Hi there,
I’m new to beekeeping and ordered a flow hive and now i need some bees.
Anyone know or selling bees around Esperance or Albany?
Hi Matthius,
Welcome to the forums, there are many hours of reading here and lots of great advice.
Unless you have a nectar flow brewing down Esperance way you may be a bit late for this year.
I travelled down to Albany and back over the weekend and was surprised at how little there was in flower down there, I expect that Esperance may be in a similar situation.
You may get lucky, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Terry
Hi South East Scarp,
Thank you for your email.
We have lot of different bush around our property and heaps are flowering too.
I assume i’m a bit late but i though i give it a try.
Where are you located ?
I don’t know if it will help but try calling BeeWise or Guilfoyles up in Perth and see if they can advise you of anywhere/anyone.
There are others located down south that use this forum, so perhaps they can do a split to help get you started??
Ripple Farm Beekeeping Supplies in Albany is the closest I could think of for Nuc supplies. Otherwise I’m sure there are other hobbyists and commercials down there that you could chase down through FB or gumtree.
I don’t think it will be too late down there but you may need to feed initially and if a store check closer to winter sees low stores.
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Regardless of a flow its good practice to feed a nuc or package till it gets going. How do you tell its going? As you have coloured your syrup you can easily see if there is uncoloured nectar coming in. Regular checks are essential.
Cheers
Rob.
Personally, I disagree about your “good practice” comment. It depends entirely on where you live and the time of year. I’d be more inclined to say it is good practice to monitor what is flowering in the local area (remember: not all flowers are good as pollen/nectar sources) and inspect the nuc as it gets established, only feeding IF there is an identified need.
However, it really is each to their own - so long as you are responsible and still inspect/monitor for pests and diseases.
When I established my Nuc (Feb) I didn’t have to feed. It was peak summer heat, but there was enough in flower that they didn’t need feeding and they were well positioned going into winter.
Each to their own but my logic is that you don’t want a hive to get weak before “fixing” it. An initial feed or two won’t hurt anything and you will pick up quickly if feeding is needed after the initial couple of inspections.
Cheers
Rob.
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