A good year for my bees and honey

I am in my 5th year of bee keeping and have 16 hives. I know that is nothing compared to you commercial guys.
We had our agricultural and 4H fair last weekend. The beekeepers had a good showing with 27 entries. I did very well. Actually, I was in shock I got 1st place with my filled out frame in show case. 1st place with my amber honey.
1st place with a picture i took of bees on watermelon. 2nd place with black jar. 2nd place with dark honey.
My daughters are still telling everyone they know on face book, and my honey is selling fast.

What a blessing, congratulations!

Well done!!

Fantastic.
I have a hive I'm trying to get rid of.
Want to come here and get it????:bigsmyl2:
Seems everyone here wants money to take them away.
Over $100
Bug spray cost less than $10
I really want someone to take them.
It's been three weeks and I need my shed Back.

Tougher year here. Lost 3 of the 9 hives. Jury is still out on honey production, but definitely down from last year. Long cold winter is hard on bees.

My best friend, is a veggie farmer and bee keeper (in MN), said his honey production is up this year.
His bees have struggled in years past...winter kill and CCD.

Last 3 hives just disappeared ! Done with it. Will just buy my honey and hope the other bees take care of the garden !

Congrats Shaper. Seems the bees are rebounding from the bee blight. I love local honey. PM sent for extras.

Would like to try raising bees , but #2 son i very allergic to bee stings. If I want #2 to be around I can not have bees. No Bees.

I would too. But I can die 15 mins after being stung.

Could you tell me how to tell the queen from the others.

The queen is longer, and bigger ... although the "drones" (males) are chubby ...

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Originally Posted by shaper

I am in my 5th year of bee keeping and have 16 hives. I know that is nothing compared to you commercial guys.
We had our agricultural and 4H fair last weekend. The beekeepers had a good showing with 27 entries. I did very well. Actually, I was in shock I got 1st place with my filled out frame in show case. 1st place with my amber honey.
1st place with a picture i took of bees on watermelon. 2nd place with black jar. 2nd place with dark honey.
My daughters are still telling everyone they know on face book, and my honey is selling fast.

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Glad to hear your bee keeping is going well and your kids are involved with 4-H. Every year we have fewer and fewer bees here in Iowa. The Neonicotinoid pesticides are taking a heavy toll on them. At my place the bald face hornets have driven them out.

Love honey on the comb on fresh crusty bread.we swap our jams for honey with a friend ,my wife's allergic to bees.

A friend of ours just gifted me a jar of craft honey from a local distributor who ages it in old whiskey barrels. It sure gives it a very pleasant and unique flavour!

Guy, and his club, came and got the bee's.
Really glad I didn't have to gas them.
I hope their happy at their new home.

I want bees so bad!!!

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Originally Posted by TheGrimReaper

I want bees so bad!!!

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I had bees in the hollow of a small tree for about 10 years , the cavity was not very big at all and they would swarm often , So I bought a nice English Langstroth bee hive and set it up in the back yard near where the last swarm landed , not too far from the tree . Didn't plan on robbing the hive just wanted to give the little guys a better place to live .
After 3 years no one took up residence in it and yesterday my wife tells me the bee's that lived in the tree cavity are gone . Guess I made them mad...they are gone but my buddies the Carpenter Bees are still around but they aren't living in the Langstroth hive either .
Like mamma would say ...C'est La Vie !
Gary

the girls are still working hard. Last week I pulled more honey. I made sure each hive had a full super full of honey before we set up for going into winter. So now I have 50 frames in the refrigerator to process in the next couple days.
My goal is to have 30 hives operating next sprig.