I am thinking about farming honey bees....I dont know a thing about it, does anyone have any experience ?

Question

I live in charlotte nc

i am mainly interested in farming enough for myself not anything huge production.

have any good resources or tips? Thanks!

Answer 1

my bee guy has been raising bees for 30 yrs in ca.  he told me the other day a disease has killed most of his hives.  he had about 100 & is down to 3.  also, the bees in southern ca are changing the time of yr they swarm, it used to be early spring, now it is august for the past few yrs.  he also said the temperment of the bees was changing from easy to handle, to not easy & now back again....who knows why....

i think doing bees is a tricky, sensitive hobby....there are several good universities in charlotte -- contact the ag depts / ag extension there for info....

Answer 2

If you have a need for bees then setting up your own hives is a worthy thing. The wave of hive die offs called colony collapse disorder is causing quite a problem. Find a bee keeper and ask to give them free labor to be taught the ropes. But I would be wary about putting out any hard money with the huge problems right now industry wide. A requirement would be to read up on CCD before you go there. It is a real heart breaker.

Answer 3

Best authorites on beekeeping:

  Dadant & Co    www.dadant.com

  A. I. Root & Co -623 W. Liberty St., Medina, OH 44256

Beeculture magazine at www.beeculture.com

Answer 4

Some universities have distance education courses on apiculture (i.e. bee keeping)

Answer 5

I've raised honey bees in the past.  It can be very a rewarding experience if you are just looking for honey for your family and a few friends.  Don't look to make a lot of money unless you go into bee raising big time.  This article should give you enough information to get started or make you decide not to.  Good luck. I encourage you to try this project.

http://www.landscape-america.com/landsca...

Answer 6

check with your local extension agent they have a lot of info and might be able to help you find what you need and most of it is free

Answer 7

Check out the library. They have some pretty good general books. Also search sites on the computer. I've found a lot of info there. I have a couple supers but want to build more. Be wary of buying used equipment. Some diseases stay in the supers. There are several grades of hives the premium ones are a lot more expensive than the cheap ones. The only difference is the expensive ones are built out of knot free wood. You can find plans a lot of books. Mother Earth News has a lot of good info in back issues.