Bees baby, bees.

To bee or not to bee, I can't decide. Though a decision might be getting closer.

I've been a member of the Southern Beekeepers Assn for a couple of years now though I've only attended a few meetings.

But now, with my new job, more spare time and some spare money, I'm beginning to think it's time to take the plunge and get myself a hive or two.

I do feel there is a great responsibility to the bees in keeping bees. I want to be sure they can look after themselves if I go away for any period of time. I'd also like to gain enough knowledge in beekeeping to be aware of any encroaching problems or needs the bees might have.

The the time I have spent with the other members of the Southern Beekeepers Assn. thay have always been very friendly and helpful so I feel sure I wont be left in the dark at any stage.

I'll go to the next Southern Beekeepers meeting and see if I can make some positive steps in the direction on having a hive or two.
...to bee continued....

Bees, Australia v Italy

My musing on bees.

I made it to my second meeting (it only took me 12 months) of the Southern Beekeepers Association last night and renewed my membership while I was there,
Also I was asked if I had any hives and rather sheepishly I had to admit I didn't and I started thinking that maybe I need to make some sort of comment on my bee future.

As with most things with me it comes down to the bottom line of either, what's practical and makes sense, or, how much does it cost but in this case it's a blend of the two.

Why do I want a bee hive?

Mainly for pollination and I like to have bees in the garden. Because of this I was leaning towards a native bee hive.

During my research however I came across a fairly significant hurdle. Cost! My research found the cost of an established native stingless bee hive ranged between $350 to $495.

It was this cost that has made me swing back to honey bees but another fact I uncovered made honey bees an even more convincing argument in my mind is that honey bees give you honey (yeah I know, who'd have thought, right?). And this in the deal breaker, about 40kg per year of the stuff.

Now 'honey' was never the main aim of having bees either native or European, in my case Italian (I learnt this last night, clever, huh?) but the cost to set up for honey bees is similar if not less than the cost of a native bee hive and with native bees you might get 1kg of honey per year, though I'm told it does tastes pretty good.

So deal done and the winner is Honey Bees by 39kg.

Next Meeting I'll find out what I need to get started and a firm idea of how much it will cost me.

Cheers

Stewart.

Any comments are welcome.