Hola from Costa Rica

[CostaRicaBee]

Hi there!  My wife, daughter, and I moved to Costa Rica a few months ago and we are planning on becoming beekeepers.  We don't have any experience, so I have joined this forum with the expectation of learning a lot from all of you!  Luckily, we have befriended a couple of beekeepers located in the Central Valley of Costa Rica that can serve as our mentors.  We have also signed up to take a beginning beekeeping class at a nearby university.  Hopefully with a shelf full of beekeeping books, dozens of bookmarks to resource-rich web sites, and a subscription to Bee Culture, we will be able to successfully start some hives this November, when the "summer" starts in Costa Rica.

[Francus]

Benvenidos and welcome.

Just out of curiousity, where to beeks get equipment from in Costa Rica? Is most of it made locally?

[CostaRicaBee]

Locally-made equipment is available and is in most cases cost-effective.  However, these days one can easily ship equipment from the states.  I have acquired some used equipment from a beekeeper here to start with.  I imagine I eventually will make my own boxes, purchase other basic equipment from local suppliers in Costa Rica, and ship special equipment from the States.

[Mason]

I thought all or almost all honey bees in Costa Rica are AHB?

Great country BTW.  My favorite place to visit.

[CostaRicaBee]

Yes, Mason, that is correct.  I guess it will be a little more challenging for me to become comfortable working the hives.   :shock:

[AllenF]

Welcome to the forum.

[BlueBee]

I saw a show on TV or maybe it was a video on here someplace (can’t remember for sure) about a mission in Central America that was using cement hives to hive their bees.  Memory is fading, but I think it was in Costa Rica.  At least the bugs won’t eat the cement.

Sounds like you’re in for some interesting experiences, please keep us posted about how it is done down there and how you deal with AHBs.

[GeorgeAdams]

I suspect that 99% of beekeepers here in Nicaragua use African bees... EXCEPT my mentor got some Italian queens from South Dakota and his bees are very docile.  This year's production was down yielding only 6 barrels (plus local sales) using 39 hives.