Start Keeping Bees

With the economy like it is, many see raising honeybees and making honey as a wholesome hobby and a way to make a little extra money.  But where do you start?  This page will show you what you need to start.  Also, it will show you some things what you may want to have to make things easier, but don't really need.  Cost... Depending on how you order the hive a nuc with good used equiment or a nuc with new equipment has different prices. 

For the basic hive one story seen below on the left you have inside a deep, frames where the honeybees draw the comb, bees inside, bottom board, Inner cover, and a telescoping lid.  The price can be $400.00 + for a hive that is already developed depending on time and size of the brood area and number of workers.  Everything has to be figured out step by step as honeybees are super valuable and we don't have enough of them today.   You need to call way in advance of the need as other persons are often in line for honeybees.   

As a hive get time on it and the heat gets higher and higher a hive once small can suddenly get very large as brood starts hatching faster and faster. 

Queen types make a difference too. 

In 2000 I was told when I started using the Parsons' Gold Solution add many boxes at the start.  I started in each yard with   # 4 medium boxes per colony from the get go.  I was shocked to find in one and a half weeks to have nearly 160 lbs. of honey on each hive and nearly all capped and all cured.

We have used this jacket lots and got along fine. You should wear long pants like jeans so the bees can't get to your legs. Tape your pant legs clear shut and even over the tops of your shoes so the bees can't sting through your socks. Occaisionally they sting through clothes, but it is usually 1/2 to 1/4 sting and so doesn't amount to much.    We have on hand now the Hat Veil Cotten/Poly Jacket Combo $71.00.   We many sizes duing the season but not that many usually on off season times.

At present I do not have on hand the Hooded Cotton/Polly Jacket Combo as I really like the Hat Veil Jacket Combo the best.   The Hooded jacket is warmer then the Hat/Veil Jacket Combo and I wear that one the Hooded Jacket in the fall and winter.   The Hat Veil Jacket Combo is much cooler to work in late spring and summer.   I do still wear the other one once in a while like in cooler weather.   My choice is the Hat Veil Jacket Combo and this is what I use nearly every day when in the bees.  

I buy genes that are 1 inch longer then what I should wear and this covers my boots or tennis shoes well.   I stopped taping my pant legs for the most part to my boots right at 7 years ago and so far the number of bees that climb up at my boot line are nearly nothing.   I have to really be in the bees way after dark to get stung anywhere.

In season we usually have many sizes from medium to XXX large to jacket combo's.   I can order such sizes as 4 X too for persons that need that size also.

Today November 13, 2012 we have been taking orders for as far back as 6-27-12 for spring 2013.  Since bee equipment is something you can not go to just any store to find one needs to think way early on what is wanted.

I am getting in orders for many Ohio made nucs and that has been one item that many beekeepers have been ordering with increasing speed with each passing year.

If you are in driving distance from us call ahead of time to make sure we are here to receive you.  Many beekeepers plan ahead and get such items for gifts and to have extra around for family and friends that come and want to see a bee hive from inside the hive.    You can not have too many pairs of bee gloves!   Some of our customers from far away places like Chicago come and buy pairs of bee gloves as if they are buying for their assoiation so you can see they want many pairs!

I have been taking orders since June 27, 2012 for spring 2013 so many are lined up for this equipment.  I make plans early to have equipment here for the massive numbers of beekeepers that want equipment  as well as bees.   Often the levels of equipment is vanishes quickly so please do plan ahead for what your bee needs are this spring.

I just got in word this past week that the number of beekeepers new this year in the United State numbered in the millions.  Word is it that OH had 1 million new beekeepers so the demand is massive.  It is no wonder the ordering of honeybees and equipment starts more early every year.

Cost - Smokers with or with out a Shield $43.00 to $48.00 each.  Smoker is in such high demand most companies run out way too fast.   A smoker can last many, many years with good care!

Most supply companies run out of this quickly and it is nearly impossible to get them and continue to stock them.   Many want a smoker and any smoker no matter what it looks like.   A smoker is a must for sure as the hive gets bigger and bigger and the numbers of adult bees increases.   I usually light two smokers as you do not want your smoker to go out and if one does you have a second one going.

Honeybees are in such demand big supply places often can't even keep in stock such items due to the world market.   Most of the beekeeping supplies go over seas leaving us with what is left.

My advice to you wanting to get into honeybees today order early and early means way before January of each year!

Note right now I have #4 styles in stock and many per style.  I planned early and got more in this year then in any year to date!  If you need one I can ship it to you.

Hive Tool Painted $8.00 ea.  My advice to a beekeeper is to keep more then one in stock.   I started out with one decades ago but the day that I lost my trusty hive tool was the day I decided to have at least # 4 on hand.  You can't work a hive without damaging the boxes with out one of these tools.  You must have a standard hive tool.  The standard hive tool is light weight and works well to get between two boxes for lifting the box to remove it.

This CD is not necessary to have bees, but it is valuable source of information that can help you when you have questions and there is no one to ask. It answers hundreds of questions you might have. For example: Should I buy package bees or nucs? How do I hive package bees? Where should I place my hive? When do I need to requeen? How to start a business with bees. Advice for professional beekeepers. It's easy to use and at your fingertips any time you need advice.  This CD has no motion was developed by a Dana T. Stahlman  -  Cost... $20.00 ea.

Our 1st DVD from Parsons' Gold Apiaries  -  Beekeeping Simplified   (Picture coming soon)

This DVD is me talking and moving showing you various points

Objectives we want to accomplish for this DVD are:

*My history with honeybees from the beginning to the present

*For Example:  The Interest, then a hobby & next a Commerical Operation 1998 to date 

*Bee Hive Break down - A look at some equipment for honeybees and how each part goes together for each needed step.

*Assenmbling a wooden frame ,with glue and wiring that frame plus other examples of other types of frames.

*Process to light a smoker, various fuels and successfully keeping it burning.  A smoker needs added fuel from time to time too. 

**Place an order early as we expect large volume sales nationwide!

*We have lots of action and many interesting pictures plus tips to help you with your beekeeping experiences on each DVD

*This DVD is being produced by Robert B. Parsons and Jared M. Tuttle.   Cost...$39.75 ea.

Our 2nd DVD is scheduled to be out in March 2013 near the end of the month.  

                                Hiving a Packages of Honeybees Successfully

This DVD has me moving and showing important points that you need to know when doing this important process.

We show some equipment in the first part that you will need and some points to call ones attention too.   The last part will be actually hiving a package and the date we want to do this is March 21, 2013

This year 2013 our plans are to provid more teaching tools in the form of instructional DVD's that deal with topics that beginning beekeepers find interesting and informative.  I am gearing them to all levels of beekeepers because each person will pick out what he or she finds to be of help and will store that knowledge for another time in their experiences to come.  We really wanted to have one out late in 2012 but that was not possible last year.  

I personally have been asked for years during my travels and expeiences with honeybees to do more related to educational DVD's.    It was not possible tell late in 2012 to start the planning and set up for such a venture.  I have been a beekeeper for over # 4 decades and in that time I have been able to do more with honeybees then I could have ever imagained was possible!

I started out my life in Indianapolis, Indiana then to, Biloxi, Mississippi, then to, Fresno, California then to, Michigan City, Indiana, then to, Bloomington, Indiana,  then to, Terre Haute, Indiana, then to,  Orleans, Indiana, then to,  Phoenix, Arixona, then to Aurora, Colorado, then to Orleans, Indiana again then to, Freeport, IL, then to,  Ada, OH, then to,  Lima, OH, then to, Cridersville, OH and then to, Forest, OH.  All along this trip above the honeybee has been with me helping me grow in my desire to do more and to be more with this insect!

If you want to read the topics that Jared and I want to address in 2013 go to Packages and Nucs and read far down for the list of the 22 + topics so far.  We might cover several topics per DVD but it just all depends on how each topic area works out. We plan to have DVD's that cover one topic and they will be priced differently. 

The Personal Pretective equipment for face, hands and body that was above we really want to make that as one DVD at a later date this spring.

Some beekeepers think this product is something you do not need to keep bees, but from my expeiences and others that report back to me it is highly recommended.  Cost... starting at $12.00 for the # 33 treatment syringe of the Herbal Jelly up to $250.00 for 2,500 treatments. See Parsons' Gold Solution page.   There is the concentrate another product that goes along with this product but from my expeiences the Herbal Jelly is the best for on the bottom and the concentrate is better under the inner cover or on the top bars on each box.

The basic order a # 33 treatment syringe of the herbal Jelly costs today $12.00 plus $8.00 S/H.  This syringe will treat one hive for over 2 years if you treat the standard way even in the winter months of # 4 treatments per hive spaced a week apart then once per month per there after.

I have developed a Prescription of sorts over several seasons that comes in handy for helping honeybees in periods of cold weather and the Herbal Jelly treatment is one part of the Solution.  Each beekeepers at one time or another has the experience of how hard winter can be on the life span of hives of honeybees. 

I have over wintered hives using this Prescription with over whelming success! 

If you are interested in more please take the time to give me a call at 419-273-3066 as winter is about here in most states in the USA right now!

Hive losses go up greatly at all times of the winter each year due to many complication that honeybees expeience.

A healthy hive can even die in the winter with plenty of honey above the brood do you know why?

In this picture I was trying to take hives of honeybees to CA and this set up helped me due to the fact that the bottom boards was attached to a deep for the start of a brood area.   All that I needed was a medium box on top with some honey and brood for each hive to go to CA.   When the load arrived in CA in a staging area hives are fed then moved to an orchard ready for the bloom to open soon after the new year begins. 

What you do not see in this picture is another row of light green boxes on bottom boards stacked high to the right as big as the ones on the left.  This picture was taken in the late summer of 2005.  We were ready to produce that August 500 colonies.   California was paying at a high of $165.00 for the use of a colony for about a month that next winter in 2006.

If you are wanting to really expand for spring 2013 you will want to do something like this starting this fall/winter for next spring as once March arrives the race is on to get your hives built up with feeding in prepartion for the many spring nectar flows.

In 2010 I had two of these extractors the only two in the county I was told and one I shipped to CA and the other went to a beekeeper in Columbus, Ohio.

On December 1, 2012 we finished extracting about little over a half ton.   The very next time I could get back to the extracting process the uncapper would not work and we are waiting for new parts to extract the 1,200 to 1,500 lbs. left.     On January 29, 2012 I did all my 2011 honey in one day 12 full hours.  2011 it took me several months to prepare my extracting set up and due to that my time to extract was way late.   I had help and two of us extracted my honey crop from late in 2011 on January 29, 2012.  My haul was a half ton and that was not bad for a season where not a drop of nectar was stored tell July 22, 2011. 

In Ohio in 2012 our flowering crops were planted late due to many days of constant rain so the nectar producing plants came on late but even with the extrement heat of 2012 we in this part of Ohio made a boat load of honey and for that we were very happy! 

In years past I often would start extracting honey late in July and would still be extracting honey in December and January.   In 2006 I started extracting in late August and was still extracting honey in January 2007.   Most small beekeepers just do not comprehend how hard it is to get help that will stay the course and keep on keeping on with you! 

Several seasons now past our honey haul was from 14,000 lbs. to 16,500 lbs. and try that haul on for size getting help to be there for you hour after hour day after day and week after week at nearly 100 degrees.  Honey does not flow well at 72 to 75 degrees.

In 2008 to 2009 I had to have my honey custom extracted due to a move here Forest, OH.   In 2010 my system was up and running but due to an uncapper chain going down I had to extract without a good automatic uncapper of frames of honey.  In 2011 as was said above we had too much rain and late nectar storage but all was fixed except my spinner.  I got the spinner fixed October to November so I was ready to start extracting January 29, 2012 for the 2011 honey crop.   

People were waiting for our honey haul to be processed all fall 2011 and into the new year of 2012.  Thank goodness January 2011 was so warm or it would have taken more then 12 hours to finish that extracting process.   By getting it done on Januray 29, 2012 this was a first for me since the last time I was late into another year that was Januray 2007 when my process place was in Allen County near Lima and Cridersville, OH   

I remember well back in 2000 to 2003 buyers coming out of Chicago came for a half ton and a ton.  That size order was small to me in thoes days.

Now 2012 and so far we have extracted two times before 11-13-12 but we still have at least 2 to 3 long days to extact honey and that is a lot of work at 90 to 110 degrees.

I can only hope that we are done with the 2012 honey season in January 2013 when the equipment is again working.  The statement before this one is not past and we are still not done with the 2013 honey haul.   The equipment did not come when I wanted it to come and today March 13, 2013 we are still trying to find the date to extract something like 1,500 lbs.