I want to get into bee keeping. Do you have a good site (or book) to check out for a complete beginner?
Cutman,
Forgive the length, but If you do, those bees are going to blow you away. I think most of us on this site are cut from the same cloth and really enjoy and are somewhat obsessed with creation. I just love watching things grow and controlling or attracting plants and animals. Hell, we have dominion over them.
I just got into this bee thing and it has taken 3 years to get honey. I’ve failed a whole lot but have learned a ton and have seen some incredible things this year.
Just last week I watched a new queen emerge from a cell in a Nuc hive where I was Intentionally raising one. It was love at first site. I’ve experienced a dead queen come back to life, i’ve spent the night in a hotel in Paducah with a queen I purchase for $30, I’ve spotted 2 queens in one hive which shouldn’t happen, I’ve captured a swarm and then waved them goodbye, I’ve raised 5 new queens from swarm cells and walk aways, and I’ve finally harvested some honey.
My advice isn’t from many years but I would suggest this. YouTube and read as much as you can. I think you will find that there are many different approaches to bee keeping. It has to do a lot with feel and touch. You can make it as easy or as hard as you want, there still just bugs.
Join a bee club, It will help tremendously. Try to find a friend that you can text or call anytime about bees. I have one and feel guilty calling him so much but it’s been a huge help. I will return the favor if needed.
When you start, buy packages and not Nucs. Nucs are already half there and packages are from the beginning. If they offer, try and buy the second round of packages, not first. I think more and more the cause of so many bad hives are poorly mated queens. When the demand is so high people rush packages and I’ve experienced the later queens to bee better.
Make sure to start with 2 hives not just one. With 2 you can see changes better and learn faster, also one will die. Get into your hive often and learn about the bees. There are tons of things to spot and figure out.
I think the name of the game is queen rearing. Everything is dependent on the queen. If she is healthy and laying tons off brood then the hive is going to do good. Year 2 you need to learn about raising queens from your healthy hive.
Lastly, save up. A purchased hive usually cost about $3-400 and Consist of a base, 1-2 brood boxes or 1-2 honey supers, 8-10 frames per box, lid and top cover. You can of coarse build your own and save money.
The bee packages consist of 3-4 lbs of bees which are about 10k bees and 1 queen for around $100. You will need a smoker( I burn cardboard). A hive tool and a feeder per hive to give sugar water through tuff times. Also a bee suit to help you get onto the hive comfortably. I would imagine an initial investment of around $700 though I stopped counting after 1k.
Good luck,
e
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