Which Bees to buy

Beekeeping - Basics
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I am new to bee keeping and am looking to buy a flow 2+. I have a reserve at the back of my house that backs onto the tweed river (Northern NSW). this is where I’ll put my hive. I’m not sure what bees to buy. please can someone give me some advice. I’d also be keen to know how long I’ll need to wait till I can harvest the honey. I’m looking to purchase within the next week or so (aug 24)
Thanks

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Hi Martyn, welcome to the forum. If you were on the Sunny Coast, I’d recommend you buy bees from me. My bees are Italian cross, with a good nature & work ethic. For anyone interested, $120-$200 for 4-8 frame nucs into your brood box.

Be aware that a lot has to happen before you can harvest honey. Sometimes it can take just a few months, other times it can be a year or more.

There’s a lot to learn, which you’ll need to know, so that you can deal with situations as they arise. Some people start with a dream run. Others not so much.

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Welcome to the forum, Martyn.
I suggest joining your local club. There’s one that meets at Ballina Far North Coast — Amateur Beekeepers Australia, only an hour or so from you. They run beginning in bees classes and mentor new beekeepers. You’ll probably find your new bees there.

Mike

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Thanks mate. I’ll check it out

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Thank you. Do you know anyone in and around tweed /gold coast?

also are the Italian bees the best option?

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Italian bees are gentle and productive. They are my favorites. However, if you have long nectar dearths, and/or cold winters, they eat like an army. So you will need to monitor their food stores carefully during those periods and feed when needed.

As @JeffH and @aussiemike say, the best option is usually to get some local bees. It doesn’t matter if they are “mutts”, so long as they are gentle and productive.

:wink:

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Hi Martyn, no I don’t know anyone down your way that sells nucs. I think that Mike’s suggestion of joining a club might yield some results. I like my Italian cross (Buderim mutts) bees. Therefore I’ll say “they’re the best option”.

cheers

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Thank you. I live in Banora point so the winters are generally mild

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Hi Martyn

Good luck buying your bees.

Here in the UK, I looked at the different traits of honey bees, such as Italians, Cariolians, AMM (European black bee), but I have decided to go with Buckfast bees for a few main reasons.

  1. They have less of a tendency to swarm compared to others.

  2. They are very docile, especially if you can get F1’s which is the purest DNA bred queens.

  3. They are quite winter hardy for our cold and damp climate, at times (most :rofl:).

  4. They potentially forage earlier in the year compared to some other bees.

It’s really interesting to see how they all can differ, and for me it was about matching the right bee for me and my climate and needs. My nuc is ordered now for 2025. I used to have carniolians a few years ago.

Best wishes and let us know how you get on.

Quintin, from the Highlands of Scotland :scotland:

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