Honey Bees

I’ve always wanted to but have never pulled the trigger

Ballpark, how much time do you spend a week fooling with them?

I got a nuc from a guy in Hampton Arkansas. I’m in Claiborne Parish so he’s an hour from me. I see some nucs around Shreveport for sale and a ton of folks in east Texas have nucs for sale. You can build a swarm trap for less than $20 and catch your own bees pretty easily if you want to start cheap.

Check with Tracy Smith, he’s a fireman in Shreveport.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I can definitely see where it could be a hassle. Removals look like a lot of work for sure. I would like to see how 5-6 hives works for me. I like to fish and I’ve got a pretty big garden too so I don’t want to get too far in it.

I love it. It’s real interesting watching them build out frames and following their progress throughout the year.

For the poster asking about time commitment, I spend more time on my chickens each week than my chickens. If they have enough space, you can easily check on them once a month for more checks and that be it.

We're supposed to be getting some from Hummer and Son's, Bossier honey company, in a few weeks.

Got 75 hives. Harvested 7000 pounds of honey last year.

Sell in grocery stores, health food stores and farmers market.

Let me know if you have questions.

It's a lot of work for not much $.

Comb takes a lot more energy for the bees to produce than honey.

the good news is that once comb is raised on a frame it can be re used for 4~5 years, even being moved between hives.

feeding with sugar water is a useful tool in emergencies, but keep in mind its the equivalent of humans trying to subsist on eating ice cream.

there is really no substitute for the hive being in a area with lots of natural pollen and nectar sources.

Are yoy using standard Langstroth hives? what kind of frames are you using?

Yes, Langstroth hives. I’ve heard it takes 7 pounds of honey to make a pound of wax. The flow should be starting very soon in my area. I know it’s my best chance to make comb. I already have a good bit of fresh nectar and pollen coming in. Just trying to strategize comb production but not exactly sure the best solution.