# Blackwater Beekeepers



## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

SO here is my experience in bee keeping. I live in Liberty Hill, Tx July 2014 or so I approached my significant other and talked of bee keeping. She amazingly said "YES". So, sat on this until about October. I started doing some research. Started to acquire a lot of knowledge through websites of Apiary's and YouTube. My excitement was off the chart as you could imagine. 
I live in a rural area where our community has about 200 homes and all of them have about an acre of land. The boarders outside our neighborhood is owned by cattle ranchers. Might you heard of "KING RANCH"? Yep, that's our backyard beyond the neighborhood fence and we have lots of wildlife roaming from King Ranch that hop the fence and roam in our neighborhood. Perfect for bee keeping is what I am getting at. 
Anyhow, I spent about $570 on bee supplies including an ant free stand that is concrete foundation and pipe, $90 for us to take the bee class here in Central Texas. I spent $225 on a fence for the bee hive and $275 on Amazon for Ultra Cool Bee Suit that my significant other prodded me to buy. It is HOT in central Texas! It's a lifetime experience and might as well buy 1 bee suit and not have to buy another. 
I went to central Texas bee hive building and helped build frames 1 Sunday late winter a few months back where I met others just like me starting out and learning. Met Michael the man in Brenham that was heading the bee hive box building. Come to find out this is for youth program and they're trying to build 500 bee hives. WOW what a great participation this is for a great cause. So afterwards we talked to Michael about bees and several questions I had got answered. Nothing more enjoyable then talking to a live person and getting all your answers to your questions that I had bottled up.
Rewind to the first week of January. I started looking and found out all bee pkg's were sold out here in Texas for March/April when I wanted to get my bees. My plan was to get them Mid March, so that I could have a split sometime in June possible and end the year with 2 hives maybe 3 who knows. Get 65 pounds of honey is all I wanted and the bees can have the rest. 65 pounds would go to friends and my family. After doing online searching I did come across a place called black water bee supply co. Hoverville GA 921-487-2675. I put the number because someone on here might actually call them and get a hold of them for me since all my efforts seem to fall short. I have zero phone calls returned from them. I paid $150 for my pkg 
Zero communication from this company! It is the 11th of April today and no pkg of bees have arrived and nearly no communication other then 2 from them stating that the winter weather is putting them 2 weeks behind. The 2nd was we'll ship the end of this week or the following week. That's come and gone too. I have called daily trying to get someone in the office to pick up the phone. Nope, no returned phone calls and of coarse my $150 I can't get back as I paid for this by PayPal instead of my credit card. I own a business and my money is mainly in PayPal, so I typically think of that for payment and not CC. Lesson learned on my part.
My friends and family have asked "Did your bees come in" or "Hows your bee hive doing?". Here in Central Texas this is the most beautiful spring I can remember since living in Texas 1990. Flowers in bloom everywhere and out land is fully in bloom too. I drive out of our community and the street sides are thick with bluebonnets. I think it's frustrating that I don't have bees looking at all these wildflowers and what year were having. It certainly would be a great year to start bee keeping, but I don't have bees. 
I started researching who's got pkg's of bees this week. Of coarse that's about a Zero this late! Who would have thought that black Water Bee Supply company would just take someones money and not communicate and not send a pkg of bees? I did send out a message to a few bee companies that actually had websites and great confirmation that they're a real company. I did explain to them my dilemma about getting shafted. The response was a clear message to only buy from a Apiary that has many years of business. I certainly think that is a golden rule that I want to get my point across to others. Lesson learned this time. One Apiary company can get bees to me in April 23rd shipping date. The Weaverly company in Texas can get them to me 3rd weekend of next month. I have had some time to think about spending another $225 for Nuc or $175 for a pkg shipped. The thing is that my whole plan is scrapped. I can't control the bees, but that was something I would cross roads with later. 
I am Zak White from Liberty Hill Texas and if anyone can get someone to pick up the phone to this company and ask them what's going on or has any information as to get a refund that would be great. I did mail a letter this week requesting a refund, but not sure how that will be received.

This experience has stung me. Lots of lessons to be learned, but unfortunate to someone new that now has spoiled experience. 

At this point it's pretty dumb in my thoughts to spend another penny on this failed hobby. So close I know and it might not be logical, but that's my take on it. 

Maybe in September I will look into purchasing bees for 2016.

Zak White
Liberty Hill, Texas (Central Texas)


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## Hogback Honey (Oct 29, 2013)

Sorry about your sucky experience, but dont let it stop you! Hook up with a few keeps that go out and get swarms, get some bees that way. Good luck!


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## fuzzybeekeeper (Nov 23, 2005)

Zak,

This is the Michael you refer to above. Thanks for the kind words. I, to am sorry for the situation and hope that it still can be resolved.

One quick correction. Our group, the Central Texas Beekeepers, has not stated that we have set out to build 500 hives. When we are working on them and when they are stacked in my barn, it certainly SEEMS like 500 hives. And some day in the future I am sure we will reach that number.

We are just out to educate our youth to help them be good beekeepers and promote beekeeping in our world.

The Bee School you mentioned was two weeks ago and we had 630 folks here for a one-day school. Thanks for being with us.

I, too, will try to contact your "supplier" and encourage them to respond to help clear up the reputation they don't want.

Michael


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## jmcumbo (Apr 8, 2015)

FYI, you have up to 6 months to file a claim with Paypal!! Use it!


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Maybe they should be called Black Hole beekeepers send your money.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Well don't give up yet .You are so close! With the kind of spring you describe, there will be swarms to be had for free, as Hogback said. Go get them.Probably better bees than an unreliable company will provide.


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## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

loggermike said:


> Well don't give up yet .You are so close! With the kind of spring you describe, there will be swarms to be had for free, as Hogback said. Go get them.Probably better bees than an unreliable company will provide.


Michael offered bees from a split through email. I emailed him a hand full of times to contact him and again NO RESPONSE. So I now know the bee community is non communicative and not 1 that I care to get involved in. That's just plain wrong to offer someone bees and not communicate after I sent emails.

Anyhow...... I purchased $135 5 frame nuc on the 10th of May. On another upside that I smile, I got a call from a lady 25 minutes from here about a removal. 1 colony under a trailer and 1 clustered on a plum tree. Lucky me! I built a Nuc last night. Good thing is I have frames. I will assess the situation at 8AM today (Saturday May23). I will get the clustered this AM and probably Sunday or Monday if the weather is okay. We've had a lot of rain, so we shale see. I have never done bee removal, so this should be fun.
I have watched a handful of YouTube video's of bee removal. Will see if today will be spent making bee hives or Nuc Boxes.

Good things are happening. Oh and thanks for telling me about 6 months PayPal claim. I did get to talk with PayPal direct and they refunded my moo-lah. immediately after what I told them what the story was. 

My bees are doing well. Just feeding them. They take about 1/3 of a bottle daily. Lots of pollen coming in. I would think nectar too, but you can't tell at the hive entrance audviously.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

OK well sounds like in the end, it's all worked out for you.

The swarm hanging in the tree, sometimes they don't hang around long, best get it asap regardless of weather.


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## AHudd (Mar 5, 2015)

frustrateddrone said:


> Michael offered bees from a split through email. I emailed him a hand full of times to contact him and again NO RESPONSE. So I now know the bee community is non communicative and not 1 that I care to get involved in. That's just plain wrong to offer someone bees and not communicate after I sent emails.


 Sorry about your bad experience right out of the box. The frustration you have encountered, you will find in a lot of industries. Internet commerce is a double edge sword, in that the convenience is tempered by the pitfalls, such as what you have encountered.
I would like to gently point out that by joining this forum, buying equipment and acquiring bees, you are now a part of the bee community. You now have the opportunity to help make the beekeeping community a better place by warning and helping others by sharing your experiences. I thank you for that and wish you the best of luck.

Alex


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## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

Oldtimer said:


> OK well sounds like in the end, it's all worked out for you.
> 
> The swarm hanging in the tree, sometimes they don't hang around long, best get it asap regardless of weather.


I was well aware of this. Thanks! So lets just say I built a Nuc Box. I already had 1 built, but I didn't know what I was getting into with the bee hive under the Manufactured home. I dubbed the small cluster Avocado Gang! It's about the size of a large Avocado is why. That is what the lady described them for size. I started to cut the branches and could not get the 1 branch to cut. I just grabbed them and tossed them in the box. Closed the box up. Yes, a queen is in that cluster. 

The other hive removal well....... That's an experience! It's a massive hive. It's been cloudy and rainy for the past 3 weeks or seems like more. Not too much sun in that span. I checked out the colony and it's 20" wide probably 30" long and 12" so deep. I got them stirred up to the max. I tore the particle board off to expose the comb. I got about 80% of the particle board removed and had to quit. Just the particle board to see what I was dealing with. 

I went immediately and purchased $100 worth of lumber and built 2 complete bee hives on Saturday from scratch. Bottom board, deep, inner cover and outer cover. I will build wooden frame today since I don't have any. I have fishing line to tie the comb to the frame. I don't have rubber bands unfortunately.

My question is this..... Is it best to not smoke them and just spray with sugar water or smoke them and spray sugar water. I have never done a bee hive removal. I got stung on my ankle. 1 sting. Not an ideal 1st time bee hive removal as I am on my back up under the house 2 ft to work and have to shimmy out and in. 

Zak


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Wahoo - Way to jump into it. You want bees and heard about some and are chasing them down.

Sorry about the bad experience. Might not be that folks are not friendly, just that folks that are into bees right now are really busy.

But with the cut out. Make sure to either roll socks up over your pants or duct tape the pants around ankles to protect them.

BRING A BUCKET for water to wash hands repeatedly, you are going old school and it will be messy. 

Have a second bucket or plastic tote to dump comb with honey in.

I would smoke them good one time. Remove a frame of comb shimmy out, and deal with it. Dump it if honey and it will be really soft if it is new. Like handling soft butter. Spraying with water works for some people, I have tried it, just didn't like the results. 

Have a table or flat surface to attach comb on makes it faster and easier on you. Or work over the box with frame set in it, some of the bees can crawl down while you work. Grab and keep all the capped comb you can. Rubber bands needs to be on next shopping list  and will make it easier. Try to make sure you have a small patch of comb with eggs in it. So if you don't get the queen they will make one. 

Try to gently carry comb of brood with bees on it. If it is tough older comb, carry with your finger tips and you will kill less larvae and bees. You will kill a lot, but it can be done. Use a cardboard box and try to brush cluster of bees into the box and shimmy out to dump into the hive once you have frames of brood there. 

Leave the box of brood under the trailer and as close to the original hive as possible for at least 24 hours with bottom and top. The bees will mostly reorient to that. Put at racket strap on it to hold it together. Go back the next evening, tape the opening shut. Haul it out and you got bees. 

Did one old school about 3 weeks ago and got another tomorrow. Bring lots of water to drink. 

Good luck and can I rent your back yard for an apiary. King Ranch as neighbors, WOW.  Nice country.


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