# 001 : The Start of the Urban Rooftop Beekeeping Season!!!

“The men of experiment are like the ant; they only collect and use. But the bee . . . gathers its materials from the flowers of the garden and of the field, but transforms and digests it by a power of its own.” 

 

Leonardo da Vinci

 

 

This is the kick-off of my Chicago Urban Beekeeping Blog :

The GEEzzz BEEzzz!!! Because my first name is Greg.

I know, hopefully my beekeeping will be better then my joking!!! Aye-yay-yay!

So what is all this buzz about anyway ... 

Quit your chirpin, I'm getting to it.

I'm going to keep a blog of my beekeeping endeavors (2012) in the hope 

that someone might make the same mistakes I will and I can laugh

and say 'Idiot' why didn't read my freaking blog!

Here is the EQUIPMENT I bought after reading about what I'll need.

But before I do that here is the great place I bought it from :

Long Lane Honey Bee Farms

http://www.honeybeesonline.com/

pretty cool how I used black and yellow - like a bee - huh?

I will never, never, ever promote any aviary over another 'BUT' these people are great to deal with and very helpful. Their prices were super fair and I live in Chicago and there are no other Aviaries as near to Chi-town as this place - so there you have it. David and Sheri if people go to you because of me I hope I get a discount on my future purchases!
Also, David Burns is just one of two certified Master Beekeepers in Illinois - so you know he means business when offering classes or products.

I won't give you the low-down on why you will need the following items. These are the items I bought after reading a couple books ... OH! By the way, a great book to get started in beekeeping and learn why you will need the items I'm listing is :

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Beekeeping For Dummies

here is the ISBN-13 number so you can find it right-quick : 978-0470430651

If you're super cheap, ohhhh sooooo soorrrrry, 'Thrifty', go to Google Books and get this one for free:

First Lessons in Beekeeping

by a cat named : C.P. Dadant

He's the father of an ant but seems to know allot about bees - go figure.

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Anywhoo, back to the EQUIPMENT

First you will need to buy a hive - you know, the place where your bees will hopefully live. 

You can buy the parts and save a couple of bucks or do your lazy butt a favor and buy a hive with all the components you will need to get started. 

This is what the hive that I bought looks like - it's a Langstroth Hive if you even care.

Fair Price for the one in the photo with foundation frames : around $200 - $225

It's made up of  (from top to bottom) :

(1) Telescoping Cover

(1) Inner Cover Board with vent hole (you can't see it because it's under the cover)

(1) Medium Super (with ten foundation frames* inside)

(2) Deeps ( with ten foundation frames each inside)

(1) Screened Bottom Board (the base)

(1) Entrance Reducer (not shown)

* a foundation frame looks like this yellow thing - it's where the bees hang out.

The foundation is made up of hexagons just like the bees would make in the 'nature'.

This one is plastic and the foundation is covered with beeswax - the ladies (worker bees)expect nothing less.

Here's a nice diagram just in case my explanation sucked!

You should also stand your hive up on some bricks or cement blocks (an 8x8x8 block costs 98 cents at home depot - get at least four for each hive please!) if you are installing this on a roof like I am. It will make it much easier to inspect the hive and allow the water to flow by without drenching the hive.

Plus you will look bad-ass like this dude :

Oh, by the way. Just in case you care. Here is the roof where I will 'bee' installing my hive.

That's it for today. This blogging business is getting boring. Besides I need to get my Skyrim on because I'm only level 38! I'll write more soon about the other equipment you will need (only the essentials) and hopefully show off some pics of me installing some bees.

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OH One last thing before I sign off. This is a project my friend Ronald really likes. Ronald is a dummy and doesn't do any research on bees which is why he likes this stupid idea!

I found this image under a google search for Urban Beehive ... Now, I won't rip this thing apart. If you are new to beekeeping you will soon see the folly in this stupid alien-head, egg, upturned transparent glossy turd.

This idea is sooooo stupid yet if you pay a college art student to make a 3d model of something stupid and render it up in V-Ray all the people that know nothing about beekeeping will write about crap like this as if it were the second coming! That little pull-chain on the bottom is appropriate because this thing should be flushed down the toilet drain of poorly conceived ideas - never to be seen or smelled again!

WHY?

Well firstly ...  ah forget it. This thing is too stupid to waste time on!

Just like Ronald! Only joking Ronald - for real! HA!

 Here's a photo of Ronald doing something

Before I sign off.
Did I mention : I LOVE APRIL!!!!!
I LOVE APRIL!!!