Don't be such a drag, Jamie. This is without doubt best beekeeping thread the forum's ever had!

Quickbooks here. US GAAP style.

My friend is starting to take up beekeeping and I'm quite jealous, it looks like a lot of fun.

Beekeeping is awesome

I used to live near a farm that had bees. I'd go every weekend, but now I can't, as I've moved up north, too cold for the bees :(

I have family and friends who beekeep but I know absolutely nothing about such things.

How do you get your neighbours to not complain about the swarm of bees?

If you have enough property it shouldn't be a problem. Actually, it will help them a ton if they garden or grow fruit/crops.

I've spotted about 7 different species of bees in my garden last summer! No idea where they're coming from. I guess they love the unkept wilds..

I like bees. That's all I've got..

Neighbors with pools sometimes complain when honeybees use the pool as their water source. I live in the country so I don't have any problem like the urban beekeepers.

As far as swarms, they do scare people, but in our area a swarm is not in anyway threatening. A swarm is a hive that is on the move to spread its genetics. The queen is with the swarm, and they are looking for a new home. The bees likely left behind in their former home, a full box of honey, some nurse and forager bees (females or maiden bees) and some baby bees (larvae) that is being raised by nurse bees. They bees left behind probably are raising queen cells for the future mother of the hive. Meanwhile, the swarm is the old queen and 2/3 of the hive and she is on the move to a new home, probably because the former hive body was full of honey and it was time to expand. Swarms are not dangerous or threatening. They are not defending baby bees when you see a swarm You're probably safe to capture the swarm in a box, take it to your property, and dump it into an empty hive body without any protective gear at all.

Keep up the info please, folks. I don't think I have enough land to raise bees, but I'm interested in learning. Is a regular yard in town enough for a small hive.

fantastic blossom in south western Australia in WA..honey of the finest quality with few major pests.

we can close our produce borders to inter state honey products to protect our industry BUT the government has just opened up the international borders .

All honey products used to have to be heat treated now that applies to our internal borders but not external its freekin nuts.

I'd love to keep bees someday! The people I've seen do it though don't tell me about all the work it takes--what kind of upkeep do they take?

@fourofswords - I think it depends on the local regulations. One place I knew said the hives had to be 9 feet from the edge of the property. I'm pretty sure it'll vary by locality

The work load of beekeeping is manageable. Depending on the style, the actual honeybee hive husbandry takes only about an hour per month per hive. Building and making bee hive tools, frames, and hive bodies takes a bit of carpentry or assembly work which takes some time. Or you can buy the material. But that is infrastructure work and once completed involves only occasional maintenance.

Sorry about the regulations. If you have your own hive, maybe you can just take the honey frames from the hive, crush the comb and strain it into jars in the sun. Or just cut the honey comb out and eat it. Mmmmm, delicious raw honey.