shrader Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 I don't know why, but even though I really can't relate to the problem, threads like this one are always very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 some varieties like the Italians I keep You bastard! Let my people go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Avenger Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 How is the bee business? Is there any movement in figuring out what's happening to them? The bee business is still terrible if you're a big commercial migratory beekeeper who trucks large numbers of hives from crop to crop. There aren't many of those folks, but those out there are getting killed with 80% losses due to colony collapse disorder (CCD). To top it all off, even though those folks are vital to agriculture and ARE agriculture, there is no insurance you can get against this type of thing. Farmers can get crop insurance, but beekeepers have nothing. My guess is that even more of those guys will get wiped out financially this year. Right now, science still has not found a smoking gun root cause for CCD. As best we can tell, if you take a colony that is under stress and introduce some X factor it gets pushed over the edge - the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, but what that straw is remains a mystery. The good news is that the problem isn't as widespread as you might think. Most beekeepers have not been impacted by CCD - it's really the big migratory guys. Those bees that are trucked from place to place are under incredible stress to begin with - they are placed in a single plant crop for a few weeks at a time and fed high fructose corn syrup (yep - the same stuff that's in our junk food), and then they suddenly get uprooted and sent to work another crop. They are working very hard on a poor diet - like a marathon runner eating only candy bars. Something pushes them over the edge - they fly off and don't come back to the hive - not even any bodies to examine. So, unless things change, the whole way of pollinating crops is going to have to change. Big operations will probably have to keep their own bees to meet their needs because the migratory guys they rely on are out of business, booked up or too expensive to hire. Prices will go up for various fruits and nuts, and crop yields will go down. We'll get through it, but I think its going to change the face of agriculture pollination (and may also see things like Almond Snickers go away)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 The bee business is still terrible if you're a big commercial migratory beekeeper who trucks large numbers of hives from crop to crop. There aren't many of those folks, but those out there are getting killed with 80% losses due to colony collapse disorder (CCD). To top it all off, even though those folks are vital to agriculture and ARE agriculture, there is no insurance you can get against this type of thing. Farmers can get crop insurance, but beekeepers have nothing. My guess is that even more of those guys will get wiped out financially this year. Probably nothing you don't already know, but I read this article a month or two ago, and found it pretty interesting. As you note, they have yet to completely figure this out, but the work they are doing is pretty impressive, IMO: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article....ng-the-honeybee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Probably nothing you don't already know, but I read this article a month or two ago, and found it pretty interesting. As you note, they have yet to completely figure this out, but the work they are doing is pretty impressive, IMO: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article....ng-the-honeybee So if they just fly off and disappear, how can they say that affected bees have certain pathogens in them? Do they just test any bees from the colony that stick around? Anyway, it's almost looks like a case where the bees get fed up and say "screw it, I'm out of here". It would be kind of funny (obviously not for the bee keepers) if that was the case, or even possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Pssssh what do you know? He should just get a .45 and go to town. Sounds like a true Bubba solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Honeybees are forragers always looking for new sources of nectar, pollen and water. They'll go almost anywhere to investigate, so if you put out a trap with juice/meat, etc. for yellowjackets you may get a few curious honeybees as well. The difference is that yellowjackets will seek out such things like juice and meat - they're not looking for flowers. Yellow jackets are easy to tell apart from honeybees - they look like a wasp as opposed to a bee and they are bright yellow - honeybees aren't bright yellow - some varieties like the Italians I keep have some more golden yellow striping. Other types like carnolians and Russians can be almost black. Do you sell honey? I brew mead. I *heart* honey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Shiv the mofos. Image of westside surrounded by thousands of toothpicks in my head right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Do you sell honey? I brew mead. I *heart* honey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 The bee business is still terrible if you're a big commercial migratory beekeeper who trucks large numbers of hives from crop to crop. There aren't many of those folks, but those out there are getting killed with 80% losses due to colony collapse disorder (CCD). To top it all off, even though those folks are vital to agriculture and ARE agriculture, there is no insurance you can get against this type of thing. Farmers can get crop insurance, but beekeepers have nothing. My guess is that even more of those guys will get wiped out financially this year. Right now, science still has not found a smoking gun root cause for CCD. As best we can tell, if you take a colony that is under stress and introduce some X factor it gets pushed over the edge - the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, but what that straw is remains a mystery. The good news is that the problem isn't as widespread as you might think. Most beekeepers have not been impacted by CCD - it's really the big migratory guys. Those bees that are trucked from place to place are under incredible stress to begin with - they are placed in a single plant crop for a few weeks at a time and fed high fructose corn syrup (yep - the same stuff that's in our junk food), and then they suddenly get uprooted and sent to work another crop. They are working very hard on a poor diet - like a marathon runner eating only candy bars. Something pushes them over the edge - they fly off and don't come back to the hive - not even any bodies to examine. So, unless things change, the whole way of pollinating crops is going to have to change. Big operations will probably have to keep their own bees to meet their needs because the migratory guys they rely on are out of business, booked up or too expensive to hire. Prices will go up for various fruits and nuts, and crop yields will go down. We'll get through it, but I think its going to change the face of agriculture pollination (and may also see things like Almond Snickers go away)... Not to hijack this thread! Did you ever see the movie: Ulee's Gold And of course has one of the greatest "beekeeper songs" ever: Tupelo Honey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 And of course has one of the greatest "beekeeper songs" ever: Tupelo Honey Great song. Nice medley here, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Avenger Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Do you sell honey? I brew mead. I *heart* honey. I've brewed mead as well - yum! I haven't sold much honey - too many friends and family to take what I produce (not that I care too much - it makes nice gifts and I'm not into the hobby to make money). I had a single hive produce 100 pounds last year, but I had to start over this season with new colonies as the existing ones did not survive the weird spring we had here in MA. We've had so much rain here that flight time has been severely restricted so my June honey crop never came to be, but I'm hoping by Labor Day my late summer crop will at least leave me with something to give away as holiday gifts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Avenger Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Not to hijack this thread! Did you ever see the movie: Ulee's Gold And of course has one of the greatest "beekeeper songs" ever: Tupelo Honey Ulee's Gold is required viewing for beekeepers - I think we've all seen it. Good movie and an accurate portrayal of beekeeping - if you have lots of hives it is a lot of work and incredibly busy when it comes time to harvest... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChevyVanMiller Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I am a beekeeper and I can tell you that if these are indeed honeybees, one of your local beekeepers would probably be happy to come and remove them (although they're not going to take responsibility for your wall). The first order of business is to determine what you have - if they are not honeybees your best bet is to call an exterminator - yellow jackets and wasps can be very aggressive and are not something to mess around with. Honeybees, on the other hand, are not aggressive at all unless provolked. PM me if you want and I can help you identify what you have. If these are honeybees, there is no way to simply make them move somewhere else - they need to be removed by a competent beekeeper who will ensure he gets the queen. That will probably involve opening up your wall, removing the bees with a bee vac and removing the comb they've built up (which can also yeild lots of honey!). You should look on the internet for local bee clubs in your area and contact them. Beekeepers love free bees and you may be able to find someone to remove them for just the bees as payment (depends on who you find and how much work the removal is). Avenger, Quick question. What's the status of the collapsed hive crisis? Just watched a 2006 special where they were speculating that it might kill off 3/4's of all US crops. Is it still a major problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Avenger, Quick question. What's the status of the collapsed hive crisis? Just watched a 2006 special where they were speculating that it might kill off 3/4's of all US crops. Is it still a major problem? I see you have skipped through the thread w/o reading the posts. Tsk, tsk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I see you have skipped through the thread w/o reading the posts. Tsk, tsk. Ah, the kinder, gentler Deano! You re-invented yourself! I prefer the hyperlinks though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Ah, the kinder, gentler Deano! You re-invented yourself! I prefer the hyperlinks though... Chevy is a good guy, not your typical TSW moron. I was just breakin his balls, a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I've brewed mead as well - yum! I haven't sold much honey - too many friends and family to take what I produce (not that I care too much - it makes nice gifts and I'm not into the hobby to make money). I had a single hive produce 100 pounds last year, but I had to start over this season with new colonies as the existing ones did not survive the weird spring we had here in MA. We've had so much rain here that flight time has been severely restricted so my June honey crop never came to be, but I'm hoping by Labor Day my late summer crop will at least leave me with something to give away as holiday gifts. i thought you were in TX. Hrm. Ws hoping to find some sage honey. Hard to find the exotic honeys here in PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Avenger Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 i thought you were in TX. Hrm. Ws hoping to find some sage honey. Hard to find the exotic honeys here in PA. Honey's all about the vegetation the bees work - rare that you'll find single crop honeys from anything other than a big producer. Some pretty exotic stuff out there - if you can find kudzu honey it's blue in color and has a grape-like taste - very unique. One of my friends has hives that work bamboo and the honey is very dark, almost brown and has a cooked/caramel flavor to it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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