buying bees

[pdb]

hello every one can you help a muppet as my old boss said i am trying to keep bees on a very tight amount of money as i am on the sick long term but is it possible to buy one Package of bees and one extra queen and share the packsge between two boxs and put one queen in each would they have Enough bees to make it work thank you for any advice given thanks paul

 

[ratcatcher]

if it was the start of spring, I'd say why not, give it a go, after all 100 people could say it'll work, but for you it don't, or visa versa if you get my drift, but trying it now, near the end of the season, I wouldn't

 

[alldigging]

hello every one can you help a muppet as my old boss said i am trying to keep bees on a very tight amount of money as i am on the sick long term but is it possible to buy one Package of bees and one extra queen and share the packsge between two boxs and put one queen in each would they have Enough bees to make it work thank you for any advice given thanks paul

If you did and they got through the winter ok then you'd need another 2 hives worth of kit for doing AS next year.

Whilst having 2 hives means you can in theory sort out problems with one from the other, it might not be the right thing to do to start off.
Have you kept bees before? How does your health affect you?

 

[pdb]

thanks you hello alldigging both my legs cant walk for long or up and down stairs but getting better i was thinking of useing nucs first then put them into rose hives would start in new seaon 2015 theses will be my first bees

 

[alldigging]

thanks you hello alldigging both my legs cant walk for long or up and down stairs but getting better i was thinking of useing nucs first then put them into rose hives would start in new seaon 2015 theses will be my first bees

Where will you keep them?
Have you had any experience?
Why rose hives?

 

[pdb]

i will keep my first hives hopfully in my garden ive got no experience with bees but am reading a lot and youtube and help here i like the rose hive its simple and all the same boxs and frames so i can make my own

 

[madasafish]

i will keep my first hives hopfully in my garden ive got no experience with bees but am reading a lot and youtube and help here i like the rose hive its simple and all the same boxs and frames so i can make my own

Get some practical experience of handling bees first is my advice.

Reading and youtube do not prepare you for a hive of angry bees and you don't know what is wrong..


It's not the hive which matters - it's the beekeeper.

A hard winter could - and probably will - wipe you out, and then there is varroa.etc etc..

Learn to handle bees first.. And get stung a few times.

 

[psafloyd]

thanks you hello alldigging both my legs cant walk for long or up and down stairs but getting better i was thinking of useing nucs first then put them into rose hives would start in new seaon 2015 theses will be my first bees

If you can't walk for long, are you sure you can manage boxes, especially if you go Rose which means bigger boxes, albeit all the same size?

I struggled to shift five very full supers the other day as they are very heavy indeed and I am no nine stone weakling.

 

[Dishmop]

From experience I can tell you that if you are ill and you think you can do it all ok.........

believe me......you cant...

Borrow a bee suit, kit yourself up and stand in the garden for 30 mins in the sun.

Invest some money with somebody who already has bees, and you can play with those..

 

[kazmcc]

Hi pdb, welcome to the forum I would suggest holding off on bees of your own for now, especially as you are short on money. Reading books and watch you tube vids are a great start, but you really need some practical experience before you start trying to split colonies etc, it isn't as easy as spliting the bees in two and adding a queen. I know how you feel, you want to get cracking and experience bees with enthusiasm. Have you looked for a local association? You would be best off there in their training apiaries with a view to getting your own bees come spring. You may even save money too. In the mean time, read, read, read some GOOD detailed books, ask questions on anything you don't fully understand and - if you join an association - get as much hive side experience as you can. Then you will get an idea of how you would be able to handle bees of your own. Dishmop is right, it is hard, heavy work and tough if you are not fully fit. If you do struggle to manage when assisting other beekeepers, then there may be the option for you to help keep the association bees where you would have help.

I fully understand your eagerness. I can't wait to get my own bees again! I almost can't sit still at the thought! lol

 

[Moggett]

Unless you have access to free materials and can make the kit, your hand will never be out of your pocket - especially in the early years.

Also unless you have a huge or isolated garden it is probably best not to keep bees there.

Some associations have cheaper 'friend' memberships for those without bees. You can go to meetings and get some news letters. It means you can observe and decide whether you can take on the responsibility and the hassle.

The drop out rate is quite high - people loose interest especially if things don't always go to plan. Out of my year's intake in the mid noughties I'm the last one standing by at least four or five years.

 

[fabindia]

Agree with everything said here.

It is getting very late in the year to be starting off. I got my first nuc and hived them nearly 8 weeks ago and I thought it was getting a bit late.

Learn all you can and join your local beekeeping association.. I went on a course earlier in the year but realise there is still so much to learn and practice.

It does cost a fortune in the first year. Think of what you need as a minimum, a hive (two in the second year), a suit, a smoker, hive tool, brood frames and foundation, super frames and foundation, the list seems to just go on and on.

Having said all that, if you can go for it, it's great. This beekeeping lark is totally addictive.

 

[dn170221]

There is a good "sticky" in the beginners section about starting have a look at that as well.
Good luck either way I hope you can get an introduction this year even if it is from the apiary at your local association.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi pdb, welcome to the forum I would suggest holding off on bees of your own for now, especially as you are short on money. Reading books and watch you tube vids are a great start, but you really need some practical experience before you start trying to split colonies etc, it isn't as easy as spliting the bees in two and adding a queen. I know how you feel, you want to get cracking and experience bees with enthusiasm. Have you looked for a local association? You would be best off there in their training apiaries with a view to getting your own bees come spring. You may even save money too. In the mean time, read, read, read some GOOD detailed books, ask questions on anything you don't fully understand and - if you join an association - get as much hive side experience as you can. Then you will get an idea of how you would be able to handle bees of your own. Dishmop is right, it is hard, heavy work and tough if you are not fully fit. If you do struggle to manage when assisting other beekeepers, then there may be the option for you to help keep the association bees where you would have help.

I fully understand your eagerness. I can't wait to get my own bees again! I almost can't sit still at the thought! lol

Well said Kaz couldn't put it better myself, but one thing I'd add watching a pile of eejits 'beekeeping' on youtube is not the way to go - for every one hald decent film there will be dozens of total bo**ox on there

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Well said Kaz couldn't put it better myself, but one thing I'd add watching a pile of eejits 'beekeeping' on youtube is not the way to go - for every one hald decent film there will be dozens of total bo**ox on there

I consider J P the Beeman is a useful source for swarm collecting and cut out info. Some like the fat Beeman but a massive amount of dross has been posted as well. Watching most of it makes me cringe. Eejits is too mild a description for most of the posters

 

[REDWOOD]

Try lifting and carrying a box weighing about 30 pounds a distance say from where you will keep your bees to your car a few times as this will be probably the most energetic part of your beekeeping and if you achieve this then continue to peruse you beekeeping. Don't bother splitting the package and buying an extra queen get a strong colony going and they will probably go into swarm mode which you can split with no extra cost

 

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Find yourself a good mentor and get them to take you on as an apprentice. That way you get plenty of practice and a good idea of what you can and can't do.

I have a mild disability which means I can't stand for too long or lift anything particularly heavy (or bend over too often) with the help of my mentor I have learnt how to work around my health issues (have a bench nearby to put things on, don't lift a super full of honey either get my daughter to help or decant some of the full frames into a plastic tub, don't try and inspect all the hives without a break etc)My mentor also wouldn't let us have bees at home until he was sure we were competent enough.

 

[psafloyd]

From experience I can tell you that if you are ill and you think you can do it all ok.........

believe me......you cant...

Borrow a bee suit, kit yourself up and stand in the garden for 30 mins in the sun.

Invest some money with somebody who already has bees, and you can play with those..

Good point, Dishmop. I have been in my jacket and suit in the last week and I was drenched and drained.

 

[psafloyd]

I consider J P the Beeman is a useful source for swarm collecting and cut out info. Some like the fat Beeman but a massive amount of dross has been posted as well. Watching most of it makes me cringe. Eejits is too mild a description for most of the posters

JP is great. He really has the touch.

 

[psafloyd]

Try lifting and carrying a box weighing about 30 pounds a distance say from where you will keep your bees to your car a few times as this will be probably the most energetic part of your beekeeping and if you achieve this then continue to peruse you beekeeping. Don't bother splitting the package and buying an extra queen get a strong colony going and they will probably go into swarm mode which you can split with no extra cost

If Rose, the weight will be greater if the box is full. Even managing a box as far as a wheelbarrow, that barrow then has to be got back to the car, which sometimes is harder than carrying a heavy box.