Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[jsallington]

So I just finished my hive. Is there anything I need to do before I get bees? Or do I just buy the bees and dump them in? I read I should rub the hive with wax and drip it on my top bars. Are there any other recommendations?

[Houstonbees]

Ok, I'll step in with the first obvious question as details are lacking. What type of hive did you construct?

[R Payne]

Have you read the stickies? (threads pinned at the top of the beginners' section)
Also have you looked for someone to mentor you close to you? IF you can find someone, it can make things much easier.

In addition to "what type of hive?", "how are you planning on populating your hive (package? swarm? find a nuc and chop to fit?)?"

The more details you can provide the better answers you'll receive.

ron

[Bugscouter]

jsallington,

I see from your other post that you built a topbar. Great work BTW. I'm envious of your woodworking skills. But I'm a little afraid that you may not be completely aware of the task you've set for yourself.

Beekeepers run the gambit from "Bees are livestock" to "Bees are the spiritual center of the universe". If you ask 50 beeks their opinion, you'll probably get 60 different answers. You'll going to have to find the style you're most comfortable with. That means reading as must as you can, joining a local association maybe, talking to locals, maybe a class, and asking questions on here and other forums. Lots and lots of questions.

Swarms and nucs are functioning colonies. Packages are many times made up of bees from more than one colony and are not related to the queen. Package bees need a little more care when they're introduced, at least until they get started.

There are a lot of videos on YouTube that talk about introducing bees to a hive, including some by Phil (search for biobee). Yes, rubbing bee's wax on the bars will help them get started in the right direction. You may want to look at how to correct cross combing so you're ready when it happens. A couple drops of Lemon Grass Oil will help convince them to stay. You'll also need to think about feeding if you purchase a package because they'll bring nothing with them other than what's in the can.

I don't want to discourage you from starting a hive this year. In fact, welcome to the club, these little buggers will get under your skin, but thanks to pesticides, mites, viruses, and beetles, the days of "Bee Having" are pretty much over. Its going to take some knowledge to get started.

My first colony figured out that I had no idea what I was doing in about two weeks and they up and left. Its an ugly feeling.

BTW, if you're looking for some good books, go to Amazon or B&N and search on Phil Chandler, Christy Hemingway, and Les Crowder to start with.

And keep us posted. We like hearing about folks successes.

Ron

[jsallington]

Thanks for all the input, yes sorry it is a top bar hive and I am about to start making a second. I posted pictures in the photo's section if anyone is interested. As of right now I am talking to a few locals trying to get a mentor, and I am reading and viewing as many youtube videos as possible. I did drip beeswax on a small blade of wood hanging down from my top bar in hopes that would be a good starter strip. Do I still need to add string? I asked this particular question because I was trying to decide whether I should buy nucs and cut them so I have some comb or buy two packages. I was trying not to lead the answers though. I know the packages are $80 each but I'm not sure about how much more the nuc was going to cost. I am also looking for a place to get some lemongrass oil. I do grow lemon balm in my house. Would just smearing those leaves in the hive work? It is very potent. I do realize that this is a huge undertaking but it is something I've wanted to do for awhile and I am sold that this will be for me. I also made a 40L swarm trap and bought some lure so maybe I can get a third hive up and going in case my purchased bees don't work. Any and all input is appreciated. Thanks, keep the feedback comming

[jsallington]

Also if you look at the photo's you'll notice that I have a feeder in the beginning of the hive.

[Bugscouter]

Yeah, my response may have been a little over the top. I'm the new class coordinator for SABA (coordinator, not instructor) and I'm suddenly getting phone calls asking for advice. I keep gently steering them towards the mentors. I may be having difficulties turning that off.

I purchased my lemon grass oil at Sprouts if you have one. Whole Foods or another natural foods or health food store would be good choices. I think some folks had rubbed the leaves on with success. I have the lemon grass oil for bait boxes so I add a couple of drops to the hive just as an added "insurance".

$80 for a package? Wow. They're $130 here.

I'm just going to get out of your way now.

Ron

[Barbara]

[jsallington]

Thanks for the tip on the feeder. I will move the feeder to the back of the hive so anything that wants to rob it will have to go through the entire hive. I put the entrance off to one side of the hive, not in the middle. I was worried about this because of all the conflicting info. My comb guides go up to 3/4 of an inch away from the wall. Hopefully that'll work. Thanks for the great input It was almost 20°F outside yesterday and sadly it felt like a heat wave and now I have bee dreams at night...