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Author Topic: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland  (Read 2197 times)

Offline Danielle42

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Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« on: April 19, 2013, 03:24:16 pm »
Hi all

I'm a new beekeeper setting up two hives on my porch in Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC. My two nucs won't be ready until mid/late May so I'm filling the bee-less time by painting the equipment and reading up on all kinds of bee issues and debates like foundation vs. foundationless, types of feeders, etc. I'm an organic gardener so i'll probably go the natural-organic beekeeping route as well

Looking forward to learning and chatting with y'all!

Danielle

Offline Vance G

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Re: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2013, 04:21:59 pm »
Welcome and hope you study the right things.  Foundationless is fine, it is just a more advanced management technique than using foundation.  If you are going to be comfortable and have the time to regularly straighten comb to stay in the frames, it works well.  It is much easier to draw foundation and then place foundationless a frame one at a time between frames of capped brood.  Then foundationless is drawn nearly perfectly.  I also applaud not using chemicals gratuitiously.  I recommend you study Michael Bush's website or buy his book on Amazon.   There is a good organization in Maryland for you to follow.  somdbeekeeper.com I believe is the address.  Their Pragmatic Beekeeper forum has people local to you and the best advice is local. 

Offline Joe D

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Re: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2013, 07:28:27 pm »
Welcome to the forum, Danielle.  Good luck to you, it will become an addiction.





Joe

Offline tefer2

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Re: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2013, 08:45:19 pm »
Welcome to the forum Danielle.

Offline Georgia Boy

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Re: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2013, 09:40:26 pm »
Welcome Danielle.

I to am new. Get my first bees tomorrow. A package and then two nucs later. Hope to have 4 up and running soon.

I am going to start my pkg on Mann Lakes PF120 frames and then switch to foundationless as Vance G described using Walter T. Kelley companies F style frames. They have the top bar cut at 45 degrees so the bees can use it as a comb guide and lay down straight comb.

Good luck and do check out Michael Bush's web site. He has a lot of good information on there.

David
"Give it All You've Got"
"Never give up. Never surrender."

Offline Steel Tiger

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Re: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2013, 02:03:08 am »
welcome

Offline Alchemist

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Re: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2013, 12:07:22 pm »
Danielle,
Not sure which side of DC you are on but there is a beekeeper's club in Southern Maryland which meets every other month at the library in Charlotte Hall. Very active, very educational, and very interested in helping new beekeepers. Members range from Walter with 47 years (and 1,000 plus hives) of professional experience to those of us who were "born yesterday" as beekeepers.
Yearly membership is an outrageous $5.00, but the information available is priceless. If you are not too far away for 5 or 6 trips a year, send me a pm to my email address on my profile page and I'll get you the information about the club.

Offline AllenF

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Re: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« Reply #7 on: April 20, 2013, 02:23:58 pm »
Welcome to the forum.

Offline hardwood

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Re: Newbee in DC Area/ Maryland
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2013, 02:31:20 pm »
Welcome, hope we can help you get started!

Scott
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907