Hello! I'm a Southeast IA beekeeper who just started this year! I attended some classes taught by Vern Ramsey (Good in these parts) and got started. My bees did wonderful this year. I ended up with 60lbs of honey and over 90lbs in my brood chambers. I bought my 3lb pkg. from a retailer in Des Moine, IA. (Email for the name) I started out with some boxes my Uncle had laying around that he wasn't planning on using. I made the mistake of painting the inside and ended up sanding it down to nothing and let it air out. Pretty soon I had frames assembled and Carniolans in the hive! Then he gave me a set of his bees that swarmed that now have 10 frames packed full of capped honey. Ive recently been feeding 2:1 Sugar Syrup and making fondant and pollen patties. Between my Uncle and Vern I had two wonderful mentors.
I just bought a full polystyrene hive consisting of two deeps and a shallow. Now im working on getting some pine to make some 8 frames for the heck of it! I plan on making 2-3 splits and buying a new pkg. this spring. Im thinking on Italians this time. I'd like to make my own line of genetics. Im hoping for very dosile, good honey producers that can take on a good winter. I've got my 1/4'" holes with 1/8" wire for good ventilation as winters up here can get pretty nasty. I know bees can take cold, but they don't like wetness. Well I wish everyone luck this winter and honey next spring. Thank you.
-Landon Franklin
Landon,
Welcome to BeeMaster.
When you are breeding your bees, keep in mind, the more agressive the hive, usually the more productive.
My first year, I bought a nuc. The beek told me he had a guy come in earlier and open each nuc one by one. One nuc had 4 bees come out and stung him on the face. He picked that nuc. They tend to make more honey.
Good luck.
Jim
Hello. That second hive my uncle gave me was a swarm that had a virgin queen. She mated with some fairly mean bees, but in the 9 frame honey super I couldn't pull frames without ripping off wax and have honey gushing everywhere. I plan to breed them with my 1st hive of Carnis. Thanks for the input sawdstmakr.
welcome to the addiction. lol
Welcome to the forum. Great people here!
Welcome to the forum. Please consider adding your town ans state to your profile (it was help us help you better).
You sound lucky, most new beeks have problems getting one good mentor and you have two. Thank them as much as you can. -Mike
Welcome
Welcome Landon! I am sure we have met, and if we have not, We will! I try to attend the SE Iowa meetings. if your interested you can also go to the meetings in Oskaloosa for the Back to basics beekeepers. They usually have a meeting once a month.
Vern wont stear you wrong, nor will Ron, but I will warn you Ron likes those MEAN bees. He claims they make more honey and keep the beekeeper on his toes!
Feel free to contact me if you have questions and cant get ahold of either of them!
http://www.outyard.net/index.html