Greetings from new guy

[Jerrymac]

Howdy ya'll,

That's Texican for Hello.

I really wish I had done a few days ago what I did yesterday and this morning. But first a little about me.

As of April 5 this year I turned the half century mark in age. Still feel and mostly act like a seventeen year old. I just don't remember all the aches and pains at that age.

I was a trucker for several years. Before that I had many different jobs. Then after wife number two dumped me I met this wonderful nurse that would not allow me to be gone for months at a time. She yanked me out of the truck and have been stay at home dad since 1991.

I have had this hidden "want" to be a bee keeper since I was about eighteen. Aiways found the critters fasinating. And due to recent events I have decided to become one.

When I get done with my story you guys will probably get a rope and come looking for me. And it is why I wish I had gone searching the web several days ago.

About a month or two back I discovered a small swarm of bees in my dirt driveway, half overgrown with weeds. My wife was out mowing those down as I was about to fire up the tractor to mow the rest of our five acres. I went to help untangle the cord for her (electric mower) and almost stepped into the bees. Mowing stopped right then as the cord was into the swarm. I think they had gathered on a weed and it feel over from their wieght as they were on the ground. I called a beekeeper who said that probably noone was interested in gathering the swam because there were so many bees around here this year. She suggested I spray diesel or something on them. I chose to leave them alone because I like bees. I was just concerned they might be African. But they were not.

Next morning they were gone. But the story never ends..... Right?

A few nights ago I awoke about two in the morning and there was no running water in the house. I checked the circuit breaker for the well and it was fine. I checked to make sure there was electricity there, it was. So I got in the Durango and went to the well.

 The well is mostly underground with a box sitting on the ground covering all the controls. I was going to check for electricity getting to that point. I popped the lid loose and raised it up on one end. Well I found where the bees went, yep inside the box. So I gave it up until day light. Spent the rest of the night wondering how to take care of the problem.

I was going to try to wrap a bag around the box, pick the whole thing up and close the bag under neithe the box. I thought I had it (the box) fixed  so I could do this. One end how ever was not going to come up because the water pipe runs throught a slot in the side. I had cut the slot on one side a while back to make it easier to raise up and do things inside, but left it to work as though it were hinged.

Anyway.  Now don't get mad I was ignorant back then. I sprayed some wasp and hornet killer down into a hole that was right above the comb they had made. They started bubbling out of there. I watched for awhile and went on to other things, waiting for them to settle down, die off, or move on.

Sometime later I went out to check on them. Some were grouping around a faucet as if perhaps swarming and a lot were buzzing me. I came into the house. Then I noticed three bees in a kitchen window, thoought perhaps they rode in on me. I got rid of them. Later there were a couple more bees in the window. I found they were getting in through the range hood vent. I removed the screens turned the fan on and sprayed ant and roach spry to discourage their attempts of moving in there.

I had this ummmm premonition??? to turn the circuit breaker back on. I had water. Turns out that the switch (inside the box) was sticking. After sundown I went to the box, opened it, and sprayed everything down with the ant and roach spray. Those bees had already started building comb on the other end of the box.

 I really didn't want to kill them off but I was ignorant. After reading most of the beemasters web pages I realize I had other options. But perhaps the colony was too small to survive a winter. But my intrest in beekeeping has been renewed and I now know a lot more than I ever did before. Also learning about the plight of the bees against the mites I have decided to start my own beeyard to help out. After all I do have five acres of land here close to Lubbock. And I have another twenty acres down in the desert close to Big bend national park. Perhaps I could get some going down there as I learn more.

So how was that for an introduction?

[Anonymous]

Jerrymac,
First of all welcome to the forum. Secondly, I believe we already have more than one bee murderer already in the group-lol. Believe me, what some people do to their own bees should be a crime.

Seriously, I believe that if you are interested in raising bees (instead of eliminating them) then you have found a good spot to learn a lot about how to do exactly that. Most of the beekeepers on the forum have 1-2 hives (or no hives at all) and have been into beekeeping for a couple of years or less. A lot of people here are, like you, interested in bees and are exploring the possibility and maybe the advisibility of obtaining a hive or two of their own. That's not to say that we don't have a lot of knowledge or experience available, I'm just saying that you are amongst a group of people that are in the process of learning how to become beekeepers and a group of people that are very interested in becoming better beekeepers.

If you have done some investigating of this site you have seen that no question relative to bees is off limits. We do have a few beekeepers with a number of hives and a number of years experience to help answer just about any question and if we don't have an answer somone normally can come up with a website that will lead you to an answer.

Once again, Welcome to the forum.

Tom

[Beth Kirkley]

Yes, welcome. And I don't think anyone will string you up. We love our bees, our "girls", as they affectionatly become......... (can you love a bug?) LOL.
Well anyway, you didn't know you had options, and after all...... we have all killed a few bugs. Thank goodness this isn't a site for cockroaches. I'd be hated for sure.

Bees are a fantastic hobby, and for many out there a way to make a very good living. I never liked bugs myself until I got hooked on bees. Now I look at the world a little different, and the spiders live a little safer. Just so long as they stay out to my shower.

But those big southern flying cockroach things? Forget it! I still hate THEM.

Beth

[Anonymous]

I got my start do to the mites and a bee tree. I also had to kill off two colonies this summer because of an unknowen aliement we didn't want to spread.
I used to use the wasp hornet spary freely my self but no longer do, unless it is a stubborn yellow Jackets nest. Spiders in the house or in the hive are fair game for the squisher. I would rather them in my home than the hives.
Welcome
  Al