Ready, steady........

[Dusty Rhodes]

So frustrated!

Did an intro course earlier in the summer, then attended regular evenings since. But a month abroad got in the way.

Today I collected my first, new hive - a beautiful creation by Nick at Peak Hives (sorry - should that be P**k H*ves?).

How long before I can reasonably expect to populate it?
Am I condemned to just massaging it lovingly with linseed oil, till April or May?
(Still, that worked with the wife.... But that's another story.)

As it is, reading this site day by day merely makes me feel like a eunuch.

Ah well....

 

[Hivemaker.]

You could buy bees at any time of year,but spring is best,as at this time of year you have everything to lose and nothing to gain. Take a nuc from your existing colony in spring.

 

[dpearce4]

dont think he has bees yet hivemaker. that was his point.

 

[Hivemaker.]

dont think he has bees yet hivemaker. that was his point.

Well he should remove number of colonys 1 from his details on the left then.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Hi dad, yes spring is probaly your best time

 

[dpearce4]

Well he should remove number of colonys 1 from his details on the left then.

i think its more Jaffa than eunoch lol. has the tool but nothing works lol lol lol

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well spotted dpearce4!

Further inspection will reveal that this is my 4th Post. I gather you need. 50 to move on from being a New Bee and I have an ambition to be a House Bee before I have a single bee.

I don't get out much.

 

[dpearce4]

Sorry Dusty

i have a weird sense of humour, it goes with my job.

BTW welcome to the forum as the romans used to say, before you met the lions.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hi Hivemaker,

Pleasure to make your acquaintance.

I seem to recall that when I signed up to the forum, it wasn't possible to enter zero in the number of hives.

But I bow to your seniority.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Looks better now you have changed it,cannot now assume you have one colony.....welcome to the forum.

 

[beeatshellards]

welcome to the forum from me too , plan your arrival for Spring, that is the best time make sure you have everything you need to get you off to a flying start, read all you can this Winter and keep posting and reading the forum, you will learn a lot more from this to help you off to a good start... patience is a virtue

 

[onriver]

an over wintered nuc won't be available til April at the least but then you'll have a viable start with a potentially strong colony. Must be frustrating to wait but definitely worth it. This spring we were ahead by about 4 weeks and had swarms in April so, if you build the right connections and can get hold of swarms locally, you could be overrun by May! I'd echo beeatshellards and suggest you take advantage of the winter - kit, knowledge, questions!

 

[Flatters]

Dusty
Welcome to the forum. There is not much happening with a hive between the end of November and February anyway so I would be patient. If you prepare yourself for the spring, getting frames ready (but don’t put the foundation in).

Have a thought on what you will need to do an AS. With a new colony in spring you may be OK but my first colony, which I got in June last year, was very prolific and swarmed in mid/late August. Having equipment available when you need it, often a short notice, helps.

I went into this year with one colony and due to swarms collected and natural expansion I have 5 full colonies and three nucs. I did not plan for that in year one. I thought I would have two, perhaps three colonies by now.

Good luck and enjoy the bees when they arrive.

 

[Poly Hive]

Welcome Dusty,

Frankly if you are offered bees at this time of year I would be suspicious.

Why?

Because it is grossly unfair to sell a nuc or hive to a complete novice who then has to take the risk of colony loss on. I myself will not sell from now until Spring for that very reason.

I work hard for my money and so value it. I will not take money for a product that may not survive. I will though happily take money in spring for a growing thriving highly viable nucleus.

If I might make a suggestion?

Use the winter to read, question that reading on here if puzzled and develop an understanding of how a colony should develop, how to look for issues, how to test those issues and generally get a handle on the whole situation.

Next year you will be pleasantly surprised at how more informed and confident you will feel.

Beekeeping is more than a hobby it is pretty much a way of life.

PH

 

[mystil]

Welcome to the forum.

When you get started you will find that 1 hive very quickly turns into 2 or more. We have 3 now and have only been keeping bees since June.

Learn as much as you can over winter and start next spring, that gives you the most advantages and none of the draw backs.

As Flatters has said: Make sure you have more than enough equipment before you start, you might not think you need it but believe me, when you get a hive which is trying to swarm every week you will need it!

 

[Tom Bick]

Yes welcome to the forum Dusty.

You may get bees from a forum member a good number come highly recommended from other forum members as the forum has a strict non advertisement rule by members who sell bees and beekeeping equipment as a business mmmmmm? mostly its adhered to.

Your problem may be getting a nuc on the 14x12 frames and you may have to settle on standard frames and over time transfer to the 14x12.

Good look with next year

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Welcome Dusty. If Nic is indeed your son then I'm sure he can spare you a nice healthy colony in spring when you can enjoy them. If he isn't try claiming some long lost family ties.

As the bees will shortly be shutting down for the winter getting some now would only delay the frustration.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

my dad is indeed called Dusty but I suspect not the same as he has been involved with bees for 75 years now and is computer illiterate. mind you he did ask for some bees at the weekend so.....

 

[tonybloke]

welcome to the forum dusty

 

[Luminos]

How did you get a mass of bees on your bum for your avatar if you don't have any bees?
I see you still haven't got it to work btw.
(Perhaps that should be "btm")