Mudder
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Beekeeping
¡Hola! I'm new here, and am hoping to tap the collective knowledge, of Baja Nomad. Can anyone tell me if beekeeping is big in BCS? I'm not a
beekeeper, but, always thought about trying it as a retirement hobby. If all goes right, we hope to relocate south, in the near future. Any
information would be appreciated.
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windgrrl
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Yes - I have seen hives located in scrub areas around BCS. Dark, fragrant honey from the San Bartolo area is sold at the local grocery store in Los
Barriles. Heaven with corn tortillas.
When the way comes to an end, then change. Having changed, you pass through.
~ I-Ching
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Cliffy
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Did it way back in high school. You might check into how bad the Africanized bees have become down south there. My Caucasian bees were very docile but
any cross with the African ones they become very agitated VERY easily. They can be dangerous. You might want to check into it.
You chose your position in life today by what YOU did yesterday
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bledito
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one of my workers has hives in el cardinal he gets honey from them and pollinate local crops
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BajaNomad
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Thread Moved
5-2-2017 at 06:35 AM |
BajaBlanca
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Interesting topic - Vizcaino sells lots of honey all year round in jars and it is delicious, so someone around there has hives.
Here in La Bocana, a friend of ours is about to experiment with them. Most of the bees here don't seem aggressive -that being said, there were a
couple in the garage and I sprayed them to get them to leave. They were really upset and definitely made me run out!
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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welcome to the Nomad ranch Mudder! I think bee keeping would bee an excellent pastime for you here in Baja. Many rancheros have hives in our area too
so probably just asking around who keeps bees may be productive. Ranchers are very social and like to make new friends so it would integrate you into
the culture if you made friends with them and asked them to help you get started too....not to mention the outstanding desert honey you may produce!
My husband Juan, a native here in Bahia Asuncion, goes to get honey with an elderly amigo and they wear no protective gear at all!!! Wow....my job is
to find the hive...we walk around in the desert and look for bees and watch where they fly to to locate the honey which is nearly always in an old
torote tree(elephant tree). With the branches off the tree they light a stick on fire and hold it into the hole to get the bees stoned. This is when
I casually wander over near the truck...hahaha. Then they reach in and grab the comb and put it in a bucket...
I really find it surprising that more expat retirees dont do more productive things like gardening, art, crafts, writing, getting involved in some
local projects etc. Many do I know but most that I know dont....I guess that's what retirement is for..hahaha....
good luck on your beekeeping initiative Mudder...let us know how it goes. And if you let us know the area you are in, perhaps someone knows someone
who keeps bees that you can learn from.
etc.
[Edited on 5-2-2017 by shari]
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Cliffy
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Glad to hear that there are calm bees there. You will probably find that the desert wild flower honey (as mentioned) has a unique flavor and color.
Its the perfect food. Doesn't spoil and tastes good and metabolizes real well. Good luck on your endeavor when you get there.
BTW, you eventually (at least most do) get immune to the bee stings after enough of them. :-) :-)
Scrape them off with a thin knife blade held at a shallow angle to the skin (like slicing a piece of prosciutto ham). If you just pinch it out with
your fingers it tends to squeeze ALL the poison into the wound, not so with a knife blade slicing it off.
You chose your position in life today by what YOU did yesterday
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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It is funny as Juan get bee stings...ALOT....it's like they look for him and zap him...doesnt phase him in the least. BUT a few months ago something
stung him in the neck...didnt see the culprit but there were bees on my flowers he walked by. Within 15 minutes his whole body was covered with welts
and his tongue & face swelled up...so strange as he had never reacted to any sting before. It made us wonder if it was some weird africanized
bee....yikes.
As a side note...I finally got stung for the first time ever at the beach on Sunday...bee flew into my armpit....hurt like a mother flucker! I was a
bit worried as we were far from anywhere....but it just itched, hurt and swelled up a bit...whew.
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yumawill
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All
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yumawill
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All Bees are Africanized now. Away from the hive they can be semi docile. Getting near a hive in the Bush can be catastropic. Be wary of all Bees.
Wild Bees tend to make hives underground or in hollow places (trees, under or inside buildings, think cool places). Hives in the Desert need shade and
lots of water. I used to be stung frequently when younger. No reaction really. I was stung in the Bush in Anza Borrego last year and it was bad.
Hives, swelling of face and hands, hallucinations. Maybe these African Bees pack something different. 50 miles from hospital in El Centro. Buy an
Epi-Pen if your not sure. I still love Meil wherever it comes from. But hey, it's Baja. It's all about the adventure.
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tunesthc
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FYI I keep bees up Nor Cal and yes it is important to scrape the attached stinger asap from the skin without pinching the venom sack. I find any
sting above mid torso has much more after effects than lower body.(more vascular area) I have become more sensitive to stings on blood pressure
meds. recommend epi pen and benadryl handy for severe reactions . Always watch the airway for breathing problems. ( FYI Benadryl puts me to sleep
fast) Africanized strain of bee is highly territorial and will chase a person much further distance than normal euro strains .
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vandenberg
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Been stung many times in my lifetime and only in the last 5 years or so have I have a reaction . Severe swelling. At 81 I believe your immune system
doesn't work like it used to.
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Mudder
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Thanks so much for the info. After 30 years of pre-hospital care, and sensitivity to swinging creatures, I don't go anywhere without a good supply of
antihistamines. I look forward to retirement, but, don't intend to be idle. Lots of puttering planned.
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AKgringo
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Quote: Originally posted by shari  | welcome to the Nomad ranch Mudder!
I really find it surprising that more expat retirees dont do more productive things like gardening, art, crafts, writing, getting involved in some
local projects etc. Many do I know but most that I know dont....I guess that's what retirement is for..hahaha....
[Edited on 5-2-2017 by shari] |
Doesn't sitting at the keyboard trolling the internet count as a hobby?
[Edited on 5-2-2017 by AKgringo]
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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Cliffy
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NO
You chose your position in life today by what YOU did yesterday
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