Ok so I started with one hive last year from a swarm. My queen died and I actually picked up a nuc and used that to replace the queen and the hive which had went eight weeks without a queen. I also purchased two three pound packages this year to make me three hives. So far so good. Woodenware is expensive. I built three swarm traps just because. I really didn't expect them to work. Well two of my swarm traps were filled in a week!! One so full that I added a super underneath it today for space and ventilation!! Bee's were bearding bad and I only had a 3/4 inch opening for them. Now they are on a bottom board without reducer. So thats five and I should be fat dumb and happy. This morning I got woke up by work calling. They had a swarm of bee's about the size of a soccer ball? They were going to spray them to kill them but If I could get them without anyone getting stung I could try. I went to work and used a cardboard box that paper reams come in. Cut an opening about two inches by three and covered it with house screen. Walked out to where the swarm was. It was about six feet up hanging on a weeping crab apple tree. held the box up, shook the limb and put the cover on. That was all there was to it! No veil, no gloves, everyone thought I was crazy. Maybe? Now I have six hives? Called Dadent, I know they are expensive but I don't have time to build my own right now. A friend might take the swarm I got today. I am thinking about putting the swarm traps back out once I get my new boxes. Then I can give swarms to a couple of guys at work if they want them. No one ever told me that bee's were addictive. Now I will have a problem if I ever have to do a split or anything. maybe this winter I will build more boxes and some nucs? Is this how it starts? And where does it end? Can you really say you will keep your hives down to five? I am so glad I have an understanding wife. I don't think anyone else would ever put up with the crazy things I do.
Yep. That's pretty much how it starts. I am just returning to beekeeping after a 20 year hiatus (waited for my kids to quit kicking balls in the back yard). I hived a package of bees 2 1/2 weeks ago. And I have had two calls in the last 3 days to come get swarms (which I did). I only wanted one hive this year cause that is all I could afford with all the start up costs, but it is hard to turn down a swarm. I have combined (I think successfully) the swarms with my package bees -- at least I am not seeing any fighting, and I did buy enough wooden ware up front that I had 3 different hive bodies, one for the package and one each for the swarms and that seems to working well. But I am worried what I will do if I get any more swarm calls. You hate to turn someone down and you sure don't want them to spray the swarm and kill it. I guess I will just keep adding swarms to my main hive this year and wait till next year (and a new swarm season) to set up a new hive. I hope to never have more than two as I have always heard that you should have at least two to help with management, but I have a feeling I could end up with at least 3 or 4 before I am done. It is addictive.
Congrats! I wonder what may happen by the end of the season?
I stop by construction sites when I can and pick up untreated scrap wood. usually there's a sign.
I started 5 years ago with 2 hives. I told my wife the most I wanted to have was 5... Oh, she reminds me of this every once in a while when she sees me putting hardware together. I'm up to 13 with various nucs and a queen castle. Yep, it's addictive. It'll be a weird day when I say, "No thanks, I've got enough bees..." Not sure when that will happen but I think I may have to stop at 20+/-, until the kids are out of the house or I'm "retired".
Yes dear, just one hive, that's all.
You know, they say you should have 2 hive. But no more than that, I don't want more than 2 hives.
But I should probably have a nuc too, just for insurance.
Well, there were supercedure cells, so I moved them into a nuc.
The queen wasn't doing well in one of the nuc's so I combined the two nucs together so they will over-winter better.
The hives are really doing well this spring so I need to split them so they won't swarm, and then I can sell the nuc's. (3 hives, 10 nucs later)
Addictive? Yep. I've managed to keep it down to 3 hives. I did sell 8 of the nucs, but I want to over-winter some more nucs for next spring, so I'm back up to 4 nucs with plans to have about 12 to over-winter and sell in the spring.
My wife does remind me that I only wanted one hive. Did I mention that I started putting nucs at my mother-in-laws house too...
I'm not addicted, I can stop at any time!
Mike