Monday, April 13, 2009

Hive Location
















I have decided where to place my hive by talking with other beekeepers as to good locations. In the pictures I placed the hive near a clean water source,a break from the northern winds in the winter. The hive will get the morning sun and be some-what shaded in the evening. The garden spot is about fifty yards away and fruit trees and grape vines cover a lot of the area. The field also has lots of clover.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Hive Taking Shape


I have finished my hive construction except for painting the two honey supers. I went with all medium hive supers to make the job of getting replacement parts easier by not forgetting what size parts I may need. I only have one size. Also weight was a factor. I will be adding the bees in late April with a nuc box. It will contain five frames of brood,and queen. It will give me a better start then with package bees.

Now What???


Well I decided to buy my beekeeping items here local at the county Co-Op. I looked at all the possibilities,ordering from a on-line company or local. The prices for on-line items was cheaper but the shipping charges were very high. I came out cheaper by buying local. I like the idea of constructing your own hives and frames,etc.. Now if something goes wrong I will have some idea on how to make the repair.
I actually enjoyed the construction of the different pieces. My grandson was a big help. He made sure I put each piece together the same way.
I also purchased my hive tool,smoker,and vail from the Co-Op also. I think if you are a beekeeper in your county you need to buy from those in your county also.