they all need warm climates.......sory guys not in QLD. You'll most likely need to go with traditional bees!

Not true. Tetragonia have been found as far south as Nowra. Mine are very happy in sydney

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

The native stingless bees can be harvested for their honey every year....I'd say AFTER winter, as they use their honey to insulate the cold.
You can also split the hive every year for expansion......this is what I'm hoping of doing with my mates hive after winter. Not sure on the whole queen bee thing yet tho.....

neither of these things can be done annually. The honey is in the centre of the hive in a spiral, and is in such small amounts that it would be of little use for insulation. Sugarbag should only be harvested if the hive is strong (which means if you have split, no honey until the following year in late spring).


in the kuringai / hornsby area of sydney the council will give you a native bee hive (Tetragonula carbonaria sp)- I had to pay $400 plus for mine....

OATH boxes can have a honey super put on them.

And while they are stingless the little sods do bite if you upset them.


as for apis (european honeybee) a mate has a Flowhive, and had to wait almost 18 months for it - but he loves it as he now does not have to disturb or squash his bees to get the honey from the frames.

[mechanic]

"correct - approx 1 litre a year." - hawkgirl
That's for sure, you won't be needing an electric powered extractor for the little black fellas.
Have seen some of these hives about 2 meters long in hollow trees but they build their nests in such a way that it's easier to scrape it out of the tree and just squeeze the honey out. A lot of trouble for not much reward.

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by hawkgirl

correct - approx 1 litre a year.



Not true. Tetragonia have been found as far south as Nowra. Mine are very happy in sydney



neither of these things can be done annually. The honey is in the centre of the hive in a spiral, and is in such small amounts that it would be of little use for insulation. Sugarbag should only be harvested if the hive is strong (which means if you have split, no honey until the following year in late spring).


in the kuringai / hornsby area of sydney the council will give you a native bee hive (Tetragonula carbonaria sp)- I had to pay $400 plus for mine....

OATH boxes can have a honey super put on them.

And while they are stingless the little sods do bite if you upset them.


as for apis (european honeybee) a mate has a Flowhive, and had to wait almost 18 months for it - but he loves it as he now does not have to disturb or squash his bees to get the honey from the frames.

To be fair I did say you'll "most likely need to go traditional".....as while you' may find the ten stingless breeds down south......advising all the newbies to try them in colder climates maybe isn't the best idea. Unless they are the only breeds they want to try. I think I confused honey as a insulator with the diff between using a log or box! obviously a log would suit colder climates faaar better.
I'm no specialist but I've been told this and read this multiple times!
But there's well over a thousand native Aus bee breeds right?

And like I commented earlier... my mate splits his box EVERY year, as you said, in spring....after Winter. I think he gets about 500-800ml at a time.
Just checked and a box or 'oath' setup.....including a strong stingless bee group, is roughly 550$ in QLD!