I am not sure if General Discussion is the right place for non fishing topics, but please feel free to move.
I am a hobbiest bee keeper- started 6 years ago. Try to keep between 5-8 hives… this year, after the brutally cold NEFL winter, I had 4 at harvest time.
Great hobby, but very physically demanding since you have to work the hives during the middle of the day (more bees gone so you can see better).
Honey harvest day starts and ends with all the spinning equipment getting a soapy water bath and then drying.
Moved to Skiff Culture for a better fit. Always found this interesting as I love honey, but I have enough irons in the fire right now to take on anything else.
After equipment is clean, you gather frames to harvest. I have 4 to 5 honey supers per hive, I left each hive with at least two full supers after last years 2 week cold snap.
Once you have collected, it is uncapping and spinning all afternoon.
My daughter LOVES honey. Anytime we travel we always drop over $100 on those craft honeys for her. My wife is TERRIFIED of bees. Childhood trauma. She’d kill me if even remotely considered doing this. I bet my daughter would love it. Cool stuff!
Man, I am trying to hang in there as a beekeeper but it has been frustrating so far. I had a super almost full, left it for them in the winter and had the hive split and take all of the honey with them once Spring hit. Thought I gave them enough room with another box but she still decided to leave. Ungrateful bitches.
Like Zika i have enough going on but really intrigued by bee keeping, one of my neighbors around the block has a dozen or so hives and a cool little set up to sell it thats like old skool works on trust, it looks like a book drop but has different size jars of honey in it, there’s a metal box at bottom thats locked that you put the money in just take what you want ,everything has a price sticker on it:+1: this is in his front yard theres just enough room to pull over infront of thus honey drop LOLi had s picture ill find it and No this wouldnt work in LA
Funny when i read the title i said great someone has shiggles
I keep bees also, have 4-5 currently and try to keep around that many for honey production. Labor of love but of the most rewarding kind. I definitely enjoy it!! Glad to see some other fishermen have the bug too!
I do my harvesting now for two reasons @WilsonTampa
If you harvest now (in FL), the dirth is just starting so you have the Spring honey. In my case, I live near the St Mary’s River which has Tupelo trees… so I get a very light golden honey.
Also, if they make it through the summer (which I leave them enough to do so) they have time to rebuild during the fall nectar flow, which in my area is primarily Goldenrod
Bees are very apt to run off, so harvest while you can.
Nice to see @Tripletail@MikeChamp12
It gets in the way of some fishing trips here and there, but there is nothing quite as good as your own honey on cornbread or in your tea.
Glad to see I am not alone either!
@rovster my wife was not keen initially, but after a few years relaxed. Last year she got cocky and came out to take pics for her insta and decided to taste some nectar (sweeter than the honey) while not in a suit. She got popped and 2 days later we were at the ER getting steroids for her since her throat was swelling.
For the most part, they are pretty easy to have as neighbors. I had one hive become aggressive this year so I moved it to the back of my property (10 acres) to give it space. It has been fine since.
My buddy was doing this for a little while, and I helped him out a few times. He unfortunately passed in a free diving accident so I was helping his wife with it, but she had shitty neighbors and somehow it was against some kind of municipality violation and I believe she ended up giving away the hives. If I land, there’s a good chance I would have hives.
It is interesting, I found a gal at a small craft show that does this bee keeping. Bought two bottles of Mangrove honey, yep the exact same trees I fish in. Last years Ozello hurricane bloom. She mentioned it being quite rare for this type of honey. Very different taste, I really like it.
If you are looking for flowering plants for your bees try African Blue Basil. I have a few plants and it is constantly covered in bees, honey bees, little green ones.
And the basil propagates from cuttings really easy so you can start more.
We put a lot of flowering trees and plants in our yard.
Bees can go up to 10 miles away, so they search much further than the land I pay taxes on.
Unfortunately, that means all the pesticides sprayed locally can kill my hives as wel.
I’m allergic to stinging and biting insects. Been to emergency rooms and Drs but love honey. I have a neighbor who has hives and occasionally I get a jar
it looks like a book drop but has different size jars of honey in it, there’s a metal box at bottom thats locked that you put the money in just take what you want ,everything has a price sticker on it:+1: this is in his front yard theres just enough room to pull over infront of thus honey drop LOLi had s picture ill find it and No this wouldnt work in LA 
