What an adventure! Way to embrace it!
Bees wax! Lots of bees wax!
- Thread starter MirandaH
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My parents has had bee hives many years ago. They still have some wax left. Yesterday I made a soap with wax 
When it comes to the honey, you need to take care of it otherwise it will turn into a hard, sticky and yucky brick. You have two options:
1. Stir it daily until it is has become a paste. Like this all good stuff are preserved and it is still easy to take honey by spoon. (The prefered way)
2. Heat up the honey. The honey will remain runny, but a lot of good stuff disappeares and the taste is not the same anymore.
When it comes to the honey, you need to take care of it otherwise it will turn into a hard, sticky and yucky brick. You have two options:
1. Stir it daily until it is has become a paste. Like this all good stuff are preserved and it is still easy to take honey by spoon. (The prefered way)
2. Heat up the honey. The honey will remain runny, but a lot of good stuff disappeares and the taste is not the same anymore.
And when you at last get clean wax, let me suggest that you remelt that wax one more time and drizzle it onto an aluminum foil lined pan with sides that is really cold. (or just make a "pan" with the aluminum foil that has the sides and corners crimped up to give you 1" sides like a pan) Just make either thin lines you can break up, or a thin sheet you can easily cut up. This makes measuring it out to use it really easy.
And, yes, I forgot about the larvae. Sorry. I knew she was needing info in a hurry, and I have not fooled with bees since I was a teen. And we are not going to discuss how long ago that was.
And, yes, I forgot about the larvae. Sorry. I knew she was needing info in a hurry, and I have not fooled with bees since I was a teen. And we are not going to discuss how long ago that was.
This has been so much fun! And it's not over yet! It seems that I have a lot to learn if I want to do any beekeeping or rescuing myself. We have been certified by the state to rescue wild animals (that's why we have rescued so many squirrels, it is illegal to have them unless the state approves you here) and it would be neat to be able to do the same here. I have a piece of property behind my house that is a little over a half an acre (That's huge for where we live) that is just a flat piece of land with nothing on it. Every year I put a garden back there on part of it. I think it would be perfect to put some hives on and just coat the part that I don't put my garden on with wildflowers. I was already planning to do a big herb garden this year and plant lots of flowers for soaping. I figure if I start learning now and taking the classes back home that are local, I might be able to get a decent start next Spring.
For those of you that keep bees, do any of you rescue? And if you do rescue, can you set up new hives for the ones that you rescue on the same property, or is it harmful to have different bees from different colonies on the same land and they should be taken somewhere else? I know that half an acre isn't really that big and I wouldn't want to rescue anything from one of his job sites just to have a harmful situation for them. I also won't be doing any rescuing and will just call the people in Chesapeake if we come across a hive back home until we know what we are doing and what is safe for the bees. Maybe I can get together with someone from Chesapeake in advance and tell them how often my husband comes across this and ask if they can help me learn and show me a few things when they try to rescue the ones he comes across. It would be much better to learn from someone hands on than just from books and classes when it appears that my husband has so many opportunities. Plus, the two places in Chesapeake are the only ones close to me and my husband does a lot of jobs that are 30 - 60 minutes away in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, where we live.
For those of you that keep bees, do any of you rescue? And if you do rescue, can you set up new hives for the ones that you rescue on the same property, or is it harmful to have different bees from different colonies on the same land and they should be taken somewhere else? I know that half an acre isn't really that big and I wouldn't want to rescue anything from one of his job sites just to have a harmful situation for them. I also won't be doing any rescuing and will just call the people in Chesapeake if we come across a hive back home until we know what we are doing and what is safe for the bees. Maybe I can get together with someone from Chesapeake in advance and tell them how often my husband comes across this and ask if they can help me learn and show me a few things when they try to rescue the ones he comes across. It would be much better to learn from someone hands on than just from books and classes when it appears that my husband has so many opportunities. Plus, the two places in Chesapeake are the only ones close to me and my husband does a lot of jobs that are 30 - 60 minutes away in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, where we live.
i'm no bee expert, it was my bf's dream to have a hive. locally, there are guys who take wild bees from people's properties (just like how you guys did), and set them up with their own hives. then he lends these hives out to whoever wants them (if you have land/orchard, etc). we got one such hive a couple years ago. it was great, until they decided they didn't like the sound of the weed whacker and swarmed my bf a few times. they also kept flying into the house at night, which isn't great..... b/c the hive was close to the house, they had to go back to the guy.
so....long story short, it is possible to relocate wild hives to be a domestic hive. I think what the guy did was put a piece of the old hive in those white boxes (with the queen of course), and they just re-build. just make sure the queen isn't Africanized.....
so....long story short, it is possible to relocate wild hives to be a domestic hive. I think what the guy did was put a piece of the old hive in those white boxes (with the queen of course), and they just re-build. just make sure the queen isn't Africanized.....
Ancel
Well-Known Member
Sounds like it has been a terrific experience for you! Just reading over the thread from the beginning, so much learning going on. It's so heartwarming to be on this forum
Sounds like it has been a terrific experience for you! Just reading over the thread from the beginning, so much learning going on. It's so heartwarming to be on this forum
Not to air the dirty laundry, but after so many years with my Ex (who I get along with very well, and have an amazing relationship with) and his fear of anything and everything, this has been an amazing experience. Last night, my husband admitted that he didn't really think that I would try to get the wax/honey when he called me out there. He ended up right there in the kitchen with me helping every step of the way and it was so neat to do something like that together. He's just as excited as I am about learning more when we get home and I caught him looking at bee boxes and suits last night online at 3:30 in the morning. And even better, he sees this as a great opportunity to help with my soaping and the environment at the same time. It's so nice to have someone who is so supportive. When we got together, no one could believe that I would marry someone who cuts down trees for a living, but everything isn't always what it seem on the surface. There are a lot of times that trees are diseased and have to go before infecting other trees. Even my FIL was just amazed by the whole thing and very upset that there was no one local to him to come and save the hive, so he is looking into starting beekeeping, himself!
One of the things that I love so much about this forum is that everyone is so helpful and friendly and when someone rains on someone else's parade, it is for good reason.
What I am learning about my local bee keeping community is that everyone is the same. There isn't a lot of snippy comments and everyone seems very helpful. Even regular giving away of queens. There isn't a whole lot of competitive attitude because everyone understands the seriousness of the bee problems right now and they all understand that the more bees, the better.
What I am learning about my local bee keeping community is that everyone is the same. There isn't a lot of snippy comments and everyone seems very helpful. Even regular giving away of queens. There isn't a whole lot of competitive attitude because everyone understands the seriousness of the bee problems right now and they all understand that the more bees, the better.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
I would love to try this. I am not in a position to have bees right now, but I am going to contact my local bee-keeping club (if there is one!) and see if somebody would like a volunteer helper for the day! I'd love to try this.
I hate to put a damper on this, but you really need to look into your state and local ordinances before signing up for bees. My dad had to get out of beekeeping due to someone moving into the neighborhood that had bee allergies. The laws said he had to have extra insurance in case they got stung.
boyago
Well-Known Member
Very True. Most municipalities have their own codes for bees and other animals like chickens. Here in Portland, OR you need to contact all the neighboring properties and get permission. I'm sure to cover yourself you would want to get that in writing. For chickens I think you can have up to four hens and if you want more you can get a variance. This would be another thing that a local bee club could help you with. Also if there is a feed store type of business in the area they would probably be able to help you find the information you need.
Can I just take a second to recognize how cool the participants on this forum are? I am constantly pleasantly surprised to see all the cool things outside of soap that the people here are doing. You people are great!
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dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
I have a friend in Florida who wants to have a hive, and apparently you have to get a permit from the state and there is a long waiting list for permits.
Yes, I plan I checking into this as soon as I get home. We had to be certified to rescue the wild animals because you can't have certain things unless you get approval, and squirrels were one of those things. In the Spring time my husband takes down a lot of trees that have baby squirrels in them and when you take them down, the mother often abandons the babies. If you find that they are abandoned (you don't just take them, you give the mom a chance to come back and she does more often than you would think, considering what goes on when a tree is taken down), and you don't have anyone to call, then you have to leave them there and they will die because they can't get milk.
We are also allowed to have up to 4 chickens, but you have to have a permit to keep them and the city, despite passing laws saying you could have up to 4 if your property is more than 1/4 acre (That's not many where I live) they have issued exactly 0 permits. I am hoping, since there are chapters of the Beekeeper association for my city, with what seems to be many member, that it isn't too hard to be able to start, however, it is hard to say how many people just go rogue when they can't get a permit. I do know someone with chickens.
ETA: I saw this on the class listing for my city "This course fulfills the educational requirement of six (6) hours of classroom instruction in introductory beekeeping training for the qualified level of the Virginia Master Beekeeper Program." and I e-mailed them and was told that despite Norfolk being listed as no bees everywhere, as of Oct 2011 "there are no restrictions on keeping bees in Norfolk." I believe that if anyone would know, it would be these people, but I am still going to check with the city before doing anything.
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MzMolly65
Well-Known Member
I would be thinking the exact same thing as you!! What a fantastic day you've had .. yummy wild honey AND wax for your projects .. SCORE!
Thistle Creek Honey
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I would second the statement to pls call a local beekeeper. Hubby can keep a list of a couple contacts with him. Beekeepers usually pay @ $130 for a colony like that. I'd be willing to drive an hour to save $130. Another option some use to strain honey from crushed comb is to use a new/clean paint strainer bag from Home Depot. Put all comb in new/clean bag and hang in bottle/bucket and let honey drain out. We have food grade 5 gallon buckets with filters that sit inside bucket to filter honey from wax, but the bags are a cheaper/easier option. And to filter the wax that is left from this straining, we usually put wax in a cloth bag on a pie tin with holes in the bottom over a deep pan. This allows the wax and honey to drip down thru the cloth from the pie tin that rests over the pan into the bottom of the pan. We place the entire pan in a solar (or electric) oven. Keep at low temps as wax fires are not good. This filters the wax and the lets any residual honey collect on the bottom of the pan with the wax. Once done, it's easy to separate the wax from the left over honey. The honey will be a little thick, but good for baking.
If it were warmer, I would say to put the wax that has drained once outside and let the bees/ants clean it up. They actually do a really good job getting the last of the honey. But, considering the weather, that's not going to happen any time soon. Before you decide to rescue wild bees, you also need to know what to look for to tell if they have been Africanised or not.(I am not sure of that spelling.)
Thus my suggestion to find your local beekeeping organization, they will have the information you need to get started, or even if you can, in your area
Beekeeping Association Listing
We won't be doing any rescuing for quite some time, if ever. We are going to take the classes and get our own stuff, and we have checked and the class and registering with the state and following their requirements (notifying them if there a large number die, etc.). We have looked into local bee keeping clubs and have found some in Norfolk and there are a couple of people who are more local that Chesapeake that will do rescues and we have talked to them about what he does and programmed them into our cell phones, so if there are bees at any of his job sites here at home, we have someone to come and take them away.
We are in the process of getting the wax taken care of now and have just boiled the pieces for the first time. We ended up with 7 and a half pints of honey that we strained 4 or 5 times and it was beautiful and so yummy. I say way because there isn't much left. Everyone that comes over wants some and we won't eat it all, so we have been giving away pint jars to friends and family that we have seen. You snooze you lose in this case!
I am anxious to see how much wax we will get out of it and how in the world that brown mucky looking stuff turns into pretty beeswax. I am hoping we haven't screwed it up, but we shall see.
We are in the process of getting the wax taken care of now and have just boiled the pieces for the first time. We ended up with 7 and a half pints of honey that we strained 4 or 5 times and it was beautiful and so yummy. I say way because there isn't much left. Everyone that comes over wants some and we won't eat it all, so we have been giving away pint jars to friends and family that we have seen. You snooze you lose in this case!
I am anxious to see how much wax we will get out of it and how in the world that brown mucky looking stuff turns into pretty beeswax. I am hoping we haven't screwed it up, but we shall see.
