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Author Topic: Ack! Did I mess up my first equipment purchase?  (Read 1956 times)

Offline Devbee

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Ack! Did I mess up my first equipment purchase?
« on: February 24, 2007, 08:43:57 pm »
I just made my first bee equipment order from Brushy Mountain in anticipation of my package of bees arriving April 7th (from B. Weaver apiaries).

I have all medium supers and intended to cut starter strips from the foundation I ordered.  I wanted to go with small cell, but I must have gotten confused and ended up ordering regular (large) size foundation:  http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/products.asp?pcode=406  instead of small cell foundation:  http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/products.asp?pcode=284

Question: Do I need to change my order to cancel the regular foundation and order instead the small cell?  (Remember I am cutting starter strips from the foundation anyway--will bees make small/natural cell size even from starter strips of regular size?)

Thanks in advance!
« Last Edit: February 25, 2007, 12:02:25 am by Devbee »

Offline Understudy

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Re: Ack! Did I mess up my first equipmen purchase?
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2007, 11:21:16 pm »
If you are using them for starter strips I wouldn't worry.

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Offline Ruben

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Re: Ack! Did I mess up my first equipment purchase?
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2007, 09:35:13 am »
They will be just fine for starter strips, I take a pizza cutter and count down about five rows of cells and cut off a strip. I usually get about  10 or so from one sheet of deep foundation. Make sure you get it secured good in the frame, you may want to get a wax tube and secure them with beeswax.

Offline Robo

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Re: Ack! Did I mess up my first equipment purchase?
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2007, 09:40:17 am »
Unless you are getting small cell bees, it is not a problem.  I assume you are attempting to regress large cell bees to natural cell cell? If so,  they will want to draw large cell to start with anyway.
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Ack! Did I mess up my first equipment purchase?
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2007, 01:08:08 pm »
It won't make a lot of difference. Just make the starter strips short (1/2" or so will do) and they will figure it out.  They tend to make the top row bigger anyway.
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Offline Devbee

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Re: Ack! Did I mess up my first equipment purchase?
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2007, 05:17:16 pm »
Thanks guys--my fears are allayed.

I am not regressing but rather this is my first order of bees ever, and they are coming in a package.  It looks to me like B. Weaver is an "organic" approach kind of apiary, but I don't know whether my bees will be big ones or small ones.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Ack! Did I mess up my first equipment purchase?
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2007, 06:13:58 pm »
>I don't know whether my bees will be big ones or small ones.

Big ones.
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