BEES, BEES, & MORE BEES!
Who is the poster who keeps posting about saving the bees? It was an interesting post, but I forget the poster.
Anyway, I thought he'd like to know that when I went out to look at my blooming Mexican plum tree today, what did I find to my surprise was....it was covered with little bees! They're so little. Never seen bees that little. I had to look closer, since I thought at first they might be really big flies. But sure enough, they're little bees flitting from bloom to bloom! Lots and lots of 'em!
This is a good sign that the tree will produce some plums this year, if it doesn't freeze now. This is an early bloom because of unusually warm weather.
The BEES are BACK!
= new reply since forum marked as read
Beautiful, tough plants. Distinctive reddish bark. Drought tolerant. Blooms late winter/spring usually.
We started in the Spring of 2007.
Neither of us had any hands on experience.
They Honey Bees seemed like a natural addition to our new life in Arkansas.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=246x5729
We arrived at our new home in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas in Oct 2006. During the Winter, Starkraven researched bees (mostly online), and purchased a "Starter Kit" and two hive bodies online. She assembled the hives during the Winter, and in the Spring, the bees arrived via mail. Neither Starkraven nor myself had had any hands-on experience with bees, and the early days were pretty stressful.
We both became more and more fascinated with these insects, took a course offered by the State,
and later joined our local BeeKeepers Association.
While the bees are hearty and very good at taking care of themselves, they sometimes need some help.
We were lucky, and blundered through the first year on online research and love, but taking a course and joining the BeeKeepers Association has been invaluable, and we highly recommend it to anyone considering bees.
Our bees are very gentle (Italian/All Stars). We always wear protective hoods and gloves and use a smoker, but rarely put on the full suit. We do get stung on rare occasions (through the gloves or jeans), but it is no big deal anymore. I am considering trying BeeSting therapy for some arthritis in my hands .
We have gotten very comfortable with the bees, and what was initially a stressful experience has become routine. We inspect the hives every month during the Spring/Summer, a little more frequently if we are taking off honey. It takes about 15 minutes per hive. During the Winter, we rarely open the hives. ...only enough to make sure they have food (sugar water).
Our colonies are about 20 yards from the backdoor, visible from the house. There are plenty of bees around our house and gardens, but they have never caused a problem with us or our pets. Neither of us has been stung outside of messing with the hives.
There are many websites that offer full starter kits online.
I believe we ordered our kit from Dadant.
We offer the following suggestions based on our oersonal experience:
1) Check in with you County Extension.
They are very helpful. There are some regulations concerning transportation, registration, and inspection, and there may be some local ordinances. They are a great resource for latest research and new methods, pest & disease control. They can also facilitate state hive inspections.
We generally avoid government agencies where ever possible, and have never voluntarily registered anything, but we make an exception for our bees. The benefits FAR outweigh any downside.
2)Join you local Beekeepers Association.
These are some of the most laid back people you will ever meet. Starkraven and myself are not joiners, but we look forward to our monthly meetings with the "bee people". This is another valuable resource for local information concerning pests, honey flows, equipment and disreputable operators. You can also pick up some hands-on experience working around hives.
Make no mistake...it is scary opening a hive the first time.
You will also be able to pick up some free localized bees from you local bee keepers. (Healthy colonies EXPAND, and many local bee keepers have all they want and are more than happy to give them away).
3)Always use new equipment
There are some very persistent pests and diseases that can be transmitted through the equipment. Used equipment abounds at some very attractive prices.
It is not worth the risk in my opinion. If you join the local association, some will offer you old equipment for FREE, but we always politely turn it down.
New Equipment is very reasonable, and there are many wholesalers and retailers online.
We use Dadant, and have been very happy with them.
4)Do NOT to use flower scented deodorant or fabric softeners.
This seems like Common Sense, but we learned the hard way.
The Bees have been a real adventure, and an incredibly satisfying experience.
The more we learn about these creatures, the more fascinated we become.
Our two colonies survived the rather mild Winter, and both have high populations,
so we are planning to split the hives in April. Ultimately, we would like to keep about six colonies.
One of the websites we like is Bush Bees.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm
We don't agree with everything he does,
but love his natural approach to BeeKeeping.
The End Product is beautiful,
and you will have the satisfaction and security of KNOWING
that your Honey is 100% Pure, Natural Honey,
and NOT Corn Syrup that has been reprocessed through a Bee.
Have fun, and good luck.
Anyone get the Weebl's stuff reference? 
