Comment by mudil | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mudil | Hacker News Reader

I started beekeeping 2 years ago, and I cannot be any happier about this hobby. It's easy and fun. Bees do not require feeding, cleaning, just an occasional check up. And they give my family the best honey the money can buy.

To start, I read (believe it or not) Beeking for Dummies (http://www.amazon.com/Beekeeping-For-Dummies-Howland-Blackis...). It's a well rated book, and it has all the basic info. Then I watched various YouTube videos.

Then I ordered the following list of supplies. (I buy all my equipment from Mann Lake. $100+ it's free shipping. http://mannlakeltd.com/)

This is a list I recommend:

Note that the hive boxes and frames, are unassembled. Mann lake does have assembled hives. Assembly is easy, and I did it with my kids.

1) WW-605_b Med Hive Qty. 5 2) FR-811 Med Frames Case of 10. Qty. 5 (so you get 50 frames) 3) CV-305 Suit - economy - Medium (Buy YOUR size.) Qty. 1 4) HD-540 Smoker Qty. 1 5) CL-620 Economy cowhide leather gloves(Buy YOUR size. This is small) Qty. 1 6) HD-210 7D Nails (1lb) Qty. 1 7) HD-220 Frame Nails Qty. 1 8) HD-620 Hive tool 9) HD-660 Bee Brush 10) WW-310 Bottom Board 11) Your choice of top cover (buy with Inner cover)... http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/page29.html I practice foundationless but some prefer not to deal with the cross comb headaches and use foundation. Foundation part number is (FN-720).

I adopted my hive from Jack at Los Altos Honey Bees (http://losaltoshoneybees.wordpress.com/). He goes and rescues feral colonies.

I also joined Beekeepers' Guild Of San Mateo County (http://www.sanmateobeeguild.org/). The club is great: the mailing list discussions keep me informed about things to do right now, and what to do to prepare for upcoming seasons.

For those of you who are concerned about getting stung, I can say that I never was stung, and I cannot possibly get stung. I am completely covered, with gloves and boots.

Until you start getting sloppy. I went to a beekeeping lecture (/ honey tasting), and the long-time beekeeper said he usually doesn't deal with all the gear, sometimes gets stung but at this point it doesn't bother him much.

More experienced beekeepers start shedding gear. Some only go in with a veil.

That said, some also go in without a veil. This is _not_ a good idea. There was a very experienced (25+ years) beekeeper who told a story at the PA State meeting how he nearly died after knocking over a beehive.

I was helping a friend of the family out once w/ his bees, and he was the kind of keeper that didn't have any veils. I ended up getting stung three times on the same side of my face (twice in my eyebrow, once next to the eye) when they got angry, and I had to leave ASAP and drive 20 minutes home before the swelling would affect my vision.

I was out of commission for about a week after that. The whole right side of my face was swollen, and I couldn't see out of that eye for most of that time. It looked like I got in a fight and lost :)

And that was the last time I went into a hive without a veil.

I've kept bees for years, and I don't know anyone who does it that hasn't ever been stung. You get stung all the time, regardless of the safety gear you're wearing. Bees will get stuck in a fold of cloth, get mad, and sting (your suit isn't THAT thick). It's hot in those suits too, and your veil will sometimes stick to your skin, which is another way they get you. Or you use the same gear for a few years and it starts to wear. What's really no fun is when a bee finds its way into your suit. Been there, done that :)

What changes is you stop caring about being stung after a while, and you build up an immunity to it (stings start to swell less and clear up faster). And you learn to know when the hive is getting real angry, and it's time to back off for a while. But bees will be bees, and they sting things that mess with them.

I don't know: I've done it for two years and I have not been stung. I check my clothing, make sure I am all zipped, put my boots on, and there I go.

Thanks for the great introduction to the subject .. as an avid gardener (permaculture variety) I can say without question that we will add beehives to our environment in the coming years - you've given me a good stash of inspiration to get ready for next year. I'll be a total noob, but am very gung-ho .. so I really appreciate your willingness to share these details in a fashion that can be easily subsumed. If you care to add more info, or perhaps have a follow-up, just know that there's an interested party out here who will pay attention. We love our garden, and we love our bees.

Scientific Beekeeping (http://scientificbeekeeping.com/) is a great blog run by Randy Oliver here in Silicon Valley. He is very knowledgeable. His blog has beginner's pages, and other useful info.

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