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Author Topic: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?  (Read 5067 times)

Offline Romani

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Hi I am new and know very little about bees in general . However I have always been interested in them since I had an old mate Bob OK  near  Dubbo who was a full time beekeeper . Have lost contact with him over the years which is a shame.
Anyway I live on a large block off ground in an urban area and have lots of high trees screening my property and am retired now. So I thought it is a good time to maybe have a go at it. We have had three swarms of bees come to my place in the last 10 years so the bees seem to like us.  I had them removed but now I wish I had kept them but back then I did not know how to do it safely so it was better to let the experts handle it.  Now I have a  much better idea of what to do having witnessed the removal of two ,one left on it's own the next morning.
I am thinking of building a modified top bar hive that will also take standard 19 inch frames .
However I want to be ready for the next swarm quickly and build the top bar later. Or should I just buy a colony from the start?
How should I start . All help appreciated .


Offline Kathyp

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2010, 10:03:21 pm »
can you be a little more specific in your location?  i can think of several newcastles and not all in the same countries  :-D

i would suggest that you read everything in your library, everything here, join a beekeeping club if there is one around, and/or look for a mentor.  if it is your winter, you have time to get educated, but not to much time before you need to decide on how you are going to get bees.  if you buy, you will need to order late winter in most places.  if you are going to swarm catch, you have until spring....

if you really want to start this spring, i'd suggest that you look into buying.  a couple of nucs would be good, but packages are fine.  you can have some extra equipment on hand in case you get lucky and can get swarms also.

welcome...BTW   ;)
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Romani

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2010, 10:51:51 pm »
Thankyou for your reply . I am located in Newcastle Australia. I don't have any books yet because I don't know which ones to buy . Some that I have looked at locally are very expensive .
I am not interested in joining any beekeeping club. I have had a gut full of clubs and associations in my life and want to stay right away from that.
a email mentor would be good if I could find one in the Hunter area. 
It is interesting that my first reply is from Oregon. My mother was born in Hood River and my Grandfather is buried in Idelwilde cemetery Hood River.
« Last Edit: December 01, 2010, 11:12:10 pm by Romani »

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2010, 01:04:43 am »
There is plenty of free info.  Here's my site: www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
-------------------
"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline Kathyp

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2010, 01:28:27 am »
i'm not so far from hood river.  a little over an hour. i take it your family transplanted?   :)

do you have a library around so that you could read some books before you buy?  i'm thinking that there might be some written by folks in your country that might have info that would help you.  also, you have noticed that there is a section here for Australian beekeepers.  there are quite a few on this board.  we live vicariously through them during our winter.  :-).
with luck, you'll find someone not to far from you who can give you good local info.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2010, 08:50:56 am »
G'day, and welcome to Beemasters!

Depending on your circumstance, your financial state, and how much you like to make stuff will depend on what you do.

If you want them pretty bad, I'd recommend buying a package or hive.  If you are a cheapskate like me, you might want to work on building something first, but if you are on your own, swarms are going to be an unreliable way to get the bees.

I'd strongly recommend getting in contact with a local beekeeper, often you can buy used equipment or hives from them for cheaper than a from a company, not to mention having a local source of information and answers when you need it most.

Rick
Rick

Offline bud1

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2010, 10:02:48 am »
get in touch with geof on the forum; he is an auzzie and friend. he loves his bees and chunking rocks(bowlls)
to bee or not to bee

Offline Romani

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2010, 04:22:23 pm »
i'm not so far from hood river.  a little over an hour. i take it your family transplanted?   :)

do you have a library around so that you could read some books before you buy?  i'm thinking that there might be some written by folks in your country that might have info that would help you.  also, you have noticed that there is a section here for Australian beekeepers.  there are quite a few on this board.  we live vicariously through them during our winter.  :-).
with luck, you'll find someone not to far from you who can give you good local info.
My mother went to England and met an Englishman and got married , her father ( buried in idelwilde) died suddenly so her mother came to England , she died also . My father  wanted to come to Australia after the war so she never went back to the USA.  I was born in England but came out here as a small child . That's the twisted chain of events that landed me in  Australia.  If you get to Idelwilde cemetery one day look for the grave of Richard William Bellamy that's my grandad.

Offline Romani

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2010, 04:39:48 pm »
G'day, and welcome to Beemasters!

Depending on your circumstance, your financial state, and how much you like to make stuff will depend on what you do.

If you want them pretty bad, I'd recommend buying a package or hive.  If you are a cheapskate like me, you might want to work on building something first, but if you are on your own, swarms are going to be an unreliable way to get the bees.

I'd strongly recommend getting in contact with a local beekeeper, often you can buy used equipment or hives from them for cheaper than a from a company, not to mention having a local source of information and answers when you need it most.

Rick
Don't have any problem making light things . I have a well equiped workshop and trade skills. However I only want one main TB  hive and maybe a couple of nucs . My back is the limiting factor as I suffer from scoliosis of the spine and an injury . Thats why I stayed away from bees until I saw the top bar hive system and thought that my back   could handle that system , possibly .  I can't use library books as they are usually polluted with cigarete smoke residues and it makes me feel sick. I am alergic to cigarete smoke and it's by- products . 
Thats why I came on here to ask if anyone knows any good books to buy.
« Last Edit: December 02, 2010, 04:57:33 pm by Romani »

Offline Anybrew

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2010, 06:17:50 pm »
Hi Romani, I read with interest your comment about Dubbo or near Dubbo.  My home turf, hey the old beek you referred to in your post, was that Bob Higgins??He worked out of a shed near Maryvale. which is just out of Wellington (NSW).

Cheers
Steve

Offline Romani

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2010, 07:51:00 pm »
Hi Romani, I read with interest your comment about Dubbo or near Dubbo.  My home turf, hey the old beek you referred to in your post, was that Bob Higgins??He worked out of a shed near Maryvale. which is just out of Wellington (NSW).

Cheers
Steve
Hi mate , No ,  it was Bob Okeefe of Geurie .  I heard some years back that he has moved to Dubbo . Not sure if he is still alive , he would be quite old by now as he was a grown man when I was a teenager .  Dubbo ! the center of NSW, I would like $1000 for every time I drove through or stopped at Dubbo on my way to somewhere. Well I did make a few detours just to see Bob I must admit.
Does not look like I will get a swarm at my place this year but it is not too late yet. The last one was here in October I think .
Maybe a good thing as it gives me more time to learn up. God these SHB beetles are a worry and mites also .
I can see the things that need doing to keep SHB in check . I will design a trap system into the base of the TB hive from the get go.
However what do I need to do to combat mites ?
« Last Edit: December 02, 2010, 08:06:31 pm by Romani »

Offline Anybrew

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #11 on: December 03, 2010, 06:34:09 pm »
Your right about having to go through Dubbo to get to a lot of places. I am only new to Bee keeping myself and purchased some hives with SHB lucky me.
I hit them hard with my hives tool and place commercial roach baits after I squashed them and taped them up a bit in my hives. These I believe have worked well, I also placed some beetle jail from the USA in these too. They have only caught a few ants.
I have also purchased some great looking traps from Tobins Beek supplies at Raglan $10.50 for 10. Its been to wet to put them in yet.
Mite wise I have looked and failed to see any yet.
Good luck with a swarm.
I know Bob O'keefe, but maybe the wrong one he would be in his mid to late sixties and buys and sell antiques he worked on the Council for years.
Cheers
Steve

Offline Romani

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Re: New to forum . Best way to start keeping a beehive for just personal use ?
« Reply #12 on: December 04, 2010, 07:10:48 am »
It sounds like the right one I'm 60 so he would be pushing 70 .  He was a collector type.

 

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