The bees are about to arrive. We will be picking up 20 packages of bees on April 14th. It should be a lot of fun. I have spent the last two months building hives and now I am ready to focus on the bees. For those who are just getting started, now is the time you want to set up your hive. Pick a good sunny location. An ideal location would have the entrance facing South East so that the sun can wake the girls up early. A little afternoon shade isn't bad and some kind of shelter to protect them from the North wind in the winter is good too. If it were me I would lean towards too much sun vs. not enough. Set your hive on something so that it gets it off the ground and high enough to avoid vegetation blocking the entrance. You will want your site as level as you can get it. I then put a shim or two on the back so that it tilts slightly forward. This makes it so that if any water does get into the hive it will run out the entrance. Once you have your site located and prepared. I would put your hive in its place. You will start with the bottom board and then one box on top of that. You will want to put your feeder in, but I would not fill it up yet. If it is a division feeder, I like to remove 2 frames. I would wait to fill it on the day you get the bees, but good to have it all in place. You then will put the inner cover on and the top cover. Your hive is ready to go. You can put your entrance reducer on if you would like, you will want it on when you put the bees in.
Over the next two weeks you will want to make sure there is a water source for the bees. This can be a natural source or a man made one. You will want to make sure you have all your safety gear (suit, gloves, hive tool and smoker if you want). I would go to youtube and watch a few videos on how to install a package of bees. This will get you even more excited and when I show you on the 14th, it will look really familiar. The night before the bees arrive, it is a good idea to make up the sugar syrup. For spring feeding it is 2 parts water to 1 part sugar and I do it based on weight. In volume I think it is almost 1:1. You will want it room temperature when you feed it to your bees. On a new package of bees I like to feed them until they have the first two boxes filled up or until they don't take it any more. A lot of times there will be a natural nectar flow and the bees will prefer it over the sugar syrup. You are ready to become a beekeeper.
It is extremely good to read up on how to keep bees and youtube is a great resource as well. I will not be able to explain everything in the short time we will have on the 14th, but there are tons of resources and info that are available either in print or on the internet.
Beekeeping is a great hobby and you will love keeping bees!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
First Year vs. Second Year Beehives
Looking at the next seven day forecast, we should have some great spring weather for the bees. I put a pollen patty on all of the hives last weekend and this should start the queen laying again or at least encourage her to increase her laying. We have had a few good days of weather lately and the trees are really starting to bud. You can see the aspens, some maples and willows starting to bud out. With good weather for the next few days the bees should be able to get out and we should see some pollen coming into the hives. This is always exciting because you know that they are replenishing some of the used stores they had from last year. They use the pollen for the brood and if you see lots of pollen coming it is a good indication there is a lot available and more importantly you probably have a queen and she is laying eggs.
The first year of a hive, all the resources are going into building up a hive. I heard yesterday that it takes 7 pounds of nectar to create one pound of wax (not sure how accurate that is) and when you start with new foundation the bees are going to be putting all the resources they can into building wax so the queen has a place to lay and the bees have a place to put nectar and pollen. You are also starting with a smaller bee count so they are focused on building up the population which is taking a lot of resources. Unfortunately the first year they typically build up slower and you don't get much honey if any.
The second year hive is really fun to see. Assuming they are coming out of winter healthy, they are going to start building up population about 6 weeks before new hives are being delivered and started. A second year hive will already have a place for the queen to lay so they don't have to focus on building wax. These hives should really build fast. The queen is still typically young enough that she is still close to her prime and boom the hive starts to explode in numbers. They do this so that they will have strong populations when the nectar flows start in the spring and then in the summer. You also have to be really careful that they don't get too big compared to their space. If they start to feel too crowded about the first of April through June they will swarm on you. It is a good thing to have a big healthy hive, but you don't want them swarming or else you loose that big population to gather nectar and pollen.
Things I will be looking for this week will be the amount of activity and pollen that is coming in. I would expect the pollen will be a white or gray color coming in and hopefully we will see quite a few of the bees coming in with it. I may take a look at a couple of the hives that I am worried about to make sure they have a queen and big enough food stores to get them through bad weather days. They also really don't have any nectar sources until trees start to flower. If they don't have much honey it is a good idea to feed them sugar water or some type of feed since they need a carbohydrate source. You also don't want to break up the cluster in a hive unless it is at least 60 degrees or so. We should hit that the next couple of days. I will let you know what I see.
The first year of a hive, all the resources are going into building up a hive. I heard yesterday that it takes 7 pounds of nectar to create one pound of wax (not sure how accurate that is) and when you start with new foundation the bees are going to be putting all the resources they can into building wax so the queen has a place to lay and the bees have a place to put nectar and pollen. You are also starting with a smaller bee count so they are focused on building up the population which is taking a lot of resources. Unfortunately the first year they typically build up slower and you don't get much honey if any.
The second year hive is really fun to see. Assuming they are coming out of winter healthy, they are going to start building up population about 6 weeks before new hives are being delivered and started. A second year hive will already have a place for the queen to lay so they don't have to focus on building wax. These hives should really build fast. The queen is still typically young enough that she is still close to her prime and boom the hive starts to explode in numbers. They do this so that they will have strong populations when the nectar flows start in the spring and then in the summer. You also have to be really careful that they don't get too big compared to their space. If they start to feel too crowded about the first of April through June they will swarm on you. It is a good thing to have a big healthy hive, but you don't want them swarming or else you loose that big population to gather nectar and pollen.
Things I will be looking for this week will be the amount of activity and pollen that is coming in. I would expect the pollen will be a white or gray color coming in and hopefully we will see quite a few of the bees coming in with it. I may take a look at a couple of the hives that I am worried about to make sure they have a queen and big enough food stores to get them through bad weather days. They also really don't have any nectar sources until trees start to flower. If they don't have much honey it is a good idea to feed them sugar water or some type of feed since they need a carbohydrate source. You also don't want to break up the cluster in a hive unless it is at least 60 degrees or so. We should hit that the next couple of days. I will let you know what I see.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
A Couple of Videos from Last Year.
I thought I would repost a couple of videos from last year. These were a lot of fun. It is fun to have the whole family involved. My Dad and I do most of the beekeeping duties, but my wife and girls enjoy watching us start new hives and harvest time. We aren't the best at making videos, but hopefully you can see how much fun this hobby is. The fist one is of us installing a package of bees.
This next video is of us installing a nucleus hive. The weather was really cool this year, so we had to get the nuc and package right into the hive as quickly as we could.
The final video was of us capturing a swarm. I didn't do a very good job of catching all the bees, but somehow I got lucky and got the queen. I left the box there over night and probably 95% of the bees found their way into the hive. This was a lot of fun. Bees are typically very gentle in a swarm because they don't have a lot to protect. They don't have brood or food storage to protect so they are really focused on finding a new home. This was a blast! Cannot wait for swarm season (as long as it isn't my hives).
This next video is of us installing a nucleus hive. The weather was really cool this year, so we had to get the nuc and package right into the hive as quickly as we could.
The final video was of us capturing a swarm. I didn't do a very good job of catching all the bees, but somehow I got lucky and got the queen. I left the box there over night and probably 95% of the bees found their way into the hive. This was a lot of fun. Bees are typically very gentle in a swarm because they don't have a lot to protect. They don't have brood or food storage to protect so they are really focused on finding a new home. This was a blast! Cannot wait for swarm season (as long as it isn't my hives).
Friday, February 24, 2012
I Spoke Too Soon!
Yesterday I thought I had sold out of hives. Well I had someone want to change his order and decrease it by one hive. That means it isn't too late to start beekeeping. The one that canceled was actually a nucleus hive. I wasn't going to sell these until next year, but this individual wanted three of them instead of the packages of bees. I can swap either one out of my hives so you can choose. A hive with the package of bees will be $300 (all the wooden ware and a 3# package of Italian bees) or the nucleus hive will be $350 (all the wooden ware, 5 frame nuc of bees, wooden nuc box, and a division feeder). Both types will have a Cordovan Italian Queen.
The difference between a package and a nucleus:
Let's start with the package. This is probably the most common way people get started. It is less expensive, you can get the bees a littler earlier, and if people plan to have them shipped this is the way to do it. I don't ship so the last point really isn't valid for people around here. Some disadvantages are sometimes they don't take to the new queen. A package is 3 pounds of bees shaken from different hives and placed with a foreign queen. Generally they do accept the queen as their own after a few days, but there is a risk. Some times the queens are not as prolific as you would like and get superseded in the same year. This will slow down the progress of the hive. A package of bees mimics a swarm, and the bees are generally in a hyper growth mode and will build out new foundations rather quickly. The downside is the bees only live about 6 weeks this time of year and the population will start to decrease until the first brood emerge around day 24 after the queen has been laying. At this point the population should start to really build. Here is a video of one way to install a package of bees. This is done by Chad Ragland from Apis hive and he does a really good job demonstrating it. Package Install
Nucleus hives, are in my opinion the safest way to start a hive. I will start with the negatives first because there aren't many. Nucleus hives cost a little more because you usually have more work invested in them from a suppliers standpoint. Their is a slightly higher chance of passing disease if the supplier isn't careful. Typically if the supplier uses newer foundation, pulls from a healthy hive, and breaks the brood cycle, you wont have to worry about most diseases and mites. The advantages of a nucleus are great. When you get a nucleus hive typically it is 4 to 5 frames and should be full of bees. You often have the opportunity to to inspect the nuc before taking it and make sure you approve of the brood pattern. When you get the bees they will be increasing rapidly because they will have all stages of brood. This tends to result in more honey that can be harvested in the first year. It is a little less intimidating for a new beekeeper because you don't have to pound and shake the bees out of the package, all you do is transfer the frames into your new hive. I do highly recommend nucs, but they do cost a little more. The success rate of a nuc is a lot higher because the supplier takes on the risk of making sure it is good and ready for sale. Here is a quick video of a common way to make nucs. Nuc video
A quick note on the Cordovan Italian queen. These queens are beautiful. All queens are pretty amazing, but the Cordovan queens do stand out when you see them. They are a very light golden color and often don't have any black strips. Their offspring often do have a little dark on them so the queen really stands out among her offspring. These queens are generally very prolific, gentle, good hygienic, and a good honey producers. This breed does very well in our climate.
Hope that helps. We are down to about 6 or 7 weeks until bees start coming.
The difference between a package and a nucleus:
Let's start with the package. This is probably the most common way people get started. It is less expensive, you can get the bees a littler earlier, and if people plan to have them shipped this is the way to do it. I don't ship so the last point really isn't valid for people around here. Some disadvantages are sometimes they don't take to the new queen. A package is 3 pounds of bees shaken from different hives and placed with a foreign queen. Generally they do accept the queen as their own after a few days, but there is a risk. Some times the queens are not as prolific as you would like and get superseded in the same year. This will slow down the progress of the hive. A package of bees mimics a swarm, and the bees are generally in a hyper growth mode and will build out new foundations rather quickly. The downside is the bees only live about 6 weeks this time of year and the population will start to decrease until the first brood emerge around day 24 after the queen has been laying. At this point the population should start to really build. Here is a video of one way to install a package of bees. This is done by Chad Ragland from Apis hive and he does a really good job demonstrating it. Package Install
Nucleus hives, are in my opinion the safest way to start a hive. I will start with the negatives first because there aren't many. Nucleus hives cost a little more because you usually have more work invested in them from a suppliers standpoint. Their is a slightly higher chance of passing disease if the supplier isn't careful. Typically if the supplier uses newer foundation, pulls from a healthy hive, and breaks the brood cycle, you wont have to worry about most diseases and mites. The advantages of a nucleus are great. When you get a nucleus hive typically it is 4 to 5 frames and should be full of bees. You often have the opportunity to to inspect the nuc before taking it and make sure you approve of the brood pattern. When you get the bees they will be increasing rapidly because they will have all stages of brood. This tends to result in more honey that can be harvested in the first year. It is a little less intimidating for a new beekeeper because you don't have to pound and shake the bees out of the package, all you do is transfer the frames into your new hive. I do highly recommend nucs, but they do cost a little more. The success rate of a nuc is a lot higher because the supplier takes on the risk of making sure it is good and ready for sale. Here is a quick video of a common way to make nucs. Nuc video
A quick note on the Cordovan Italian queen. These queens are beautiful. All queens are pretty amazing, but the Cordovan queens do stand out when you see them. They are a very light golden color and often don't have any black strips. Their offspring often do have a little dark on them so the queen really stands out among her offspring. These queens are generally very prolific, gentle, good hygienic, and a good honey producers. This breed does very well in our climate.
Hope that helps. We are down to about 6 or 7 weeks until bees start coming.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I am sold out!
This should be an exciting spring. I have started making all the boxes. I will be making about 105 boxes. I am going to really need to speed up the process I can tell already. I enjoy working with the wood though. We have 1,050 frames and foundation coming to us any day, so I am going to see if my Dad can help me assemble all of those. I have sold 10 hives and hopefully can increase my yards by 10 hives. That means we purchased 15 packages of bees. 12 will go straight into hives and 3 of them I will make nucleus hives out of. I will give them a couple of frames of built out foundation and maybe even a frame of bees to help boost their population. This should get them really going. It will be a busy Saturday, but should be a lot of fun. I am also scheduled to receive my queens on the 19 of April and so I will need to have made up my splits probably the Monday after I get all the packages. I cannot wait for April. We will need some good weather around the middle of April for me to be able to get it all done.
I checked the bees again this last Saturday. All the hives are still alive, but I am a little nervous for a couple of them. They just have pretty small clusters and hope they can make it through. I am hoping to make at least 6 splits and possibly 8 if I have strong enough hives. I will start feed them pollen sub patties probably in the next week or so. I already put one on my weakest hive and they have not even touched it. My guess is it is too cold for them and they don't want anything to do with it. I will keep you posted, but should be a busy, but fun next two months.
I checked the bees again this last Saturday. All the hives are still alive, but I am a little nervous for a couple of them. They just have pretty small clusters and hope they can make it through. I am hoping to make at least 6 splits and possibly 8 if I have strong enough hives. I will start feed them pollen sub patties probably in the next week or so. I already put one on my weakest hive and they have not even touched it. My guess is it is too cold for them and they don't want anything to do with it. I will keep you posted, but should be a busy, but fun next two months.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Difference in Bee Breeds
I am by no means an expert on the different bee breeds, but I will share with you some information I have found and what I have found in my experience. I have found a pretty basic web page that does a pretty good job of explaining the bee breeds.
In my experience the two most common types are either Italian or Carniolan. You can also find a few other species of honey bee, but they are not as common in Utah. Then you have the Minnesota Hygenic or a VSH which I understand to be hybrids and not actual species of bees.
I will do my best to break down the difference between the Italian and Carniolan races. Italians are the lighter golden color and the Carniolan are typically darker and sometimes even black.
Some pros and cons for the Italian race:
Pros - They are very gentle, builds up good in the spring, good honey producers and overwinters well .
Cons - They usually have large colonies even when there is low honey flow requiring more honey during the winter. I have found they tend to have more mites than the Carniolans. They tend to drift and rob.
Pros and Cons for the Carniolan:
Pros - They are very gentle, rapid spring build up, queen will slow down the laying in times of nectar dearths, overwinters in smaller populations, seems to be more resistant to diseases and mites, tends to forage in cooler weather, and good honey producer.
Cons - Because they build up so quickly in the spring they have a tendency to swarm, my experience is they tend to have more propolis.
I tend to favor the Carniolans, but I enjoy having the Italians as well. Hopefully this helps in trying to determine what queen to select.
In my experience the two most common types are either Italian or Carniolan. You can also find a few other species of honey bee, but they are not as common in Utah. Then you have the Minnesota Hygenic or a VSH which I understand to be hybrids and not actual species of bees.
I will do my best to break down the difference between the Italian and Carniolan races. Italians are the lighter golden color and the Carniolan are typically darker and sometimes even black.
Some pros and cons for the Italian race:
Pros - They are very gentle, builds up good in the spring, good honey producers and overwinters well .
Cons - They usually have large colonies even when there is low honey flow requiring more honey during the winter. I have found they tend to have more mites than the Carniolans. They tend to drift and rob.
Pros and Cons for the Carniolan:
Pros - They are very gentle, rapid spring build up, queen will slow down the laying in times of nectar dearths, overwinters in smaller populations, seems to be more resistant to diseases and mites, tends to forage in cooler weather, and good honey producer.
Cons - Because they build up so quickly in the spring they have a tendency to swarm, my experience is they tend to have more propolis.
I tend to favor the Carniolans, but I enjoy having the Italians as well. Hopefully this helps in trying to determine what queen to select.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Basic Starter Kit, Complete Hive Kits, and Hive Componants for Sale
I am going to be selling some equipment. I have decided to make most of the wooden ware. It will be standard 10 frame wooden ware, but I plan to make some improvements to the top box joint that tends to be the weakest part of the box since it is also rabbit jointed. All lumber will be commercial grade lumber and will be assembled with weather resistant glue and galvanized nails. The bottom boards will be made with 3/4 inch solid exterior plywood that can be reversible for winter and summer entrances. The inner covers will be made with 3/8 inch exterior plywood that will be very durable and shouldn't warp or twist from the moisture in the hive. Many inner covers are made of 1/4 inch Masonite that will warp as it is exposed to moisture from the hive. The telescopic covers are very attractive and actually provide better ventilation than the California tops or migratory tops. They will last a long time as the top is covered with galvanized steal. These will be some of the best built hives you can buy. I am not painting the hives, so that the buyer can decide on color and whether to paint or stain. I prefer to stain.
I am also selling kits that will include a package of bees. I have done a lot of research and have found a couple of package providers that consistently have good reviews. I have used CF Koehnen packages and queens and have had good success with both. I have decided to stick with them. You can choose between Italian and Carniolan queens. There are pros and cons to both breeds, but it would probably take too long to explain them in this blog entry.
Pricing:
$300 - Complete hive with a 3# package of bees. For the hives you can choose from either 2 deep boxes and 2 medium supers or 5 medium super kits. All boxes will include wooden frames and molded plastic foundation dipped in 100% beeswax. Kits will also include a reversible bottom board, entrance reducer, inner cover, and deluxe telescopic cover all as explained above.
$220 - Basic starter kit with 3# package of bees. If you just want to get started this kit is for you. You can choose from 2 deep boxes or 3 medium supers. Again boxes will include wooden frames and molded plastic foundation dipped in 100% beeswax. Kits will also include a reversible bottom board, entrance reducer, inner cover, and deluxe telescopic cover all as explained above.
If you just want to buy components the pricing is as follows:
If you have any questions give me a call 801-830-1168. I am currently not shipping, but will be happy to arrange a time for pick up or I can deliver to Utah County.
I am also selling kits that will include a package of bees. I have done a lot of research and have found a couple of package providers that consistently have good reviews. I have used CF Koehnen packages and queens and have had good success with both. I have decided to stick with them. You can choose between Italian and Carniolan queens. There are pros and cons to both breeds, but it would probably take too long to explain them in this blog entry.
Pricing:
$300 - Complete hive with a 3# package of bees. For the hives you can choose from either 2 deep boxes and 2 medium supers or 5 medium super kits. All boxes will include wooden frames and molded plastic foundation dipped in 100% beeswax. Kits will also include a reversible bottom board, entrance reducer, inner cover, and deluxe telescopic cover all as explained above.
$220 - Basic starter kit with 3# package of bees. If you just want to get started this kit is for you. You can choose from 2 deep boxes or 3 medium supers. Again boxes will include wooden frames and molded plastic foundation dipped in 100% beeswax. Kits will also include a reversible bottom board, entrance reducer, inner cover, and deluxe telescopic cover all as explained above.
If you just want to buy components the pricing is as follows:
· Reversible bottom board - $10
· Deluxe Telescopic Cover w/ Inner cover - $30
· Deep box w/ frames and foundation - $55
· Medium box w/ frames and foundation - $45
If you have any questions give me a call 801-830-1168. I am currently not shipping, but will be happy to arrange a time for pick up or I can deliver to Utah County.
Hives are Alive!
I checked the hives on Saturday and was relieved to see all the hives were alive. Two of the hives have pretty small clusters. One of them is pretty light on food storage, so I put a pollen sub patty in and will start to feed liquid feed in a few weeks as temps get a little warmer. The other small cluster has always been one of our weaker hives. They have plenty of food, so hopefully the Queen will start laying again and build up the population. The other hives were very active and were still very heavy with food. I sense the bees feel the same way I do and are excited for spring. I love spring and spring beekeeping because the world comes to life with flowers and bees start getting active again. Spring is one of the most important times in beekeeping as it can dictate your honey crop as well as how prepared your bees are to go into the next winter.
Some things you can do to get your bees going strong. I prefer to not feed the bees unless they really need it. If they have made it this far through the winter, I don't want to loose them and will feed them if they need it. If you have an existing hive, it is a good idea to put on a pollen sub patty or two to help get the queen laying again. The goal is to get your hive near its peak in strength and numbers right about the time the main flows are going on. In my experience we get a couple of flows in Utah, May and June are typically pretty good and then we get another one in August.
If you are just starting out with a package of bees or a nucleus hive, it is best to feed them sugar water and pollen subs to help them really get going. With new hives you are not necessarily building up for the honey flows for your own harvest, but the hive needs a little help so it can put enough away for winter. If your lucky you may get a little of that liquid gold that is the best honey you have ever tasted.
Springs coming! Lets get ready!
Some things you can do to get your bees going strong. I prefer to not feed the bees unless they really need it. If they have made it this far through the winter, I don't want to loose them and will feed them if they need it. If you have an existing hive, it is a good idea to put on a pollen sub patty or two to help get the queen laying again. The goal is to get your hive near its peak in strength and numbers right about the time the main flows are going on. In my experience we get a couple of flows in Utah, May and June are typically pretty good and then we get another one in August.
If you are just starting out with a package of bees or a nucleus hive, it is best to feed them sugar water and pollen subs to help them really get going. With new hives you are not necessarily building up for the honey flows for your own harvest, but the hive needs a little help so it can put enough away for winter. If your lucky you may get a little of that liquid gold that is the best honey you have ever tasted.
Springs coming! Lets get ready!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
New Beehives for Sale
I have decided to sell a few start up hives this year. I have had a lot of people interested in getting into it, so I figured since I am buying hives anyway I can buy some extra and help people get started. I am selling two types of hives a medium set up and a standard set up. The medium set up is made up of 5 medium boxes with frames and foundation, a reversible bottom board, entrance reducer, inner cover, and a telescopic cover. The standard is everything the same, but you have 2 deep boxes and 2 medium. If I were starting all over again I would go all medium boxes. There is some great advantages to having everything the same. I am selling these for $300 and they include a package of bees. I will even help install them if you need help. This set up will give you a great start. In most years this set up will be more than sufficient, but if it is a great honey year you may need an additional box or two. Give me a call if your interested. 801-830-1168
Monday, January 30, 2012
Halfway through the Winter
We are about halfway through the winter right now. I haven't looked into any of the hives lately to make sure they are still alive. The next warm day we will and probably put a pollen patty in their to start them raising brood again. Here in Utah where we are located there wont be much pollen before the middle of March. Once we look in we can see if they still have food stored up or if we need to feed them. If they have made it this far, we don't want to lose them.
It is also time to start preparing for spring. Right now you can find many people advertising on KSL to sell their package bees. Prices are ranging from $69 per package to $90 per package. I am not sure why the discrepancy in price, they all get their packages from California and most of them come from two main breeders Olivarez and CF Koehnen. I have also seen some advertised to have Wooten or Pendall queens, but I am not sure if they sell packages or just queens. I have purchased from CF Koehnen and was really impressed. I don't think I would purchase anything smaller than a 3 pound package because it took all they had to get the hive started. I also don't think I wouldn't spend the extra money on a 4 pound package because the 3 worked out so well.
The other way we are going to try to increase is with our own splits. I have made about 8 nuc boxes. These are small versions of a hive that will hold 5 frames instead of 10. This is where their is quite a bit of uncertainty as I don't know how the hives are looking and how many splits I will be able to make. I also don't know when to have to queens arrive because I will need a nice day to make the splits and another decent day to put the queens in. I am going to try and order the queens from Strachan Apiaries. http://strachanbees.com/about_us.html I have been wanting to try their queens for a while. I have been really impressed with the carniolan queens. They seem to manage the hive well and have less problems with verroa mites. I think I will try to have them delivered close to the first or second week in April. Hopefully that is early enough to get the nucs going well enough to get a good honey crop, but late enough to have good enough weather to work with the bees.
The next project is making all the boxes for the hives. I will post some pictures of the process later.
It is also time to start preparing for spring. Right now you can find many people advertising on KSL to sell their package bees. Prices are ranging from $69 per package to $90 per package. I am not sure why the discrepancy in price, they all get their packages from California and most of them come from two main breeders Olivarez and CF Koehnen. I have also seen some advertised to have Wooten or Pendall queens, but I am not sure if they sell packages or just queens. I have purchased from CF Koehnen and was really impressed. I don't think I would purchase anything smaller than a 3 pound package because it took all they had to get the hive started. I also don't think I wouldn't spend the extra money on a 4 pound package because the 3 worked out so well.
The other way we are going to try to increase is with our own splits. I have made about 8 nuc boxes. These are small versions of a hive that will hold 5 frames instead of 10. This is where their is quite a bit of uncertainty as I don't know how the hives are looking and how many splits I will be able to make. I also don't know when to have to queens arrive because I will need a nice day to make the splits and another decent day to put the queens in. I am going to try and order the queens from Strachan Apiaries. http://strachanbees.com/about_us.html I have been wanting to try their queens for a while. I have been really impressed with the carniolan queens. They seem to manage the hive well and have less problems with verroa mites. I think I will try to have them delivered close to the first or second week in April. Hopefully that is early enough to get the nucs going well enough to get a good honey crop, but late enough to have good enough weather to work with the bees.
The next project is making all the boxes for the hives. I will post some pictures of the process later.
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