"Timber" wrote in message
hlink.net...
I have been toying with the idea of setting up a small hive because:
#1 I need help in pollination--sometimes that paint brush requires more
time
than I care to spend. (Sure we get wind storms all the time, but never
when
you need them!)
#2 I use bees wax for painting my eggs
#3 I LOVE HONEY and use it in so many of my beauty products
Do you have any helps or an honest place to go for a small beginners hive
kit? I like the look of the natural skep's (I think that's what they are
called) and understand these may not be a lasting or a good option. I
simply
mentioned them for the asthetics as we get many visitors to our Gardens.


A lot will depend on where you are but the best thing is to join your local
beekeepers club and ask thier advice. I wouldn't start with skeps because
you necessarily have to largely kill off the colony to extract the honey,
which often ends up tainted by all the larvae you'll strain out. A good
modern hive with moveable frames and a queen excluder (stops her laying
amongst the main honey stock) is much more manageable and allows you to look
after your bees easily with no losses to harvest the honey. If you need a
pretty hive the WBC is the layered one often painted white and seen in many
illustrations, but many beekeepers in the UK and US (including me) use
Nationals or Langstroths. I would recommend getting a number of modern
beekeeping books from the library and reading them carefully, then start
with one hive that you can learn to handle (I've had mine two years now and
it took a lot of trail and error and one hospitalization before I worked out
just how to handle the bees so that they don't sting me too badly and I dont
cause them unnecessary distress). If you start small you can learn to handle
tyour bees so you get excellent supplies and the bees do not have any
unnecessary aggrevation, and do make sure you discuss the nature of the bees
with yor supplier, if you have a lot of visitors you need a really docile
strain.
There are a few beekeeping newsgroups out there and it is definately worth
spending a few months getting advice and listening in before you take the
plunge, I adore my bees and wouldn't be without them, but I sensitized to
their stings over the first year and they could easily kill me now if I
mishandle them, so caution is a good thing!
I wish you much joy with your bees!
Sally