Starting a new hobby this year. For Christmas, I got a new Top Bar Hive to put together for my garden. Still trying to decide if I want to manage it for honey, or just let 'em have it for their own use. I also have to decide whether to try attracting a swarm (there's one here the beginning of every June, like clockwork), capturing a swam (easy to do, most of the time), or just buying them (advantages and disadvantages to that). Buying them - they may not be acclimated or suited to the area, and have trouble adapting. Attracting or capturing a feral swarm gets you local bees that are acclimated to the area, but honey production may be lower. As I'm not really leaning to harvesting honey, that may be the best route; however, a set of bees comes with the kit. Decisions, decisions.....

As for bears, the books STRONGLY advises an electrical fence, the solar type for cattle. Already have to put up a fence for the deer, so this isn't an issue.... I planned space in the garden for the bees already. Planting rocky mountain bee plant (a season long bloomer) for the bees, and on the positive side, it's a Colorado and area native! Plus, I have cactus, pinion pine, and other native wildflowers, and I'm planting more native wildflowers to boot. Unfortunately, like prospecting and most of my other new hobbies, I do not know a damn thing about it... Gonna BEE fun!

Seriously though..... this is extremely interesting and not something I would bee of the nature to do. Keep us posted, I want to vicariously see how it goes!

That's awesome man!

No problem - I will post pic's as I start this project! but.... the round pen for horse training has to get built first.....

Thanks, NRH!

If your wife allows, I'll take some of your "sweet honey". Should you decide to go that route.

Errrrr, uhhhhh....... Ok, but that will not be for at least a year, if I decides to go that route.... The bees need a season or two to build, then the honey starts flowing.

Of course! You need the protective clothing, the smoker, the wax knife, the spinner, the pasteurizing equipment, the bottler andwhatever else I forgot to list.

I don't like pasteurized honey (It's almost as bad for you as corn syrup!). And with a top bar, no spinning (doesn't wok with a top bar style).... you hand crush and strain it, or use it as comb honey. Need a bee veil and a smoker, and as it is a single hive, no bottler - a funnel would work fine!

There ya go! Much cheaper route. I learned all I know from a discovery flick!

Honey is great and all - but the honey comb itself, that's the TASTY stuff!

(Though you'd need more than one hive to harvest that)

Right there with ya, NRH!

Oh yeah, NRH! Best chewing gum ever!

and you can swallow it!

Tech... you can swallow normal chewing gum... if you want to be .01 full for the next 7 years...

....or have stretchy poop.

Well, I've decided. After much research and talking to local beekeepers, I am going to set up a top bar bait hive (or 2) to attract a local swarm. The cool thing about this, if I attract to all three hives, I end up with 3 hives, as bait hives are large enough to support themselves.

Awesome!!!