@Dawn_SD@Michael_Bush I just wanted to say I was able to connect with a local beekeeper (met him through the local Farmers Market) and he said he’ll be glad to talk bee anytime and come April (when his bee’s are home from their time in CA - working fields) I can hopefully come help him and learn some hands on. In the meantime I’m probably going to go to his place in the next few weekends and chat and ask questions.
My NUC won’t be ready until May 21, so sure hope that gives me some good time with hands on
I’ll still be here to talk, ask and learn as well though. Just glad to connect locally (had such a hard time until I got his info).
Very happy to hear that it went well. Please stay on here, keep asking questions, and tell us your experiences too. We are all still learning (even those with 50+ years of beekeeping experience - Brother Adam was learning right to the end), and I love to hear different points of view. Different perspectives are what keeps the community vibrant and appealing.
I certainly will! As I just learned he only has to winter a bit before they head to CA to help with pollination (mid-Dec), but for that he still goes the best route of just leaving them enough to winter. I’m sure he has some good spots for setting his bee’s, but still learning little things. I will share as I go though!
The problem with a nuc is it’s on large cell foundation, it’s usually contaminated comb (acaracides) and it’s on deep frames. If you want different cell size (small cell is what I want) or different frame size (I want mediums, some want Warre’ or Top Bar) then a nuc is way more work than it is worth. A package will build comb on the frames you want on the foundation you want and if you don’t put any chemicals in and you do foundationless, you can have clean wax. Yes, the quality of queens is poor (but may be in the nuc too…) but the queen usually gets superseded anyway.
I obviously know very little.
I had read in another thread on the forums about the pain to cycle out a NUC frames. I will worry first about the health of the hive and if flow is good then I can move frames around to cycle the NUC ones out for Foundation less, and in the long run that would be my goal. @Dawn SD reminded that NUCs are a Deep. I’ll be using the Brood Deep that comes with the Flow Hive as the base (hopefully need to move it less) but then Mediums (except for the Flow Frame box which is a Deep) for the rest of my Brood boxes since I like the “less weight” idea for when working with them.
Life is SOOOO much simpler with all one size of brood frame. I would cut the deep down, or set it aside for a swarm trap (bait hive) and go with mediums from the start.
Yes, thank you Michael. Nicely put together and quite convincing. There’s a lot of data and research against out there but I realise you are not about actively converting others. Try and make your own mind up. I’m trying all foundationless this year on some of the boxes and the bees will make their own size cells from small to large, I guess. I have small bees already (the local Welsh Black) and some large Buckfast.
Not to resurrect a dead thread, but I am a first year beek and like the OP I ordered my bees from Prairie Wind in Cheyenne. I ended up with a 5 frame nuc and I’m located in Laramie, so I’m excited to see how everything goes!
So far so good. Looks like those NUC frames were wide enough I can’t do 9 frame wide. I also found my queen (see my post about the week one inspection) and a dead SHB then 6-8 SHB larvea so I’m doing the SHB trap with cloth that Cedar talked about.
Hello, I live in Kimball and we are moving to some pasture land next year. I am very interested in starting bees. I have gotten lots of reading on them but would love some tips from some locals. I have a year to get info under my belt and appreciate any and all help.
I never found any others to connect with around Scottsbluff, though I know there are many! My bees lived through the winter with just a single Deep, but I’m sure it helped I insulated them and it wasn’t a BAD winter ether.
There is a great looking club in the Cheyenne area that might be close enough to go mentor with? They have a FB Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1497651113858869/
Anything I can offer with my very limited experience I will glad do though
Thank you for the FB group. Are you in Scottsbluff? I would love to see the flow hive in use if possible. I know of a few other locals that I need to get a hold of but very interested in seeing this system in person.
