Greetings from Alaska. I'm a relatively new beekeeper as I have been a "helper" to a friend who has bees & this fall inherited two hives to try & winter over. I'm planning on ordering two packages just in case these bees don't make it through the winter. If they do I guess I'll have 4 hives :)
We've had a fairly mild winter in Anchorage with just a bit of snow & temps in the 20's & 30's. Pretty typical for Anchorage since we're on the coast. I haven't seen any activity around the hives & I don't expect any for a couple of months but all the talk about warmer temps is making me anxious for spring ;)
I've enjoyed all the topics on the board ~ thanks for all the great & friendly information! Flygirl!
Welcome to the forums Flygirl!
Zan
Flygirl. Welcome. Great place to spend time, as you have seen. It is always wonderful to have a new forum friend come along. We have members all over the world and we glean knowledge from everyone too. Beekeeping is very different with the many different climates. Welcome again, enjoy your time spent with us. Have a great and wonderful day, Cindi
Good luck Flygirl (I like your name, sounds like you are a super hero)
Read often and keep learning. Ask lots of questions.
Annette
Hey Flygirl!
I figure If you get your bees thru the winter up there You're ready for more bees!!
Welcome to the forum! I think you'll find this place to be a plethora of information!..And the people are nice too!
By the way,...I came from Alaska! Back in '72 we moved here from Fairbanks! My dad was stationed at Eielson AFB for a few years.
Well, I wish you luck with the bees and hope to see you here again!
your friend,
john
Thanks ~ this is a geat site & forum. Looking forward to the spring to see if my bees have survived :) Happy New Year!
Welcome flygirl! You like flies? Hey, are there really no termites in Alaska?
Sincerely, JP
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/akbeekeepers/
Welcome!! If you want to check on the bees, put your ear right up against the hive as tight as you can without getting frostbite, and then gently knock the hive. You should be able to hear a little "roar" or buzz.
Ha!!before you know it you won't have 4 hives, you will have 40!!! Beekeeping has a way of sneaking up on you and taking over before you realize what happened....
Quote from: JP on January 03, 2008, 07:24:14 AM
Welcome flygirl! You like flies? Hey, are there really no termites in Alaska?
Sincerely, JP
Thanks, jp, here I had this picture of a superhero, and now all I'm getting is a picture of a giant fly wearing lady's clothes!!! :shock:
Of course there are no termites!! Everybody knows that Alaska is all frozen tundra...no trees and the ground is always frozen (permafrost - I know a big word!!) so the termites can't dig!!
Rick
Yep ~ I did the old hear to hive test but I didn't hear anything so I'm worried! It's been warm ~ high 30's in Anchorage & the little bit of snow is melting & slushy. The days are short...but very sunny up to about 5'ish pm.
We're on the downside now as we start gaining daylight everyday! FG
ps: no I don't like flys but I do like to fly...as in airplanes, dreams & life :)
That's great flygirl. I once went up in a single engine Tomahawk over New Orleans. It was down right scary, like a kite with an engine. It was my uncle's idea, he wound up taking flying lessons and convinced me to tell the guy I was interested as well. They only had single engines available so we each went up in one with an instructor. My instructor was nuts for letting me fly that plane, can't believe I'm still alive after that. You will have different challenges keeping bees in Alaska, I'm sure. That looks like a cool beekeeping club Michael posted. Good luck with your bees and the flying. Hey, you could have liked flies, you never know.
Buzzing about, JP
Someday I wish to be a pilot. Right now I'm reading flying magazines and crashing in simulators. Seems like flying a private jet would be the ultimate vacation.
Welcome to the forum Flygirl!