What would you do?

[NCflycaster]

What would you do if you had to start all over?

1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?

2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?

3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

4. What kind of fondation would you use.

5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive. :evil:

I thought it might be interesting to hear what people would do differant.

My answers since I am starting over.

1. Never dealt with packaged bees so I thought that would be neat.

2. I wont be moving mine so a deep brood box with shallow suppers for honey.

3. Will probally do a combination of both. I mostly like comb honey though and have been kicking around the idea of trying a couple of the round comb section supers.

4. I am going to use plastic in the brood box then use thick cut comb foundation in the suppers

5. The last time I had bees it stopped being fun and started being work I don't wont that to happen again.

6. I have been running for 6 years I probally should have picked up the pace.

[Shawn]

Shoot, I dont even have my first bees and I feel I could do lots of stuff different. I really want to do all mediums with small cell, as always posted before. As I was telling John on vent I wanted to start out with three hives, one being russian, one being Itilians, and one being carnolians. That way I could tell what bees do the best in my area, knowing that feral bees would do the best. I have been having people say they want comb honey so I should have had my set ups with round or square comb. I realy like the idea on "bee hives in a jar" whcih was posted before. ANother beek here is going to set up several hives with the mason jar supers, just need to start the wood working. By the way tis is a great idea for a post.

[bassman1977]

For me...

What would you do if you had to start all over?

1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?

No preference.  Feral would be great.

2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?

All mediums, like I do now.  I had a bunch of deeps but now, mostly mediums.

3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

Both comb and liquid honey.  I haven't done comb yet though.  That's this year and one of my goals with the TBH.

4. What kind of fondation would you use.

Pierco foundation to get to small cell, then small cell there after once regressed.  I started with the large stuff.  Mostly Durigult.

5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

Just to start on small cell right away.

6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive. evil

No.  This is the best thing that I ever got involved with as a hobby.

[mgmoore7]

1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?

---I bought established hives.  I would not change this.  Nucs would be fine.

2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?

---I would probably do all mediums.  I am into the deeps for brood now and am not going to change.

3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

---extracted.  nothing wrong with comb though.

4. What kind of fondation would you use.

---wax

5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

---don't expect too much too soon or try too much too soon like splits.

---6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive. :evil:

I am in my 1st year so I will see.  We started with the intent to get honey as we use alot for all the homemade honey wheat bread and other wheat products such as bagels and dinner rolls.  We mill our own wheat and make all our own bread products and the honey makes it taste better and preserves it.  We also use it as a sweetener.   So if I can't get a good return on my $ and time, then I will sell all and just buy.  It is alot of time and money to not at least break even.  We also want the local honey for the claimed health benefits.

[Joseph Clemens]

...carnolians. ...

That's actually, Carniolan.

[Mici]

1. Probably try to trap as many swarms as possible, but definetly wouldn't buy them

2. don't really know, probably mediums, based on the pile of recommendations on this forum.

3. extracted

4. if i was in the US, i would surely buy HSC. so no, foundation

5.don't really know, i'd probably do the same

6. now this one is a very interesting one, as bees are addicting as hell! ;)

[Joseph Clemens]

>>>1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?

- I would seek out feral colonies and move them into my hives.

>>>2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?

- If I were to assume I had also lost all my present equipment and my bees. I would recreate the same equipment I have now, 8-frame medium supers, closed screened bottoms, upper entrance rims with landing strip, flat covers that can be slid back to provide additional upper entrances.

>>>3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

- I would continue doing some of both.

>>>4. What kind of fondation would you use.

- Starter strips and all plastic foundation -- I would avoid the all plastic frames.

>>>5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

- Nothing.

>>>6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive.

- I love keeping bees, they help keep life interesting.

[DayValleyDahlias]

What would you do if you had to start all over?

1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?
First hive was a nuc, which swarmed & now I have 2 colonies.  I purchased 2 packages for April, we'll see what happens in comparison
2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?
I would buy ALL mediums, makes life really easy when you have to borrow a frame for another hive.

3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

I did extraction last season, ( borrowed an extractor, don't have one ) this season I am going to do crush and strain
4. What kind of fondation would you use.
I am experimenting with Honey Super Cell, and 4.9 crimped wire wax, and starter strips

5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

n/a

6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive. :evil:

I am a little bit obsessed with bees... ;)

I thought it might be interesting to hear what people would do differant.

It is interesting!

My answers since I am starting over.

1. Never dealt with packaged bees so I thought that would be neat.

2. I wont be moving mine so a deep brood box with shallow suppers for honey.

3. Will probally do a combination of both. I mostly like comb honey though and have been kicking around the idea of trying a couple of the round comb section supers.

4. I am going to use plastic in the brood box then use thick cut comb foundation in the suppers

5. The last time I had bees it stopped being fun and started being work I don't wont that to happen again.

6. I have been running for 6 years I probally should have picked up the pace.

[bassman1977]

If I were to assume I had also lost all my present equipment and my bees. I would recreate the same equipment I have now, 8-frame medium supers, closed screened bottoms, upper entrance rims with landing strip, flat covers that can be slid back to provide additional upper entrances.

Joseph, do you have any pics you could share.  I'm interested in how you built your stuff.  A visual would be nice.

[BMAC]

What would you do if you had to start all over?

1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?

2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?

3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

4. What kind of fondation would you use.

5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive. :evil:

I thought it might be interesting to hear what people would do differant.

My answers since I am starting over.

1. Never dealt with packaged bees so I thought that would be neat.

2. I wont be moving mine so a deep brood box with shallow suppers for honey.

3. Will probally do a combination of both. I mostly like comb honey though and have been kicking around the idea of trying a couple of the round comb section supers.

4. I am going to use plastic in the brood box then use thick cut comb foundation in the suppers

5. The last time I had bees it stopped being fun and started being work I don't wont that to happen again.

6. I have been running for 6 years I probally should have picked up the pace.

I would have started beekeeping at an earlier age in life....

[Michael Bush]

>1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?

Packages so I could get them on mediums on small or natural cell.

>2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?

Obviously I'd go with eight frame mediums.  In fact I decided it was important enough to cut down every deep box and every ten frame box and every deep frame and make them all into eight frame mediums.

>3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

Probably just do comb honey and not buy the extractor.  But I already did now...

>4. What kind of fondation would you use.

None.

>5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

Nothing from where I am now.  But I wouldn't have used Terramycin in 1974 and 1975.  I wouldn't have used Apistan in 1999, 2000 and 2001.  I also wouldn't have bothered with an excluder...

>6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive.

That is a tempting one...

[reinbeau]

What would you do if you had to start all over?

1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?

I'd buy nucs from a local supplier.

2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?

Stick to all mediums, but that wouldn't be a change for us, that's how we started.

3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

It's hard to get a good supply of comb honey here, so I'd stick to extracted.

4. What kind of fondation would you use.

Wax.  Preferably theirs.

5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

I'd really try to go with foundationless frames.

6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive. :evil:

Nah, I like beekeeping too much now to give it up.  Almost (that's key, almost) as much as gardening.

[Brian D. Bray]

1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?

Packages, swarms, cut outs, or buy from a local beekeeper.  It doesn't really matter how you get your bees, it's what you do afterward that is important.

2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?

What I use now, all 8 frame mediums, slatted racks w/screens for bottom boards, and top entrances.

3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?

I would do the comb in the jar, comb, and crush & strain.

4. What kind of fondation would you use.

Foundation is to impregnated with toxins and too expensive--I've gone completely foundationless even with packages.

5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?

Nothing, I've already made those changes...unless I come but with a better idea.

6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive.

I'm too old to run, even walking is difficult.  Besides when you started beekeeping B4 you started puberty it is in your blood for life.

[Joseph Clemens]

If I were to assume I had also lost all my present equipment and my bees. I would recreate the same equipment I have now, 8-frame medium supers, closed screened bottoms, upper entrance rims with landing strip, flat covers that can be slid back to provide additional upper entrances.

Joseph, do you have any pics you could share.  I'm interested in how you built your stuff.  A visual would be nice.

I will put a web page together with those details in a few days and post it here.

[annette]

What would you do if you had to start all over?

1. If you didn't have any bees. Would you buy established hives or Nucs from someone local, or packaged bees?
I like the package bees

2. What kind of woodware would you buy? Would you go with deep, medium, shallow supers, or a combination of all the above?
Just all mediums like I have now, but probably 8 frames. Things get to heavy for me.

3. Would you deal with extracted honey or would you do comb honey?
This is a question I have in my mind all the time. Inside my heart, inside my gut, I am feeling like crush and strain would be the way to go, but the other side of me wants more honey.  And I have this belief that the extracting would give me more honey, as I would not destroy the combs.Although from what I am hearing here from some beeks, you get a good amount of honey just doing crush and strain.

4. What kind of fondation would you use.
I would go with just starter strips in foundationless frames, which I will try sometime if I ever get another package

5. What would be the biggest thing you would change from the last time you had bees?
Never had bees  before.

6. Or would you take the next option and run like heck and never look at another bee hive. :evil:

Well I have to be honest about this and say that the hobby turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. The guy who got me interested said I would just have to add supers once in a while and check on them about once every 3 weeks. He did the beekeeping in the 80's when he did not have to deal with the varroa mites. Also I am an older woman and not very strong. Every time I have to lift those supers to do inspections, it really takes a lot out of me. But I truly love taking care of the bees, sort of like my children.

I thought it might be interesting to hear what people would do differant.

My answers since I am starting over.

1. Never dealt with packaged bees so I thought that would be neat.

2. I wont be moving mine so a deep brood box with shallow suppers for honey.

3. Will probally do a combination of both. I mostly like comb honey though and have been kicking around the idea of trying a couple of the round comb section supers.

4. I am going to use plastic in the brood box then use thick cut comb foundation in the suppers

5. The last time I had bees it stopped being fun and started being work I don't wont that to happen again.

6. I have been running for 6 years I probally should have picked up the pace.

Sincerely,
Annette