# bees



## i like my goats (Jul 16, 2021)

just wondering but does any one on here have bees?


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

@MellonFriend has some at her place. 
My sister keeps bees, so I am familiar with them but don't do much with them.


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## Iluvlilly! (Apr 6, 2019)

@KST Goat Farm I think her Dad has bees.
My parent's also have bees.


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## KST Goat Farm (Jul 29, 2019)

Yep. We have about 20 hives.


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

My cousins had bees. Always wanted to get some but too many projects on the burners at the moment. 

If looking into getting them find a local supplier to get your starter nuc. Most recommend getting it in late winter or early spring. I have bee friendly protocols we follow to provide bee preferred plants and no chemicals to help the local area bees.


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## alwaystj9 (Apr 10, 2019)

Can you recommend a good bee website?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Yes we have bees at my place. My sister is the beekeeper here. She is super knowledgeable. We have six hives.
Do you have bees yet or are you just considering them?



alwaystj9 said:


> Can you recommend a good bee website?


A great one is Honeybee Suite. Be extremely careful about the infor you find on bees online. There's a lot of misinformation out there, just like with goats.

Or are you looking for a forum? My sister is on BeeMaster and World Wide Beekeeping.


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## i like my goats (Jul 16, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Yes we have bees at my place. My sister is the beekeeper here. She is super knowledgeable. We have six hives.
> Do you have bees yet or are you just considering them?
> 
> 
> ...


considering getting bees.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

i like my goats said:


> considering getting bees.


Just like with goats there is a lot to learn. There is much more responsibility when it comes to keeping bees though, because one beekeeper's poor management can negatively affect the other beekeepers around them. But if you are committed and do your research, the benefits are amazing. Harvesting your own honey is _awesome_. Not to mention all the other bee products like wax and pollen that are great to use too. We love making our own lotion with the beeswax and I'm just learning to incorporate the wax and honey into my goats milk soap. 

If you have any questions you'd like answered, I would be glad to ask my sister for you! She loves talking about bees just as much as I love talking about goats! 😁


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

One local website for East TN is :




__





Rosecomb Apiaries – Caring for the bees that sustain your world






rosecombapiaries.com


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## i like my goats (Jul 16, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Just like with goats there is a lot to learn. There is much more responsibility when it comes to keeping bees though, because one beekeeper's poor management can negatively affect the other beekeepers around them. But if you are committed and do your research, the benefits are amazing. Harvesting your own honey is _awesome_. Not to mention all the other bee products like wax and pollen that are great to use too. We love making our own lotion with the beeswax and I'm just learning to incorporate the wax and honey into my goats milk soap.
> 
> If you have any questions you'd like answered, I would be glad to ask my sister for you! She loves talking about bees just as much as I love talking about goats! 😁


could you ask your sister what the best place to buy bee packages is?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

i like my goats said:


> could you ask your sister what the best place to buy bee packages is?


Her advice was to find a place as local to you as possible. Just like with goats, the bees will do better if they have been bred for the climate of your area. If you are looking for a specific recommendation, she said that there is a place in Sophia NC that has great genetics. Here's a link to their website: Beekeeping Products & Supplies, Honey Bee Supplies - Beez Needz


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

Most time local ag agents will have a list or even some coops. We have local bee groups that do trainings for people but not sure what your state has to offer.


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## i like my goats (Jul 16, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Her advice was to find a place as local to you as possible. Just like with goats, the bees will do better if they have been bred for the climate of your area. If you are looking for a specific recommendation, she said that there is a place in Sophia NC that has great genetics. Here's a link to their website: Beekeeping Products & Supplies, Honey Bee Supplies - Beez Needz


thanks


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

We have had bees for many years now. Last spring two wild hives swarmed and moved into two empty boxes so that was a nice bonus.
Just now processing what we harvested this weekend.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Huh I’m happy you asked this! I was just talking to my sister the other day saying I wanted to start looking into getting bees, just because the kids consume so much honey. We let local bee keepers keep their hives here and in return get free honey. They said all we want but I don’t think they really understand just how much my kids will go threw so feel guilty and won’t ask for the amount we need to stray stocked lol


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

I never thought we would use so much honey!! People are always wanting to buy from us and I am like, "uh, no. We eat it."
My husband uses the wax to make lip balm and I use it in candy making.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

luvmyherd said:


> My husband uses the wax to make lip balm and I use it in candy making


You use wax in candy? What kind of candy?


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

I dip things in chocolate. I used to use paraffin but beeswax is much better.
These are either peanut butter or maple or mint.









This is almond roca. It doesn't require dipping I just thought I'd add it.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Well those look delicious! 🤤
So you add it to the chocolate? What's the ratio of chocolate to wax?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Man that all looks good!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Our latest harvest. (Should last us a couple of weeks.)


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Nice!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

👍


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

We had to get a new swarm (no gifts from the wild this year). We have always done top bar. This is our first langstroth hive. They seem happy here. Lots of thistle this time of year.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Nice!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

My sister has only ever done Langstroth. How do you like the top bar? Is there any reason you decided to go with Langstroth this year?


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

At first we went with top bar as we thought it was better for the bees. But we have learned a lot more and don't believe they really care.
They tend to run the comb all together making harvesting harder. The langstroth is supposed to remedy that.
If you are after mostly honey and not wax; the langstroth is better. I like a lot of wax as we use it for multiple things.
This is just starting so it will be a while before we know which we like best.


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