New beekeeper

[johnwm73]

I am in North Texas and just starting this year. I order a 5 frame nuc of bees. I got all my equipment from Dadant's because of how close they are and I can go pick it up to save freight. I am hoping to get to 5-10 total.

My question is what other manufaturers equipment will interchange with Dadant?
Also if it is an average year and I start with one hive how soon should I expect to be able to make a split?
And is the Deluxe Italian Compact Extractor a good one to start with that I can use for many years if taken care of?

[buzzbee]

I think most of the Langstroth stuff will interchange. I have interchanged Dadants stuff with Betterbees and a couple others without any problem.Others will chime in I'm sure!!

[Cindi]

Johnwm73.  First off, welcome to our forum, the perfect place for you to do lots of learning, asking questions, telling us of how your beekeeping experience is going.  Lots to learn, after 3 years with the bees, I still feel like I am on the tip of an iceberg.

You have a five frame nuc.  I wouldn't expect to be able to split them this year.  This will be your year of buildup, next year you will more than likely be splitting.  Don't get your hopes up too high about a split this year.

Something that you should definitely consider is though, (I know that you said you would like to get a total of 5-10).  Get another hive right away, or as soon as you can afford it.  When you have only one hive, if there is a problem with the queen, for example, you would have to requeen that hive.  Sometimes this queen failure is not noticed for quite some time and the colony can be set back hard.  If you have two hives and you have a queen issue, you can either get a new queen or do a combine of the two hives.  Having two hives also allows you to compare how things are doing.  With one colony only, it is a little more difficult to have a comparison of how the colony is growing.  There are many other reasons for having two colonies, not only the point I mentioned. 

You will hear more answers to your queeries.  Just keep on learning, it is fun and you are going to love to keep bees.  Have a great day, Cindi

[JP]

He could also give a queenless, weak colony a frame or two of brood comb to make a new queen, if he had a second hive.


.......JP

[indypartridge]

Hello and Welcome!

First, I'd recommend getting involved with other local beekeepers.  Although online forums such as this are excellent sources of info, much of beekeeping is local, and knowing some local beeks is of great value. Texas has a lot of beekeepers, you shouldn't have a problem:
http://www.texasbeekeepers.org/indexDynFrames.htm?http://www.texasbeekeepers.org/Navigation/SideBar.htm&0

Second, I'd suggest that you consider holding off on an extractor right now. Many of us here have kept bees for years without owning one. If you connect with local beeks, you can often borrow an extractor. Or you could do crush and strain.  Plus, a new colony does not alway produce surplus honey.

Third, instead of an extractor, do what others have suggested and get an additional hive. There are numerous benefits to starting with two hives instead of one.

[johnwm73]

I appreciate all the info. I am also going to a local bee association once a month for their meetings. It seems very helpful and good to talk to the other local beekeeprs about what they have and how things are going. If I do get another hive would it be best to get another nuc or could I go with a package and that way I can watch tthe progression of how both go this year?

[JP]

I appreciate all the info. I am also going to a local bee association once a month for their meetings. It seems very helpful and good to talk to the other local beekeeprs about what they have and how things are going. If I do get another hive would it be best to get another nuc or could I go with a package and that way I can watch tthe progression of how both go this year?

A nuc puts you ahead of the game by a large margin, but if you want to compare apples to oranges get more packages.

......JP