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Greetings from North Alabama

6K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  uncleflip 
#1 ·
I am in the process of setting up my first two hives in the Limestone county area of N. Alabama. I am finishing up the prep work on my hive bodies and frames, and I will be getting two nucs from a local beekeeper this week.

Rick
 
#4 ·
Hello and thanks for the welcome.

Yes, I've heard about the LCBA, and I plan on joining. In fact I'm getting my nucs from the current VP of the LCBA.

I have already joined the Madison County Beekeepers Assocs., and I attended the beekeeping class taught by Bob Fanning, the owner of the www.k4vb.com web site.

Everyone I've encountered in the beekeeping community so far has gone out of their way to be helpful.
 
#10 ·
Good for you, Jeffco! You'll have a lot of fun assembling, waterproofing, and generally prepping for your bees.....then it gets even better! Me? I just finished priming 4 new hives, after swearing I was not going to increase my number of hives....the bees had different ideas, I guess. ;)
 
#14 ·
Out of curiosity: where are you planning to place your hives? I know that Southside is blessed with what we called (although I don't actually know if they are) cherry laurel trees and there are many ornamental plantings, unused lots covered in dandelion and other flowering weeds, so there's plenty of forage for your girls; my curiosity is more directed at hive placement. Will your apartment complex allow you to keep the hive there (on a terrace or rooftop, perhaps)? Are there regulations in the city code concerning beekeeping (some cities ban it, some restrict it, some don't regulate it at all)? And - vital consideration, here - have you arranged for one of the micro-breweries to make mead from your harvest?
 
#15 ·
I'm making the mead myself. :) (That's what got me into this. I've been making mead for about a year now- 1 of 4 batches is now in the bottle.)

The bees will reside at a house just over the mountain in Homewood. (the girls will live in the shadow of Vulcan's ample bum.) There's a lovely little side-yard that has the right combination of sun, shade, water source, etc... There are extensive gardens nearby (flowers, veggies, etc.), so I doubt the girls go hungry. :)

Be well
-UF
 
#16 ·
Sounds like a good setup! Urban beeking interests me because of the challenges it presents (pollutants, lawn chemicals, intolerant neighbors, civic restrictions, etc.) and the obvious need to get natural pollinators back into action inside the urban jungle. I correspond with a young NYC couple who have 2 hives on their apartment roof - evidently, there was once a pigeon roost up there, so they took over the space. They say that the honey they get is sweet and clear, with no more than a manageable loss of bees over the winter. Best of luck with your hives!
 
#17 ·
Interesting. I think it was just last week or week before, that NYC legalized beekeeping. Before, they had been classified in the same group with venomous or dangerous animals. There were lots of 'undergound' rooftop beekeepers before that.

I'm relieved to know the NYC honey does not taste like a subway station floor. :)

Be well
-UF
 
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