Re: [nndl] beekeeping

Hi Beka, It's very cool that you're going to put in a hive!  I can pass on some
tidbits of information (a little helpful, a little interesting) culled
from my mother and my brother who've kept bees for a few years (albeit
in a rural environment and not an urban one)... Polling of beekeepers, at least Nova Scotian ones (that's where my
family lives), is indicating that beekeepers who raise their bees
organically have not been seeing the so-called bee colony collapse
disorder that conventional beekeepers have been suffering from. If you purchase honeycomb templates, purchase the ones with the
smallest size honeycombs; it seems that, much like cows bred to have
bigger udders for massive milk production, bees forced to create
bigger-than-nature-intended honeycomb cells also weaken and and get
more diseases. Honeybees may be the canary in the coal mine.  Several hours before and
hundreds of miles away from the Chernobyl meltdown, beekeepers noticed
that their bees clustered in a corner furthest away from the opening
and refused to leave the hive for days.  This type of behavior might
also explain the colony collapse disorder. You might find this article helpful
Kirsten Bartel Beka Clark-Smith wrote:

Honeybee populations are
down, waaaay down. I’m
willing to put a beekeeper’s hive in my back yard. A friend and I will
monitor and maintain. If necessary, I can probably get Rob to pitch in.
We have
considered a free standing white box OR a window unit so we can watch
the
little guys (surprisingly this was Rob’s idea).

 

My friend has been
googling about hives. The white box is
much cheaper than the window unit. Often beekeepers make their own box
hive. So
does anyone have an old box hive in the garage or attic collecting dust
that I
could refurbish? Or is there someone who could make me one from scratch?

 

Are there city codes
about having 1 box hive or 1 window
hive within city limits in the backyard/sideyard? Yes I’m aware of
neighbors.

 

Is there a beekeeper
around that I can contact for general
info/advice?

 

My friend and I can count
the honeybees we’ve seen
this year on our hands. That’s too few—

Beka