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Free Beekeeping class

2,372 Views | 20 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by ironmanag
TxFig
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https://www.facebook.com/events/326258207995201/

On Saturday, March 16 at 10:00 I will be teaching a "Beginning Beekeeping" class for the Producer's Cooperative "Saturday morning classes".

As with all classes at Producers Cooperative, this is completely FREE.

No signup is required - just show up.
--
Chris Barnes
Retired A&M IT geek - now beekeeper
http://www.cornerstonehoneybees.com/
MouthBQ98
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I thought about trying this for the Ag exemption but I think it may cost considerably more than it saves me in taxes. My boss has a couple of hives though. It seems an interesting hobby.
Gibbs Slap
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Jefe07
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Startup costs are fairly significant. As in, it may take you a couple years to offset the cost vs savings in taxes. But if you are only looking for maintaining the number of colonies to satisfy your Ag exemption, the Opex is fairly low. Depending on how you handle your queens.
BrazosDog02
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I only catch wild swarms for my hives. I have no idea what everyone's taxes or beehive requirements are, but I cannot see a situation where beekeeping costs are anywhere remotely close to taxes. I do wildlife exemption on my place but there is a lot of paperwork associated with it.
Jefe07
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I just meant that buying woodenware and nucs to get started, depending on the number of colonies required for his property will have some cost component. I catch swarms and do splits for growth and maintenance, too, but that may not be a viable option for him starting up. Especially with the feral genetics we have, it may not be the warmest welcome to beekeeping versus buying BeeWeaver queens...or another non-wild queen.
confucius_ag
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I am going to try to make it.
Fishin Texas Aggie 05
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most counties have a requirement for bees at a minimum of 5 acres dedicated to bees with 6 hives. for every additional 2.5 acres you add an extra hive up to 20 acres then with 12 hives.

of course you can have more but these are just the minimums most counties use.
TxFig
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MouthBQ98 said:

I thought about trying this for the Ag exemption but I think it may cost considerably more than it saves me in taxes. My boss has a couple of hives though. It seems an interesting hobby.
https://www.bvbeeks.org/beekeeping-faqs/

Scroll down to "what would I order?"


I wrote it - it's basically a list of what I would spend my own money on if I was starting from scratch today.
--
Chris Barnes
Retired A&M IT geek - now beekeeper
http://www.cornerstonehoneybees.com/
TxFig
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Jefe07 said:

I just meant that buying woodenware and nucs to get started, depending on the number of colonies required for his property will have some cost component. I catch swarms and do splits for growth and maintenance, too, but that may not be a viable option for him starting up. Especially with the feral genetics we have, it may not be the warmest welcome to beekeeping versus buying BeeWeaver queens...or another non-wild queen.

All of my hives started out as feral (I do removals professionally).

re-queening is a sound management practice, so even if I don't re-queen a feral hive right away, it gets re-queened the next year. I buy my queens from BeeWeaver.

I am not totally against treating for varroa if I have to. But last year I did not have to treat a single hive that had a BeeWeaver queen in it. For me, having their genetics is worth the $37.50 for one of their marked queens. It's basically 4 jars of honey...
--
Chris Barnes
Retired A&M IT geek - now beekeeper
http://www.cornerstonehoneybees.com/
maddiedou
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I sure hope I can make this. I have lots of questions and I will pay you for guidance with cash or alot of vegetables
Badace52
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I live on one acre with several adjacent approx 1 acre lots with houses and families and I have been entertaining the though of keeping a hive up under some little cedars in a small thicket I use as a windbreak/privacy fence just as a hobby and honey source.

Beekeeping expert thoughts on this plan?
CM
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Jefe07
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I think the plan is perfectly fine. The general advice is to start with two hives so that you have them to compare each other to and share resources. One vs two makes no difference in space requirements.

I started beekeeping in my Missouri City backyard. My neighbors were none the wiser.

My next house was a 1 acre lot, which provided much more room. However, I had one colony of bees that I couldn't stop from swarming into my neighbors' magnolia tree, several times. I felt bad. But it's how it goes...

1 acre is fine. It's probably a good idea to introduce your neighbors to what you are doing. Offering them honey is a good way of warming them up to the idea.
scatron
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TxFig said:

https://www.facebook.com/events/326258207995201/

On Saturday, March 16 at 10:00 I will be teaching a "Beginning Beekeeping" class for the Producer's Cooperative "Saturday morning classes".

As with all classes at Producers Cooperative, this is completely FREE.

No signup is required - just show up.

Hi Chris! I went to your class and really liked it. I have been increasingly interested in beekeeping the last few years due to a class I took at TAMU while I was still in school. I really want to get into beekeeping, but I live in a neighborhood that, although is not restricted by HOA, has a lot of families and older/non-college aged individuals. So, I don't want the possibility of stings or swarming - but on top of that, I have two dogs and one likes to try and eat anything that flies through the air, so I don't think it's a good idea to put it in the backyard.

Anywho, at your class, you mentioned how people with land looking for ag exemptions will let beekeepers put hives out in return for honey and of course the exemption. How would I go about finding someone willing to let me do that??
maddiedou
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Text me at 979-eight two o-l87o. Tomorrow. We can work together on this. Gary
jakeaggie84
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Watched the first episode of the Netflix documentary series "Rotten". Very interesting info on bee keeping and China flooding the market with fake cheap honey. Now making sure I buy locally!
ironmanag
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I have a bee keeping question.

What are rescue bees. Talked to a guy at a market and he was very proud that his honey was from rescue bees.
According to the Biden White House, what Joe Biden says does not represent the official position of the Biden administration.
texAZtea
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https://www.google.com/search?q=rescue+bees&oq=rescue+bees&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.3167j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
TxFig
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Badace52 said:

I live on one acre with several adjacent approx 1 acre lots with houses and families and I have been entertaining the though of keeping a hive up under some little cedars in a small thicket I use as a windbreak/privacy fence just as a hobby and honey source.

Beekeeping expert thoughts on this plan?

Hives do better out in full sun. Bees can tolerate the summer heat - wax moths & hive beetles not so much.
--
Chris Barnes
Retired A&M IT geek - now beekeeper
http://www.cornerstonehoneybees.com/
TxFig
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scatron said:

TxFig said:

https://www.facebook.com/events/326258207995201/

On Saturday, March 16 at 10:00 I will be teaching a "Beginning Beekeeping" class for the Producer's Cooperative "Saturday morning classes".

As with all classes at Producers Cooperative, this is completely FREE.

No signup is required - just show up.

Hi Chris! I went to your class and really liked it. I have been increasingly interested in beekeeping the last few years due to a class I took at TAMU while I was still in school. I really want to get into beekeeping, but I live in a neighborhood that, although is not restricted by HOA, has a lot of families and older/non-college aged individuals. So, I don't want the possibility of stings or swarming - but on top of that, I have two dogs and one likes to try and eat anything that flies through the air, so I don't think it's a good idea to put it in the backyard.

Anywho, at your class, you mentioned how people with land looking for ag exemptions will let beekeepers put hives out in return for honey and of course the exemption. How would I go about finding someone willing to let me do that??

I would say join the beekeeping facebook groups closest to where you live. Here in Bryan/College Station that would be https://www.facebook.com/groups/BrazosValleyBeekeeperForum/.

The other one centered around Brenham, is kind of defacto "state wide group"
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CentralTexasBeekeepers/


There are constantly people posting asking for a beekeeper to put hives on their property.
--
Chris Barnes
Retired A&M IT geek - now beekeeper
http://www.cornerstonehoneybees.com/
TxFig
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ironmanag said:

I have a bee keeping question.

What are rescue bees. Talked to a guy at a market and he was very proud that his honey was from rescue bees.

"Rescue Bees" are bees that come out of someone's house (walls, sofit) or a tree where they are unwanted and would have otherwise been killed.


The guy you talked to better not get too proud of the honey from rescue situations - selling honey from a removal is STRICTLY illegal. And for good reason...
--
Chris Barnes
Retired A&M IT geek - now beekeeper
http://www.cornerstonehoneybees.com/
ironmanag
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TxFig said:

ironmanag said:

I have a bee keeping question.

What are rescue bees. Talked to a guy at a market and he was very proud that his honey was from rescue bees.

"Rescue Bees" are bees that come out of someone's house (walls, sofit) or a tree where they are unwanted and would have otherwise been killed.


The guy you talked to better not get too proud of the honey from rescue situations - selling honey from a removal is STRICTLY illegal. And for good reason...
Glad I didn't buy any.
According to the Biden White House, what Joe Biden says does not represent the official position of the Biden administration.
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