This is merely a hypothetical at this point, but I'm curious how many property owners would mind having 10+ honey bee hives on their property. If you wouldn't mind the bees, could you please reply with your location, property size, and how many honey bee hives you could accomodate? If you have an agricultural crop of some kind, that info would be appreciated as well(afaik I know, no one has one though...). As I wrote earlier, this is a hypothetical for some brainstorming I'm doing.
we would want many .... up to you how much you want to house here
I'm already looking into having bee hives on my property. I'm looking into what it takes to manage. I wish I had made it to Brian's presentation.
Well, I'm slowly learning beekeeping from my grandpa. If all works out, I intend it to be an income source. I'd probably work for a local beekeeper(checking out the local bee association headquartered in Keene right now) at first though. However, once I get started I'd like a partner to share it with in case one of us is jailed for some reason that way the bees don't just sit around.
Russell, how big is your property?
big enough for plenty of bees
you could bring lots here
10acres of open fields ... with a big garden and some wildflowers
200 acres of woods
we would appreciate bees for free .... farmers will pay you to bring bees to their place
Any sweet clover by chance? Bees LOVE that stuff. :P This is good to know. If it all works out, I'm hoping to put established hives at your place(its quite a drive from Keene) and the newer hives(queen raising) at places closer to Keene for more frequent monitoring. Bleh, I can't wait for next year now.
Yes to clover. The place was just hay'd though, so a lot of the wildflowers are gone. There's tons of stuff blooming in the gardens though. In the early spring, there are tons of apple blossoms. I'm with you, I like clover honey.
I'm still trying to get confirmation or correction on this, but my understanding is that "clover honey", at least most of what you see in stores, is mostly not honey at all. Someone (try and guess who might do this) lobbied for FDA redefinition of "clover honey" so that it can be only about 5% real honey and the rest can be corn syrup or some such and still be called 100% "clover honey".
I'm still learning a lot at this point, but my understanding is that clover honey is honey whose nectar was harvested from clover.
Dale, much of the standard honey you see in stores contains high fructose corn syrup. They don't have to tell you on the label.
The health food store South of 101 on Main in Keene sells a real nice local honey.
I thought Clover Honey was a New York drag queen.
Many Europeans will not buy clear honey because it is probably corn syrup. They will only buy the granulated kind.
Quote from: EthanLeeVita on July 22, 2009, 01:00 PM NHFT
I'm still learning a lot at this point, but my understanding is that clover honey is honey whose nectar was harvested from clover.
In a world where lying and redefining of common sense words have not become commonplace, that would be a logical conclusion. :)
I'm terrified of bees, but I'd certainly be interested in seeing more bees in the hands of porcupines. If the bee-shooting cannons don't work out, I can always buy up honey and turn it into mead and melomel. :D
Message from the lawyers: The bee cannon thing is a joke.
I'm not sure my types of bees would be conduce to bee cannons. I don't have a bee suit so when we were harvesting honey on monday, I was just picking up the frames and shaking the several hundred bees off, then flicking off the remainders. Never got stung.
As I understand it, the bees are being fed HFCS. HFCS in and you get HFCS out. Not a redefinition.
"Bee Honey
is arguably the most well known natural sugar alternative and is mentioned early in the Bible 61 times and in the Qur'an many times. Everyone knows that Honey is produced by Bees from the nectar of flowers and is an amber colored viscous sweet liquid. But when it comes to selecting Honey by the Label, the consumer may be overwhelmed. How does one know the composition of honey, if the Bees collected the nectar from GMO plants, or even if the Bees were fed with Sugar or HFCS? Then, was the Honey processed by ultrasound, by heat or whipped? These information are almost never found on the labels, do they matter?
It depends on the intended use of the Honey; obviously the criteria are more relaxed when Honey is merely used as a sweetener of baked foods or hot liquids, than if it is to be used as targeted nutrition or even as medicine. The basic nutritional value of Honey is unique and it contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, fibers, phenolic acids, flavonoids and carbohydrate in form of 38% fructose, 31% glucose, maltose, melezitose and sucrose. It has antioxidative and immune-system building properties, but processing and heat destroy many of these assets. Honey is produced everywhere where flowers grow and hence Honey from around the world is widely available in all hues and consistencies. The sweetening potential as a sugar substitute is about the same for all Honeys, although they may vary in their nutrients composition. The term "Organic" is widely found on Honey labels but is meaningless since the bee keeper has no control over where the Bees get the Nectar. "Natural" is also a term with no merit, the Bees could have been "naturally" fed with sugar syrup. All Bees Honey has natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Manuka Honey from New Zealand is said to be particularly potent in these functions, because of the hydrogen-peroxide content. However, for utilizing Honey's antioxidative, immunity and anti-allergy capabilities, local Honey where the Bees collected Nectar from local plants should be used. Honey is a good source of energy with a much lower glycemic index than sugar. Honey is also sweeter than sugar. Raw, unheated, unfiltered Honey has the highest nutrient content, including all the enzymes. Supermarket Honey is processed for a clear, uniform appearance and delayed granulation, but most heat sensitive nutrients are dead. Processed Honey labels are usually void of processing information, but the less the processing the more forthcoming is the declaration. So if a label just mentions "pure honey" – it is highly processed. Some products mention the dominant flower, such as "clover honey", but that doesn't mean that the Bees were not also fed sugar or HFCS. "
http://articles.getacoder.com/Sugar_-_Healthy_Choices_Shopping_Guide_587166x1188049678.htm
Quote from: Russell Kanning on July 22, 2009, 08:24 AM NHFT
big enough for plenty of bees
you could bring lots here
10acres of open fields ... with a big garden and some wildflowers
200 acres of woods
we would appreciate bees for free .... farmers will pay you to bring bees to their place
What types of trees in your woods?
A bunch of Apple trees near the house. The firewood gatherers who live there would be more familiar than I but, I would guess lots of Birch, Maple and Oak.
besides a few special ones near the house, like the apples ... it is the normal woods for the Shire
we are trying keep adding flowers, flowering bushes, and more things to eat all the time
the deer are liking the garden are more all the time
There are a bunch of bee hives in the free section on craigs list if anyone can make use of them, ad below.
Peace
****************************
Assortment of functionally sound, antique bee hive supers and frames -- free to the first taker. Not sure how many there are, but it's easily more than a dozen -- bring a pick truck and take them away.
Hives are stored in Bow, NH, convenient to Route 93 and 89. Will be available for pickup Tuesday 4/13 during the day, or again after 4/26 by arrangement.
* Location: Bow, NH
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
image 1687999719-0
Quote from: dalebert on July 22, 2009, 12:49 PM NHFT
I'm still trying to get confirmation or correction on this, but my understanding is that "clover honey", at least most of what you see in stores, is mostly not honey at all. Someone (try and guess who might do this) lobbied for FDA redefinition of "clover honey" so that it can be only about 5% real honey and the rest can be corn syrup or some such and still be called 100% "clover honey".
That is correct. Unless you buy your honey from a local honey farmer, it's most likely cut with corn syrup. I'll have my two hives going in a few weeks. I think I pick up the bees on the 26th.
Just a note, in NH, beehives technically "have to be inspected annually" by law, so... if you were to want to avoid same, you may wish to make sure any hives that look like beehives are sequestered somewhere out of the way, or make sure they look like something else... say an old hollowed out log. We chose not to put any bees on our property due to the state of NH (I don't recall which RSA it comes under)
-Denise
Damn! More laws to ignore! Cool!
I just finished assembling 20 frames. I'll build boxes when I determine the size. I probably got started too late to get Bees this year.
Ya just better Bee-aware Lloyd. ;D
While I could possibly see a problem with having a bunch of hives in a back yard in a "city" environment ... what the hell can be wrong / dangerous with having as many hives as you want at a place like , say Hoyt farm ? What am I missing here , other than maybe some politician's cousin sells honey locally and does not want the competition.
Is there a single reason to limit the amount of pollen spreading insects ? :BangHead:
Quote from: CJS on April 30, 2010, 11:03 AM NHFTWhile I could possibly see a problem with having a bunch of hives in a back yard in a "city" environment ... what the hell can be wrong / dangerous with having as many hives as you want at a place like , say Hoyt farm ? What am I missing here , other than maybe some politician's cousin sells honey locally and does not want the competition.
Is there a single reason to limit the amount of pollen spreading insects ? :BangHead:
Theoretically, they are just checking them for disease, not limiting the numbers.
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xl/429/429-mrg.htm (http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xl/429/429-mrg.htm)
Notice how they have granted themselves free access to your property, and permission to destroy your bees and equipment without even compensating you for the loss? Convenient, eh?
Joe
Hmmm... apparently using corn syrup to adulterate honey is illegal in NH, according to that chapter (429:21, specifically). Misdemeanor, plus fines.
Doesn't say they can't feed corn syrup or whatever to the bees, though.
Joe
Quote from: Lloyd Danforth on April 29, 2010, 03:25 PM NHFT
Damn! More laws to ignore! Cool!
I just finished assembling 20 frames. I'll build boxes when I determine the size. I probably got started too late to get Bees Bats this year.
Quote from: MaineShark on April 30, 2010, 12:47 PM NHFT
Hmmm... apparently using corn syrup to adulterate honey is illegal in NH, according to that chapter (429:21, specifically). Misdemeanor, plus fines.
Doesn't say they can't feed corn syrup or whatever to the bees, though.
Joe
I remember reading something called maybe " truth in labeling law" ... fed of course ..... that allows corn syrup to be added to honey and maple syrup and where ever else they can sneak it into our diet and the producers still being able to call it "pure " homey or syrup .
Quote from: CJS on May 01, 2010, 10:02 PM NHFTI remember reading something called maybe " truth in labeling law" ... fed of course ..... that allows corn syrup to be added to honey and maple syrup and where ever else they can sneak it into our diet and the producers still being able to call it "pure " homey or syrup .
I wouldn't be surprised. Just looks like NH law is more strict.
Joe
Speaking of bees, does anyone have any spare beeswax from their home honeymaking available? I could use some (salve-making primarily) Thanks so much.