Nubi getting ready to roll on starting 1st colony.

[voyager]

I've just done the 3 classroom sessions of the local Beekeeping Workshop.
Saturday I'll attend the hands-on and final session.

I have been very concerned about the state of beekeeping here in Hawai'i.
There are virtually no feral colonies on the islands.
They have not adapted to the varola, SHB, and so on yet.
They die out very quickly.
There has been little or no improvement in this condition yet.

The importation of bees has been outlawed since the early 1900's.
I'm told that the state of beekeeping and colony health here is equivalent to the mainland in the '80s.
That makes me very concerned about being able to keep a colony healthy here.

Then, I'm told that they import semen and that there is a very healthy queen breeding and production "industry" here on Big Island.
They say that 25% of the mainland queens and 75% of the Canadian queens are  produced here.

I can't help but see a contradiction between the state of being able to maintaining healthy colonies here and the high level of queen production. I would think that there would be more progress in breeding resistant queens for local consumption. I'm looking for thoughts and comments on this.

My own personal observations lead me to believe that the honeybee health crisis can be blamed on the industrialization of beekeeping and the effects that radiate out from it. I haven't seen or heard of this being said or implied anywhere yet.

Despite all my misgivings, I will begin building my first hive soon, then begin looking for a colony to move into it.

I'm considering using redwood, cedar or oak as the wood for the hive.
I'm leaning towards redwood for its durability in wet conditions, or oak also for its rot resistance and it hardness to resist getting beat up.
Again, thoughts?
 

[sc-bee]

25% of mainland queens ans 75 % of Canadian queens... I kind of doubt that. That is a lot of queens. But that is just my opinion, nothing to base it on 

[GSF]

Keep us posted voyager. Put them in the sun. Mites can be managed one way or the other. Learn about brood breaks, Oxalic acid vaporizing, I can't comment on treatment free because those two things have brought me good results.

[buzzbee]

I think Kona raises a lot of queens there due to the fact the climate is conducive for this program. In  the short period of time it takes to raise a queen, mites likely are not an issue.
Here on the mainland raising queens early enough for spring packagers can be a challenge at times. Especially a late freeze or cold spell when they try for open mating. A queen only has a few days post emergence to get mated properly. If this window closes due to weather, it can be a real problem.

How did varroa become such a problem if no bees were imported since the early 1900's? Was there an explanation?   Varroa didn't become an issue on the mainland until the 80's.

[buzzbee]

You piqued my curiosity I got some answers to my question here:
http://www.hawaiibee.com/bee-health.html

I thought Hawaii was relatively free of these pests, but I guess not.

[voyager]

I got side tracked for a bit and did the Saturday  hands-on group.
Definitely will have to learn to easily ID queen and drones.
Not a problem.
I can do it.

I still find it hard to fully accept that such a high percentage of N.A. queens are produced here.
But, queens can be produced year around because of the climate.
But, who buys and re-queens in the winter on the mainland?
Maybe I just ask too many questions?

The probable reasons for the general state of problems with keeping healthy colonies is the relatively recent introduction of varroa and SHBs, 2007 & 2010.
Saturday, we were into 2 hives sitting right next to each other.
One was almost completely pest free, no mites and very few [almost none] SHBs.
The other was crawling with SHBs.
I recognized them.
I have seen them on some of the trees in my yard.
I have no bees yet.
I'm told that this is not unusual.
That worries me.

I had planned on starting with only one colony and having to build 2 hives to start.
But, after seeing how different the states of the two side by side hives were, the suggestion of starting with two colonies to compare makes sense.
Now, I'm gonna have to build 4 hives instead of two to get started.
This is beginning to get a bit complicated.
Oak for 4 hives will probably be a bit more expensive than I will want to spent.
Will have to do some more thinking on it.

I want to be up and running in time for the start of the ohia bloom.
Time of year is not important.
There is always a nectar/pollen source available.
But, I would like to begin with an ohia honey product.

Tomorrow, I'll begin to seriously plan the building of the boxes and other wooden parts.
Then, I'll need to begin clearing an area in the back quarter of our lot.
We live on the windward side.
Our precipitation totals over 150" year.
That means that I'll need to clear some jungle, haul in some cinders by wheel barrow to level the a'a lava out, then lay down some ground cloth to keep the vegetation down in order to get an area to keep them in.
The more I think about this the more complicated it gets.
Thankfully, I have a few months to get it together for ohia bloom.

[KeyLargoBees]

Personally i wouldn't worry about wood type for hive bodies.....and if you want to reduce complexity skip building your "starter boxes" and buy from a reputable company. As long as they are a standard size you will be OK if you decide to build your own later on. Keep the boxes painted or stained (easy for a hobbyist) and you will get years of use out of them with little maintenance. I know another beekeeper here in the keys that has boxes that are 12+ years old and they are still going strong. Granted we aren't quite as wet as the islands but we are subtropical and probably closer to your environment than the rest of the mainland US.

SHB are very bad here in south Florida but part of their life cycle is for the larvae to hatch out and fall to the ground to complete part of the cycle there....pretty sure they cant do that in Lava rock...just like they cant do it in crushed coral limestone or pavers. I have my hives in the sun (6 hrs minimum) over rock/paver combo at different yards and SHB have never been a problem. Hive placement is so critical to controlling SHB and if you do it wrong from the start the hive can be doomed to hail.

Varoa can be controlled by various means and there are numerous threads on here about minimal treatement and treatment free methods of control...its all about knowing you have a problem before it gets out of hand so you can take steps

Education is the key....and don't be afraid to ask questions here....there are numerous forums for beekeepers out there but the group here seems to be the most thoughtful and personable I have found and I find myself coming back here to check on things before i seek answers elsewhere ;-)

Good luck Voyager and I will say that the complexity seems to come mostly from planning and overthinking things as a beginner. I was fretful and overthinking everything for several months and then decided to let the bees be bees and just "help" them along as needed and things got a lot easier.

[voyager]

Thanks KLB.
Having been a lifelong hyperactive, I have become an over thinker in an attempt to to control my impulsive actions.
I has been working well for me lately.

I have just come back in from my morning walk around the yard.
I am thunderstruck.
Some of the king palms in the colonnades along our driveway are in bloom.
They have a fair number of bees working their sprays of flowers.
I have never seen this many bees here before, only 3 last spring when the avos were in bloom.
I'm thinking that someone has brought a hive into the area, either acquiring one or allowing someone to set one up on their property.

The only thing that I see that is unusual is that the bees are a bit smaller than the ones I've seen in the workshop recently.
I may put my plans on hold to see what happens when our fruit trees bloom in the spring.

I am open to thoughts on this.

EDIT:
I haven't stated it in this thread, but the reason I had begun to think about setting up an apiary is because our fruit trees bloom like mad and set hardly any fruit.
The only honey bees I've ever seen [before today] around here were the 3 I saw last spring when the avos were in bloom.
They may have been from a new hive that is now working the area in larger numbers.

EDIT AGAIN:
These visiting smaller bees have a black head and thorax.
The forward 1/3 of their abdomen is a fairly dark yellow while the rear 1/3 of their abdomen is solid black.
Their abdomens do not look to be yellow and black striped  as the others I've seen are.
Any idea as to what type they are?

[divemaster1963]

OK let's help you on some money saving ideas. First find some pallets. Sense most stuff is shipped in should bee easy. Make your hive all med or supers. Easyer to make and handle. Keep everything the same. Cut cost of having to buy different size frames and foundation.bulk is you buddy. Second picture perfect boxes and hive are only for your pleasure. Bees don't care. A stump is a palace to them.basic tools are only needed. A screwdriver works as a hive tool. A soup can can make a great smoker to start with. Put small holes in bottom and just blow thru it. It only takes a little smoke to work bees. palets make for good hive stands. Easy to level for several hives. A fish knife is good to. Just needs to be 12 inches long.  If you need anything else just ask. We all have easy substitutes for many of the things we use to beekeping with and are more than willing to help start you out.

John