starting new hives late in the year

theBeeLord · July 24, 2015, 10:15:07 AM

a friend wants to start bees this year (to have them for spring).
I can get Buckfast queens shipped from Denmark (via Canada) August 10th. The queens would then go into a nuc.
is that too late to do a "split"? (not a true split since the queen would be ready to go)
I'm in Kentucky. i'm thinking 6 weeks for the bees to get ready for winter.
Doesn't seem like enough time to me - even with doing the Palmer method of over-wintering nucs two in a 10-frame box, and feeding like sugar was free.
Thoughts?

Eric Bosworth · July 24, 2015, 11:44:46 AM

If you set it up as a nuc you have a chance. Check out Michael Palmer's overwintering nuc approach.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?189642-Wintering-Nucs&highlight=nucleus+colonies

BeeMaster2 · July 24, 2015, 12:22:55 PM

How much honey and brood do you plan to put in there from the split? If the hive you are taking them from is strong enough to make a full nuc, it should work.
Jim

Michael Bush · July 26, 2015, 01:45:10 PM

>I can get Buckfast queens shipped from Denmark (via Canada) August 10th.

Not legally as far as I can tell... The USDA has to jump through hoops to get SEMEN imported from Europe and is not allowed to bring in queens...

BeeMaster2 · July 26, 2015, 02:55:56 PM

X2.

10framer · July 26, 2015, 03:21:33 PM

how much pollen will you be giving the nucs? when do the queens usually shut down up there? i've made nucs in august down here with no problems but i still have a light sumac flow and goldenrod to go at that point. also, most years the queens never stop laying down here.

rookie2531 · July 26, 2015, 08:08:50 PM

If you have a laying queen on August 10. They should make it, but I would feed nonstop and give pollen sub and sugar bricks, winter quilt and don't forget to treat in the fall. I made a walk away split July 10 last year with only 3 frames, but held their hand all year.

rober · July 27, 2015, 10:17:40 AM

ferguson apiary in Canada is a legal source for buckfast bees. all accounts on his operation are positive. you're better off buying multiples queens as there is a $60.00 fee to cross the border above & beyond the normal shipping fees. that fee applies for or 100 bees. you'd likely have to pay that same $60.00 fee to bring your illegal Danish bees across.

Colobee · July 27, 2015, 11:53:44 AM

The Ferguson Buckfast are from the Danish line. Rosemary indicated that they have to hold the Danish queens for a year before they can start sending daughters to the US. The import/customs/shipping was $95. That makes ONE queen $130, or two for $165, Canadian. The actual price ( $US) varies with the current exchange rate. 10 or 20 starts to make sense to me, especially considering potential shipping losses and possible non-acceptance issues.

I'll have a better assessment of them next year.

chux · July 27, 2015, 08:16:57 PM

You would have enough time to build them up, if you fed. Especially if you could get your hands on a super of honey to put on top this fall.

Reading these prices for a queen, I scratch my head a bit. Is the Buckfast that much superior to a local "mutt" bee with genetics that have been surviving in your area for generation? Wouldn't you need to purchase a new Buckfast queen every couple of years to make sure you kept a pure strain, after investing so much? I'd rather get a queen from a local feral swarm, or a cutout in an old barn or shed. Or find a local beek who has been running the same line for years, and get a queen from them. But to each his/her own. I guess it would be cool to run a Buckfast line, knowing a little bit of the history. We all spend our money on what we like. Give it a go, and report how well they do compared to other local hives. I'd like to hear how well they perform, to see if they are worth the investment. There is time right now.