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Author Topic: Hi I'm Brent  (Read 2072 times)

Offline Brent

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Hi I'm Brent
« on: January 04, 2008, 11:50:13 am »
Helo,
     My name is Brent Clark.  I just joined this forum.  I am starting my own little homestead here in southern Alabama. I want to be as independant as possible in all the things concerning my little project.  I've always want to get into beekeeping since I was very young and recently found a place that I can.  I realy like doing things the old way.  I know its harder and ppl say I should start with the popular comercial hives, but I want to build and learn to manage a couple of top bar hives.  I have a I also would like to start with wild bees by attracting a swarm or finding a swarm and capturing them.  Can anyone tell me what to do to attract them to my new hive and also what I should do to help them defend the hive till it is well established.  I hive will have about 36 bars and sombody recomended I build a sepperator so thay start with less space. Also recomended I restrict the entrance so it is easier to defend. My questions are: How many bars to start with and how small should the entrance be? I would also appriciate any other advice on getting started.  Thank Guys and Gals!

Offline Cindi

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Re: Hi I'm Brent
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2008, 12:10:49 pm »
Brent, welcome again, I saw this post after I responded to your other post.  Wait, you will get some wonderful answers to your questions.  Have a great day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Understudy

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Re: Hi I'm Brent
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2008, 11:24:43 pm »
Helo,
     My name is Brent Clark. ..... Can anyone tell me what to do to attract them to my new hive and also what I should do to help them defend the hive till it is well established.  I hive will have about 36 bars and sombody recomended I build a sepperator so thay start with less space. Also recomended I restrict the entrance so it is easier to defend. My questions are: How many bars to start with and how small should the entrance be? I would also appriciate any other advice on getting started.  Thank Guys and Gals!

Welcome to the forums.
I am a little confused about your post. So I will answer it to the best of my ability.

If you want to attract bees instead of buying commerical bees. Set up swarm traps with lemongrass oil. You get no guarentees but you aren't buying packaged bees that way.

A hive body has no more than 10 frames per hive box. Nucs have a maximum of 5 frames.

I would recommend starting with Michael Bush's site.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm

Sincerely,
Brendhan

The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Hi I'm Brent
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2008, 12:05:14 pm »
>I also would like to start with wild bees by attracting a swarm or finding a swarm and capturing them.

If you really want bees I would both buy some and set some traps.  It's like fishing.  Maybe you'll get some bees and maybe you won't.

>  Can anyone tell me what to do to attract them to my new hive

Lemon grass essential oil.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesferal.htm#baithives

> and also what I should do to help them defend the hive till it is well established.

Keep the entrance small.

>  I hive will have about 36 bars

I assume you mean a top bar hive?
http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm

> and sombody recomended I build a sepperator so thay start with less space.

A division board or follower board.

> Also recomended I restrict the entrance so it is easier to defend.

Correct.

> My questions are: How many bars to start with

All of them with some on each side of the division board.  But as far as how many on the side of the bees, that will depend on the depth of the hive and the width of the hive.  I'd give them the space that the cluster occupies.

> and how small should the entrance be?

If you screen part of it to allow for ventilation, you can have it as small as just enough room for one bee.  But that's probably overkill. 3/8" by 3 or 4 inches would be fine.

> I would also appriciate any other advice on getting started.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesbasics.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesglossary.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesterms.htm
http://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
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin