Ahh so up near Crawford or Chadron.
I used to get packages by mail when I lived in Mitchell, NE. How good a shape they were in depended on how panicked the postal workers gotā¦ one time they put it on itās side in a canvas bag on the dock in the sun. Those all died. Someone saw a bee on the outside and decided they were getting outā¦ they were not, of course. Other times they arrived in good shape.
yes, that area, all over though. Plus Iām invading the Panhandle this year myself with beehives. I have called but havenāt heard back. I know they were headed to the east of state for holidays so might be awhile, but we got all winter too.
Got ya. Yeah Iām down just north of Scottsbluff in Southern Sioux County.
Well starting in January I got to hit some research and reaching out to local beekeepers to try and get some hands on. Such a busy year with work and my son being born.
My friend called me last night and I asked about bringing strangers around to help out and he said no. As far as getting bees that might prove hard because he said there is a shortage this year on bees and some peoples orders are getting shortened, but I think there is a guy around Cheyenne who sells bees but his prices are the highest Iāve ever seen. Anyway here is his website: http://prairiewindbeesupply.webs.com/ Maybe he can get bees for you. Sorry my plan didnāt work out. I think itās because my friend let another guy help out last year that he didnāt know and the guy kind of made a mess of things and seemed to be afraid of bees because he kept swatting at them and that made them more angry as we split them. Iām not sure if thats it, but thats what I think.
Iām not sure about Prairie Wind Bee but he might split bees and then sell his splits. If you read his note on buying bees he hasnāt determined a price for a five frame box yet, but last year he was asking $145.00, so if there is a shortage, Iāll bet he goes higher. Just my opinion though.
I can understand that.
Reading the replies in my e-mail has allowed me to be a bit lazy on replying on here haha!
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!
Since I know you use to be in Western Nebraska I was curious if ordering news beeās I should go with Italian or Carniolan bees? One of the local places that will have pick-up at the store only offers these 2.
Given a choice, I would get the Carniolans. With no choice, I would take whatever I can get. The Carniolans will winter slightly better and be more frugal.
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Good to know. Murdochās has a local store here in Scottsbluff and they other ether type to order. Since my Flow Hive hasnāt shipped yet I am holding off ordering (I do fear missing the āwindowā but I fear more not being ready for them and I think thatād be worse!) but pre-ordering lasts until 3-15 so I got time 
Everyone needs an extra box anyway, and you will need at least two brood boxes in Scottsbluff area even if they are deeps, and probably four if they are mediums (which is what I prefer). Get the boxes, order the packages. Not to mention having an extra bottom and cover means youāre prepared for a swarm or a split to avoid one.
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I probably have 50% more equipment than I āshouldā need, and yet I still worry about running short of something! I have 2 deeps per hive, plus one extra, because I like to use an inverted pail feeder. Then there are the supers - I have at least 3 per hive, just to stay ahead of the bees in case of a miraculous honey flow! 
I have found that with the seasonality of beekeeping, I donāt like to be needing something in a hurry, because chances are that my local bee suppliers will be out of it and shipping may be too slow from one of the big online suppliersā¦
Not to mention splits, swarms etcā¦ 
So I totally agree with Michael, get the extra equipment while you wait - for the US, the Flow hive is probably less than you need, even for just one colony of bees.
Dawn
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Yesā¦what is it with beekeepers and free bees?
Irresistible even when you donāt want any more ā¦sigh
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Absolutely, and I didnāt even confess to the nuc boxes I have eitherā¦ 
BTW I read these and then forgot to reply. Thanks a lot for the advise. Iām going to get a pre-order for the Carniolans in here soon - which they say will be in (shipped to store) April/May. Good news is I just got tracking on my Complete Flow Hive.
Clearly I am looking to be more of a ābackyardā beekeeper currently where the only honey I plan to take will be from the Flow frames (so if I want more honey Iāll buy more of them), but I do plan to do my best to take care of the bees so they are well Bees do so much more for the plants in my area that I love them and already do my best to keep sources of open water around our place.
Thoughts on the list of tools and items I need to get?
I have the following list of stuff I need to get ordered:
Smoker - https://www.dadant.com/catalog/m009281-smoker-4-x-10-stainless-steel-with-heat-finger-shield
Hive Tool - Havenāt picked the one Iād want yet as Iām looking for Made in the USA and J Hook style as it seems like a good all around one for me. I know this will be important to have so I can inspect my hive.
Suit - I looked around a bit then found a post on the forums here talking about http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Ventilated-Suit/productinfo/987/ which looks really nice and the ones our local stores sell look like very basic cheap things (I am not into cheap generally) and their Hat Veil ( http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Hat-Veil-Combo-w_half-zip/productinfo/990BZ/ ) looks nice. And glovesā¦well still havenāt found a set yetā¦
Lastly I am now hunting around for the boxes and am just not sure where I want to get some Mediums Supers (going to do 8 frame for weight reason). The local stores only seem to sell Pine boxes and plastic foundation frames, which donāt have me thrilled, but maybe I am just being to new to this and that is perfectly fine since I do not plan to harvest honey from them? After what Iāve read it does seem the people with the Flow Hive were onto something going with Red Cedar and foundation-less frames. My biggest worry about Pine is how it will or wonāt weather and last. Iād rather spend more now for more life to the Supers than have to replace them (I do plan to set everything up off the ground in our garden area to start).
Thoughts on that and then a good source?
Honestly looking at most places (Mann Lake, Brushy Mountain Bee Farms, etc.) I get lost trying to decided what I should buy from them and I canāt seem to find any that say they are Red Cedar except for the Ozark Cedar Hives page I found via Google.
Iām sure my confusion is just not reading enoughā¦but as always advise will be great. Iām a huge hands on kind of person so Iām sure once I can put what I read to use with my hands everything will start to āclick.ā
Ok, well I think Iāve bothered everyone here enough for now and I need to go check on my sick wife and son (only coughing so far).
THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!
I found out that Murdochās will be taking pre-orders for bees if you have one near you.
Excuse the link: http://www.murdochs.com/shop/murdochs-carniolan-bees-3lbs/
If you want matching design and red cedar, then www.beethinking.com is the place to go. They manufacture the wood parts for the Flow hive already. They have brood boxes (deeps) and mediums too:
http://www.beethinking.com/collections/parts-accessories/products/langstroth-medium-cedar-hive-box?variant=444235977
For gloves, I like goat skin if you need to use them. Actually eventually it is nice to not need gloves at all, or just use something thin, like surgical gloves (latex or nitrile), but when you get a colony with attitude, you still need them. These are my favorite gloves:
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Goatskin-Gloves/productinfo/720/
Thanks for the quick reply!
Very good to know. Iām not sure how I looked past their site last night when searching OR how I missed that was who Flow is using (Iām sure they said it in an update or video and I just forgot). Thanks a lot for the link and the price is pretty good (from what Iāve seen elsewhere) for those Mediums. They (of course - silly me!) have the Foundationless Frames and even the Tung oil Iāve seem Hive use in a video or two. The way it can get SO dry or really humid here I am all for sealing/coating anything wood.
I did see those gloves when looking at Brushy. Iād love to do it glove free someday, but I figure itās also good to start off as a safe newbie
Well I guess once I pick which Hive Tool I think Iāll get stuff ordered so I can assemble, oil, and get it all setup.
On a simular note do you think a** Solid** or Screened Bottom would be best for my area? I found both listed and just wasnāt sure which is best here. Iām guessing Iāll want to snag 2 of them along with 2 Inner and Telescoping Covers for the Langstroth
I prefer the J hook style hive tools, and this mini tool is much easier to keep in your pocket than the standard sizes:
Not sure if it is US made though. Bee Thinking have a nice stainless steel one too - you could call and ask if it is US made. Their customer service is awesome and I am sure that they would find out for you:
You might want to paint it red or some conspicuous color, so that you can find it when it drops into the grassā¦ You could also tie some survey flagging to it, to make it more obvious http://www.homedepot.com/p/Johnson-1-in-x-200-ft-Flagging-Tape-3301-O/100353835
Rusty Burlew has quite an amusing article here, which is where I found the survey tape idea.
You will probably want to try both types of tool, and you might want to buy 2 in any case, just in case you lose one.
Michael Bush is not far from you, and I think he prefers solid bottom boards. However, if you get a screened bottom, you can always slide in a sheet of plywood to close it up in winter. I like the screened version, but then I am in coastal California. The Flow hive comes with a SBB, so depending on how many hives you want to make, you might only want to get one extra. While it is good to have extra equipment, I would suggest that you donāt take on too many hives to start with - it can all get a bit overwhelming when you are learning!
Dawn
Both of those do look nice and I might grab them both. I did read about having them colored to help keep track of them. Solid seemed wise for my area, but I remembered I could close up a SBB.
Yeah I just plan to have the one Flow Hive to get my honey from, but I want to make sure I have plenty of stores for the bees overwintering and then if they do well and swarm/split Iād like to have room for them while I wait for another Flow.
Iām sure it will feel a bit overwhelming, but Iāve always wanted to get into Beekeeping and look forward to my son (1yr old) growing up learning.
So you probably only need one extra SBB, one telescoping cover and one extra inner cover. That will have you covered for swarms, splits and getting started before your Flow hive arrives. For me, I would order one or two extra deeps (8-frame) and 2 extra mediums. In WRC from Bee Thinking, it will probably cost around $250 for that collection. 