Think I’m gonna start one this year. Still have a good bit of research to do but need to know the basics? Is there a specific temp it needs to be when introducing them to the hive?
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Think I’m gonna start one this year. Still have a good bit of research to do but need to know the basics? Is there a specific temp it needs to be when introducing them to the hive?
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Earliest I would install a package of new bees would be the last week of March. We have had good luck the second week of April.
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian" - Henry Ford
Research as much as you can between internet videos, books, and or mentors. Learning is so helpful but you have to jump in at some point and your most valuable learning will be hands on. I assume you are getting package bees to start so it will all be dependent on their pick up dates. Horsecreek Honey Farms, for example has a pickup on March 15 and one on April 15 and you reserve a date when you preorder. Either date will be fine but you will have to feed them sugar water to get them established until they make their own honey. There is no way all instructions could be typed up here. But you will find numerous management methods. You have to pick one strategy and run with it to stay ahead of mites and hive beetles and again management is emphasized as bees are not a leave it and prosper hobby. You have to actively work your hives, treat them if you decide to do so, and very importantly invest and have the equipment ready ahead of when you need it. I personally recommend researching the OTS beekeeping method. This is not necessarily to direct you to treatment free but to use this to multiply bees. It is inevitable you will lose hives. So having multiple is an insurance policy and you can multiply to get hive increases to have free replacements. If you have to spend $100 for a package every time you need bees then the money can add up. I wish I had known this from the start as it would have saved me money. This is also a good way to get bees if you know someone that is willing to share their splits. Again, best advice is to just start and learn hands on. If you can watch a beekeeper work a hive and get answers to questions then you will learn much faster. It is a fascinating hobby where you will never quit learning if you are truly dedicated to keeping with it.
Thanks for the info. My uncle Mac that ran the deer processor in Chapin was an expert at them things. I wish I would have learned from him before he passed away. He had hives all over the place.
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I should have taken better notes when Mac was alive bro.
Listen to your elders. Not because they are always right but because they have more experiences of being wrong.
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give" Sir Winston Churchill
DB68 is an expert!
Ended up getting an established hive and have someone walking me through the process. Gonna split the hive in a week and make a second hive. This whole process is fascinating.
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Last edited by b35w; 05-09-2019 at 09:43 AM.
what's your plan to capture the queen?
Ugh. Stupid people piss me off.
Never seen anyone set one on the ground
Windows Down!
Bobby gonna be raising them killer beez.
I'm gonna have to buy him on of those Epipens for his birthday.
How many times you got stung?
You may want to raise that hive up to a level that will be comfortable to work with. They get heavy real fast and if you’re bending over all the time you’ll rush the job.
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2 cement block height is about right for the lower brood box . Looks like plenty of bees in there so im sure shes in there somewhere....they can be tough to find when you've got a good population of bees . Look for swarm cells . If you put a new queen in there and there is already an established queen , they will kill the new queen quick like .
If it aint got 8 toes & a green head,it aint a duck.
How was the back Doctor visit. Damn that was funny
Gettin old is for pussies! AND MY NEW TRUE people say like Capt. Tom >>>>>>>>>/
"Wow, often imitated but never duplicated. No one can do it like the master. My hat is off to you DRDUCK!"
I split my first hive and now have 2. Both are flourishing and it’s a pretty amazing process to be honest. I’ve been fortunate to have a guy show me the ropes. To be honest I’ve pretty much have been a spectator but have learned a ton.
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Pretty cool Bobby. Interested to see how they do for you. Do you immediately notice more around the yard?
I’m keeping it in a field away from the house. The queen laser about 2000 eggs a day so if you give her space you can imagine how many bees there will be. I didn’t realize it but the lifespan of a worker bee is only a few weeks. They have to be replaced.
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