Buying Bees

watercarving · January 29, 2008, 09:10:35 AM

Ok. I've pestered you all with questions about TBH and now I've settled into what I want to do.

Next question. We want to be organic/soft treatment. I live about 1.5 hours away from fatbeeman. He advertises: "Small cell Bees, queens, and packages. Pesticide free since 1993. Breeder of russian crosses. Open mated. 50+ years of experience 30 as a commercial beekeeper." I have spoken with him on the phone and it seems he has raised his bees in this area in the style I want to raise mine for a long time and they are naturally a small cell bee.

Would this be a good match for me? Also, he sells 2# packages. I always hear you need to start with 3#.

I really appreciate all the help so far.

Understudy · January 29, 2008, 09:26:16 AM

Don is a great guy. If you get his bees and have questions he will help. I spent almost two hours on the phone with him yesterday.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

watercarving · January 29, 2008, 10:59:00 AM

I spoke with him one night and he was awesome. I couldn't believe how much time he spent telling me stuff and I wasn't even a customer yet.

reinbeau · January 29, 2008, 03:44:43 PM

If you can get Don's bees, then absolutely, get Don's bees! We visited with him last February, and I couldn't believe how calm those bees were (and they were flying aplenty, it was a 70 degree day and the hum in the yard was loud!). If he weren't from such a warm area I'd buy bees from him myself, but I'm not convinced Georgia raised bees are the best for our area.

Michael Bush · January 29, 2008, 08:05:40 PM

I've heard nothing but good about Don's bees. If you can pick them up, a 2# package is as good as a 3# package. When you get them from a truck or the mail or UPS half of them or so might be dead. When you pick them up they will all be in excellent shape.

TwT · January 30, 2008, 09:26:37 AM

Quote from: reinbeau on January 29, 2008, 03:44:43 PM
If you can get Don's bees, then absolutely, get Don's bees! We visited with him last February, and I couldn't believe how calm those bees were (and they were flying aplenty, it was a 70 degree day and the hum in the yard was loud!). If he weren't from such a warm area I'd buy bees from him myself, but I'm not convinced Georgia raised bees are the best for our area.

there are many from up in Michigan and other northern states that get Don's and other southern bee's and they do fine, I think that is a topic that gets blown out of proportion at times, I agree local bee's are the best to have but a lot of northern beekeepers get southern raised bee's and I agree that Italians can eat you out of house and home but that doesn't mean they can't be good bee's up north but lets use the Russian bee's as a example, they came from a climate in Russia that is probably harder than here in the states, they shut down when there is a dearth, winter with smaller clusters which means eat less winter stores, seems to me to be the best bee for northern climates and being raised in the south hasn't change them....

I have been to Dons a few times, he taught me how to graft and a few other things, Don has classes now but if you go to visit or pick up packages he will show you a days worth of learning, you will enjoy it....

watercarving · January 30, 2008, 12:03:45 PM

I'm going to go to his April organic class which is only $35.00 and pick up my bees that evening. Will be building my TBH to take medium frames so I can buy a nuc and put them in with top bars in the rest of the hive. I'll also then have two nuc boxes to play with!

Can't wait!