Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => THE TRADING POST => Topic started by: goldchaser on February 05, 2009, 02:25:43 am

Title: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: goldchaser on February 05, 2009, 02:25:43 am
Small farm in NE Colorado.  I am disabled but still farm as best I can.  I am wanting to start a small aviary on my farm, and eventially rent out hives to some of my neighbor farmers.  I am new to beekeeping but have been studying for the last 2 years so that I would know as much as possible before I got any bees. 

So am looking to start small, and would prefer buying my first few hives from a beekeeper as close to my area as possible, rather than buying new hives and trying to get package bees sent to me. 

If you are located within a couple hundred miles of me and have several good hives/bees that you would like to get rid of or know of someone who has some hives and bees, please email me or reply here.  I am serious.  Any bees would have a good home on my place. 

Thanks
Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: Shawn on February 05, 2009, 02:06:55 pm
I am in SE Colorado but I only have 2 hives. 2-Wheeler is up north somewhere, I think the Longmont or Loveland area. Swarms will be coming in soon so you might also think about just getting the equip. and cathing a swarm.
Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 05, 2009, 10:25:38 pm
Small farm in NE Colorado.  I am disabled but still farm as best I can.  I am wanting to start a small aviary on my farm, and eventially rent out hives to some of my neighbor farmers.  I am new to beekeeping but have been studying for the last 2 years so that I would know as much as possible before I got any bees. 

So am looking to start small, and would prefer buying my first few hives from a beekeeper as close to my area as possible, rather than buying new hives and trying to get package bees sent to me. 

If you are located within a couple hundred miles of me and have several good hives/bees that you would like to get rid of or know of someone who has some hives and bees, please email me or reply here.  I am serious.  Any bees would have a good home on my place. 

Thanks

I too am disabled so I'll give you the benefit of my experience.
Use all medium boxes, they will weigh 1/2 of what a deep box will.  The equipment will cost you about 1/3 more but you'll make up for that in saved doctor bills.
Use 8 frame boxes, they are narrower and that makes them both lighter yet, and easier to handle because the balance point is closer to the body.
Keep a chair handy in the bee yard.  It will give you a place to catch your breath and fight of the pain as well as a ring side seat to observing the wonders of bees.
For moving things around use a hand truck or garden cart.  I put all the things I'm going toneed in the garden cart and pull it out to the be yard, in the fall, when harvesting the reverse is true.  Pulling is much easier on a bad back than carrying.

Now have fun with those bees.
Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: Ivan on February 06, 2009, 02:37:12 am
I'm in denver area and i can sell you a few. You can email me at tumblerp@yahoo.com
Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: goldchaser on February 21, 2009, 12:01:26 am
Thanks for your response, Brian, I appreciate any advice I can get.  And what you say makes sense.  Especially about having a chair handy near the hives.  Exactly what I will do when I get going.  Didnt get back to the forum as soon as I had planned so my replies are quite a bit delayed. 

I had planned to do the 8 frame hves if at all possible.  Likely, if I buy the first couple of hives from a beekeeper here in Colorado there is a good chance they will be 10 frame, but for the first couple I guess I can live with that unless I get awful lucky.  Got a guy who has several for sale so I have emailed him and will see what happens.

I have several carts that I can use, but I have a question.  How do the bees react to ATV engines as a rule?  Not talking about driving right up to the hive but within 50 to 100 feet.  I use an ATV on the place since I have difficulty walking very far sometimes.  So there will be times that I will need to use the ATV when working the hives I imagine.  I do have an electric cart as well, but depends on the location.  Its not designed for off road use or pasture use. 

I have been wanting bees for years, but didnt get any, I guess mainly because I didnt feel confident and just didnt know how to get started.  So I have been doing alot of research, reading, and now just talking to folks like here on the forum.  So the more I can learn the better.


If you are located within a couple hundred miles of me and have several good hives/bees that you would like to get rid of or know of someone who has some hives and bees, please email me or reply here.  I am serious. 

Thanks

I too am disabled so I'll give you the benefit of my experience.
Use all medium boxes, they will weigh 1/2 of what a deep box will.  The equipment will cost you about 1/3 more but you'll make up for that in saved doctor bills.
Use 8 frame boxes, they are narrower and that makes them both lighter yet, and easier to handle because the balance point is closer to the body.
Keep a chair handy in the bee yard.  It will give you a place to catch your breath and fight of the pain as well as a ring side seat to observing the wonders of bees.
For moving things around use a hand truck or garden cart.  I put all the things I'm going toneed in the garden cart and pull it out to the be yard, in the fall, when harvesting the reverse is true.  Pulling is much easier on a bad back than carrying.

Now have fun with those bees.
[/quote]
Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: goldchaser on February 21, 2009, 12:02:48 am
I'm in denver area and i can sell you a few. You can email me at tumblerp@yahoo.com


Sending you an email now.  Thanks so much for replying. 

Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 22, 2009, 11:57:09 pm
I run a lawn mower or weed wacker right up to the hive entrances so pulling a cart with an ATC should be doable.  I'd just drive as close as I could and use the cart as a work platform.
Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: goldchaser on February 23, 2009, 01:08:00 pm
I run a lawn mower or weed wacker right up to the hive entrances so pulling a cart with an ATC should be doable.  I'd just drive as close as I could and use the cart as a work platform.


Thanks Brian, good to know.  I know that bees can be persnickity at times so wasnt sure.  I lived for years down in south Texas and every summer would hear about folks running lawn mowers getting attacked by bees.  But usually was of the africanized type bees.  In fact, my youngest son was attacked by some one time.  He was just at the fringe of the attack.  They went after a neighbor running a lawn mower.  About 3 or 4 folks got stung including my son.  He was about 10 at the time.  Only got about a dozen stings but the neighbor really got hit bad.   I got stung a couple of times just getting my son away.
 
So I asked because that comes to mind when I think of engines near a hive.  I know in my mind that honey bees and the africanized are different but its kind of a gut reaction.  I think thats one of the reasons I hesitated for so long about getting into beekeeping.   I dont run too well.  <laugh> 
Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 23, 2009, 07:53:52 pm
I run a lawn mower or weed wacker right up to the hive entrances so pulling a cart with an ATC should be doable.  I'd just drive as close as I could and use the cart as a work platform.


Thanks Brian, good to know.  I know that bees can be persnickity at times so wasnt sure.  I lived for years down in south Texas and every summer would hear about folks running lawn mowers getting attacked by bees.  But usually was of the africanized type bees.  In fact, my youngest son was attacked by some one time.  He was just at the fringe of the attack.  They went after a neighbor running a lawn mower.  About 3 or 4 folks got stung including my son.  He was about 10 at the time.  Only got about a dozen stings but the neighbor really got hit bad.   I got stung a couple of times just getting my son away.
 
So I asked because that comes to mind when I think of engines near a hive.  I know in my mind that honey bees and the africanized are different but its kind of a gut reaction.  I think thats one of the reasons I hesitated for so long about getting into beekeeping.   I dont run too well.  <laugh> 

Yes, and often those "bees" are misidentified wasps and hornets which are naturally more aggressive.  Hit a hornets nest with a mower and it's 4377 to pay.
Title: Re: Wanting to buy several hives with bees, Northern Colorado
Post by: goldchaser on February 24, 2009, 05:29:18 pm
Hey Brian, yea I do know that alot of times the folks did misidentify the stingers.  Owned some land in Missouri years ago and ran across a couple of hornets nests.  Huge things...hanging in the trees.  Shot one with my 30-30.  Big mistake.  Had angry hornets roaming the place for almost a full day it seemed.  Big ones.

Saw some "hornets"...thats the only thing I can think of to call them, down in Texas...the things were 2 or 3 inches long.  HUGE...never seen any kind of bee or hornet that big.  They werent swarmers..solitary...and only saw them in the spring.  Used to get one or two in the house every spring.  Cant imagine what getting stung by one of them would be like.