What’s the best time of the year to get bees? Know anyone in the Freestone area looking for a place to set a few hives 4-10….

Another thought as far as bees.

I would strongly recommend you getting your bees as a "nuc" if you can find some local or within a reasonable driving distance for you. Ideally they will be overwintered, but even a spring nuc you pre-order will be better than a package bees but that's just my opinion. A nuc will come as a mini hive where all are familiar with each other. Packaged bees are bees from many hives put in a cage with a caged queen and shipped/picked up.

Not sure if I shared this yet.

I started my first hive spring of 2022. They seemed to do well but just didn’t expand like I expected but that’s a whole other topic.

A few months ago I went down to check on them and I wasn’t wearing any sting protection. Unless I’m pulling frames I usually don’t. I’ll open the hive just peek in real quick, check on my sugar water I’m feeding etc.

Well this particular day they decided to protect their resources more aggressively, I have now learned not uncommon heading into winter for bees to become more aggressive.

I was hit twice, once on my left temple and once at the base of my right ear.

Anyway, I didn’t think much about it, I’ve been stung before and it usually dose not bother me. This time however my head started to get a bit hot but still didn’t think much of it.

We needed to run to town so I jumped in the shower. Things got a bit more scary at this point. I started to break out in full body hives. I took some Benadryl. Then my jaw got tight and tongue seemed to swell. I believe I started to have a bit of a panic attack (never had one before) because my heart started racing, sweating profusely and vision became blurry. I’m a paramedic and my wife is an NP.

We got in the car and headed to the ER, thankfully the Benadryl kicked it halfway there and everything subsided.

The next day the left side of my head looked like grapefruit but only the right side where I was also stung never swelled.

So just a warning, always wear your gear, you can have a reaction even if you never have before and get an Epi pen

When the brood box is at least 80% full then add either another brood box or a honey supper. It all depends on if you’re trying to grow your apiary or harvest honey this year

Does anyone have any experience with the Flowhives? My wife bought a couple of these for here at the house and I’d never even heard of something like this before so I’m curious what other bee keepers think about them. I put them together today and they seem like a really well built/thought out box and super easy to maintain but time will tell I guess.

She’s been going to classes the last couple months trying to get a crash course in bee keeping but does anyone have any must know and must have items to keep on hand at all times? She’s purchased all the tools, gadgets and safety gear already but me being as OCD as I am I want to have anything she might need eventually on hand. I’m thinking like pest control, food, supplements, etc etc. so I can go ahead and order for her before she needs it. I’d appreciate any and all help,

Ordered 6 complete hives today! Should be delivered mid-to late April or early May!

Getting everything together to prep the area. Going to set cattle panel wind breaks around the hive area using T-posts to keep the bottom of the panel 14-18” above ground level then using topsoil to create a 12-14” tall 3-4’ wide mount then length of each panel. Planting red honeysuckle and several varieties of grapes to grow as a view/wind screens on the panels and planting various berry bushes on the mounds. Expect to have between 10-18 panel/mounds depending upon final layout.

Also looking into chickens or quail or both….meat and egg production.

Bradybuck, I assume you are using 8 frame equipment? I do.

The sugar and how you added it, is called "mountain camp"

Running 1 brood box will keep you busy, you will have to be on the look out for potential swarming, even using 10 frame. Monitoring a single deep can tax even experienced beeks.

You need to make sure they have nectar, they likely have plenty pollen by now and should be brooding up way by now, mine started brooding up end of February. You need to check how much brood you have and in what stages they are, this will give you an idea what to expect in number explosion.

You don't want a swarm to occur, or it will be like starting over for a spell.

Do you have more wooden ware to expand if necessary? In a good flow they potentially could draw out the super in a week or less if they are strong.

Do a mite wash?

What about fire ant poison around bee hives? I’m waging full scale war against fire ants this year. My six hives should be delivered in 3-4 weeks.

Strong / Aggressive hives will take care of "ants". I try to keep the soil beneath my hives void of any vegetation. Any granular insecticide / pesticide is fine for control of pesky insects. "Granular" because you place it on the soil. A sandy / rocky base below the hives deter many types of insects, and bee won't forage there. It also helps to prevent BHV's - breaks the life cycle.