Second Year Question

[sarafina]

I know..... I don't even have my bees yet and I am already asking questions about next year........  But I was wondering....

I could only afford the woodenware for one hive this year so I have it painted and ready for my bees this weekend.  I am going to save up for a second hive for next year and have it painted and ready by next spring so I will have two.

Assuming my first hive does well what do I do next spring - do I buy another package of bees and queen for the second hive, or do I split my old hive into two hives.  How do I know if my original hive is strong enough to be split?  Any advantages to buying package bees and a mated queen over a split?  (besides costs)

[Ross]

You could start a nuc by taking a few frames and some bees from your current hive.  You could either nuc the queen and let the original hive make a new queen, or let the nuc make a queen, or buy a queen.  You could do a 50/50 split and you have the same options on queens. 

What are you going to do this year if the hive booms and starts making queen cells?  This would be the best time to start some nucs.  Just take the frame with the cell and a couple of others and place in a nuc.  Let the queen hatch and off you go.  Nucs should do very well in Houston with no winter to speak of. 

[dlmarti]

First, make it your goal to get equipment for at least another hive.
Even if you make it out of scrap or discarded wood.  You'll be sorry if you have a swarm and have nothing to put it in.
People get too fixated on having a perfect box, I do too.

Beg, borrow, steel some plywood, and just rough cut it by hand.  Take your time, but even if it looks hideous the bees won't care.  Seriously, even the worst quality of lumber will last a few years if its painted.

Given that your starting out, next year I would just purchase a queen, and use the bees you have as her court.

[Brian D. Bray]

Too many newbees start with just enough for a basic hive and find themselves short of equipment halfway through the season.  Always get twice what you think you might need and preferrably 3 times that amount.  Even packaged bees will swarm under certain conditions and the inexperience beekeeper is more apt to produce those conditions than a beekeeper with a few years of experience. 
MY Recommended 1st Year NEWBEE Kit.
1 hive for each package. Each hive is at least 3 deeps high or equivalent.
Get 2 more Hives than packages ordered--swarms (yours or serendipity) or splits to prevent swarming require it.
Your baisc management equipment: smoker, veils and hive tool: gloves, queen excluders, etc are optional and not required.

[rast]

 All good answers, especially from Brian. I had no idea that the medium I bought less than a month ago would grow as fast as it has. Already combed 80% of a deep set on top less than 2 weeks ago. Wood parts are no problem for me (I have a complete woodworking shop), It's the waiting on foundation ect. to arrive UPS. You are at the mercy of suppliers at a busy time of year for them.

[dlmarti]

You don't need foundation, many bee keepers do without it.

[Brian D. Bray]

You don't need foundation, many bee keepers do without it.

Many, like me, just put a rib of wood in the notch of the top bar or in the case of wedged top bars remove the wedge and reinstall it sideways to that it makes a rib.  My experience is that bees will build comb from scratch as fast or faster than they will from foundation during a flow.  The heavier the flow the faster they draw comb.

[rast]

 Do you wire the frame horizontally with no foundation? To be used for extraction, not cut comb.

[WhipCityBeeMan]

Just some more thoughts.  I agree with pretty much everything here.  I started keeping bees 3 years ago with old equipment and virtually hive mngt tools.  I didnt even have a smoker and I found that if you choose your days well and  are careful it isn't entirely necessary although I must say a little smoke goes a long way. 

Do you have any vocational type schools in your area?  I teach at such a school and I had students make equipment for me this year.  They made frames for me and they came out great.  Its a good project for kids to learn on because they don't have to be totally perfect and there are lots of skills used to make them.  All I had to buy was the materials.  Not a bad deal. 

[Michael Bush]

>Do you wire the frame horizontally with no foundation? To be used for extraction, not cut comb.

I don't.  Some people do.  I extract foundationless.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm#extract