Bigred Posted February 1, 2013 Im starting a thread for people interested in bee keeping, I have had bees since i was a kid so if anyone needs help on stetting up please post . Or have a question you need to ask also if anyone needs a new queen for there hive i will send you one apis mellifera golden Italian (takes about three weeks to make sure she is mated ) this thread is open to all types of bees 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
endorfinder Posted February 1, 2013 My biggest question as someone who's seriously considered beekeeping but never dived in: in practice, how much will maintaining a small hive affect my neighbours (and others I live with for that matter)? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted February 1, 2013 endorfinder you would want a small colony and go for a placid breed such as golden carolians they are a very calm hive and really friendly . also your bees should have a clear flight path you dont want them flying into people and around objects to get to your hive Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted February 1, 2013 high bigred my folks have native bee's on their property and ive always wanted to set up a nice hive for them to live in. do you have any spare clean boxes? I could trade or buy. one nest is on the ground been like that for easy 10+ years the hive is still strong and healthy, another is in an old tree. pretty sure there is two types of native bees on the east coast of aus, one that covers the entrance @ night and the other that leaves it open, we have the ones that leave the door open. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted February 1, 2013 there are two native breed's that are used ,the best one to have are Trigona they are very small. I dont have any hives for sale but will call my bee guy and work out what we can do can you post any pic's so i can see them and identify them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted February 1, 2013 There are 2 genera of social bees on the east coast of northern aus,Tetragonula, carbonaria & hockingsi are the 2 spp commonly seen. And Austroplebeia, A australis being the only representative of its genus in SEQ that i know off. There is a native bee study group if anyone is keen enough http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ANBees/ 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stillman Posted February 1, 2013 http://www.aussiebee.com.au/buy-stingless-bees.html and Tim Herds site http://www.sugarbag.net/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Presidente Hillbillios Posted February 1, 2013 i have wanted a hive for so long, but the locak bee guy wants over $200 for a hive and im poor. Teach me everything i need to know red! i can build a hive if i know what i need to build. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted February 1, 2013 $200 seems to be about the going rate these days, they have quadrupled in price over the past 8-10 years with the rising demand for hives & the fact that aussies are somewhat backward in regards to native bee husbandry & propagation, at least in comparison to Brazil. Having newly introduced pests that nail freshly split hives doesn't help either. If there are ppl keeping hives near you Hillbilly there will be swarms that you can take advantage off, i've seen 5 swarms around here in the past week, probably triggered by the storms. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted February 1, 2013 Not about colonial bees but still helpful pollinators 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stillman Posted February 2, 2013 200 is cheap for tetragonula I've seen them as high as 400. I like the idea of them for closed environment pollinators like in Greenhouses etc. The little buggers acan be a bit picky with what they like to pollinate if they have options. SHortly you were saying they may be looking into licenses for natives? heard anymore on that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted February 2, 2013 What kind of gear do you need before you start off? Really interested in getting a good home for the natives, and then getting a hive for honey production. Am uploading some pictures of the native bees to photobucket once thats done ill post them here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Presidente Hillbillios Posted February 2, 2013 i was just reading about top bar hives. They seem to be pretty simple to make, and then i wouldnt need a capping knife, extractor and stuff. Are they any good? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shortly Posted February 2, 2013 just extending the current Apis regulations to include all bees that are susceptible to Apis pests & diseases from what i gather 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted February 2, 2013 http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x396/space89/IMG_0160.jpg http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x396/space89/IMG_0162.jpg http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x396/space89/IMG_0164.jpg http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x396/space89/IMG_0165.jpg http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x396/space89/IMG_0167.jpg nest and bees Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) workshops in QLD http://www.sugarbag.net/learn-more/ will have a walk around to see if the bees in the old dead tree are still there. Rough hive instructions http://www.sugarbag.net/hives/ Found the oher hive bigger than the one on the ground but too high in the tree to take any photo's Edited February 2, 2013 by spacemonk 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
endorfinder Posted February 2, 2013 @bigred this property backs onto wetlands, there is plenty of path for bees to get around. i'm at the edge of town definitely not suburbia. second big question - i'm likely to travel quite a bit this year, how easily can others maintain a setup for me while i'm away? i can give you a map ref for my property if you're curious, i think you can get a reasonable idea of what's going on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tipz Posted February 2, 2013 trichocerous only flower briefly once a year, now this might be a silly question but is there such a thing as trichocereus honey ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted February 2, 2013 in Brisbane bees are really easy to maintain your big problem is winter for new colonies. a flight path over the wetlands will be ideal . Have a bucket with a few stick in it near the hive so the bee's can have a drink. For the winter you can feed your bee's you can buy candy for them from a bee keeping supply. My bee's are next to the Brisbane river so they dont mind the water last winter i gave them a little candy to help them along just open the hive and put bits of candy on top of the frame's . Try not to open your hive to much when starting out they will get stressed and can swarm so you can be left with a hive without a queen space monk i cant identify the colony as of yet but im on it, they don't look like trig's to me. Im thinking carefully dig out the hive and put it in a pot then put a small native hive over it (basically a small wooden box) and they will start to build inside your hive when the colony look really healthy (about two years) take the hive off and put the bottom on it and sit it near the original hive .They should produce another queen but if not one will swarm from the original hive . 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted February 2, 2013 trichocerous only flower briefly once a year, now this might be a silly question but is there such a thing as trichocereus honey ? if you had a huge green house and controlled the lighting so you could trick them into flowering constantly it could be done but the cost $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazonian Posted February 2, 2013 When I was on a flight back from QLD, as we were about to land there, was an announcement over the pa stating that if you had any honey products, they must be put into the bins before leaving the aeroplane . I am assuming it is to protect the bee colonies of Melbourne, and am just wondering what sort of diseases would come in? There is another 'Bee Keeping' thread at SAB that also has useful info too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted February 2, 2013 in Brisbane bees are really easy to maintain your big problem is winter for new colonies. a flight path over the wetlands will be ideal . Have a bucket with a few stick in it near the hive so the bee's can have a drink. For the winter you can feed your bee's you can buy candy for them from a bee keeping supply. My bee's are next to the Brisbane river so they dont mind the water last winter i gave them a little candy to help them along just open the hive and put bits of candy on top of the frame's . Try not to open your hive to much when starting out they will get stressed and can swarm so you can be left with a hive without a queen space monk i cant identify the colony as of yet but im on it, they don't look like trig's to me. Im thinking carefully dig out the hive and put it in a pot then put a small native hive over it (basically a small wooden box) and they will start to build inside your hive when the colony look really healthy (about two years) take the hive off and put the bottom on it and sit it near the original hive .They should produce another queen but if not one will swarm from the original hive . hay mate another hint is that they dont cover the entrance @ night pretty sure that was the easy way to tell them apart will get back to you. will googlyze for a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted February 2, 2013 workshops in QLD http://www.sugarbag.net/learn-more/ will have a walk around to see if the bees in the old dead tree are still there. Rough hive instructions http://www.sugarbag.net/hives/ Found the oher hive bigger than the one on the ground but too high in the tree to take any photo's Wonder if we could get the brizzy based native bee guy to do a workshop @ a park either on the sunny coast or brisibane. If we get enough numbers chances are he would be keen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhoenixSon Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) http://www.aussiebee.com.au/beesinyourarea.html suprised @ how many native bees are in QLD!! currently confused @ which ones we have buzzing around. seems like only two are really propagated in SEQ but there is ten species identified here. wonder if the two main ones are the good sugarbag providers or just the two main ones around QLD? Want to get these on there feet but dont want to kill them in the attempt to help them Edited February 2, 2013 by spacemonk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stillman Posted February 2, 2013 http://www.rovingphotos.com.au/BeeMan.htm This guy is a good fella. AMazon it would be from pathogens and viruses in the honey as it may be "raw" or uncooked. But it sOK to sell OS honey in our super markets.. anyway Austroplebeia I believe are a bigger bee which they use on some Lychee and MAngo farms as pollinators but need a more tropical heat? But I'd like to get a hive of T hockingsi as apparently they produce more honey? (From memory when I was reading about them as a potential medicinal honey producer.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
