In our half a century of beekeeping experience we have installed thousands of our own packages and tens of thousands of our own splits, or NUCs. We think that beginning beekeepers should purchase a NUC first because of the difficulties of getting a package started on brand new frames and foundation. In this case, supersedure of the queen works against the beginners through no fault of their own. The tendency of bees to supercede their queen often makes initial success very difficult. This is unfortunate because many beginners have spent hundreds of dollars to experience the wonders of beekeeping only to fail at the outset. With a NUC, bees are installed on drawn comb, a brood nest has been established, honey and pollen have been stored and most importantly a young queen has been accepted.
The decision of what size NUC to purchase is usually driven by economic considerations. The difference between the sizes can be compared to the differences between a three pound or two pound package of bees. A four frame will have one less frame of brood than a five frame, so the timing of your honey flow is an important consideration. One should avoid saving the small amount of cost difference if the smaller NUC will result in a 30% or so reduction in the hone crop realized.
Each of the queens we offer has distinct advantages and disadvantages. Contact Us
Your hive or hives in the "bee yard" should face south with some wind protection if possible. In a 10 frame hive body, remove the cover and 6 frames from the center of the hive body. Remove the cover from your NUC and the outer frames from one side or the other. Place this frame against either of the outer pair of empty frames in your hive body. Then transfer each of the remaining frames in order. We do not recommend looking for the queen at this time, for this might cause her to run into the box itself, which is not preferred. When you have transferred all the frames from the NUC to the hive body, you should bump your NUC box upside down over the hive body to put any adhering bees into your hive. You may now replace the hive cover and lid as you are finished.
All of our colonies receive bi-annual preventative treatments for American and European foulbrood, varroa mites and nosema. As a beekeeper you will need to develop a strategy to prevent outbreaks of the abovementioned pests. Tylosin has finally been approved as a new treatment for American foulbrood, and should soon be available from vendors such as Mann Lake Supply. Apistan and check mite strips may be used alternatively to control varroa mites. We are all anxiously awaiting availability of a fungal treatment for varroa mites currently being developed by USDA Lab in Weslaco, Texas.
We recommend treatment of your bees with Fumidil B as a syrup ingredient in the fall and spring to prevent Nosema (no see um disease). This disease is often reflected in "spring dwindling" which is a common occurrence in beekeeping.
The answer to this question will depend a lot on where you live or better yet where you keep your bees. In most locations, your hive will need to keep 60 pounds of its honey and pollen to survive the winter conditions. If you make 90 to 100 pounds of honey, you can expect to harvest 30 or 40 pounds from that colony. The amount of honey for harvest can vary tremendously from 40-60 pounds up to 200 pounds depending on the season, the temperature, the moisture and floral sources.
Beekeeping on a small scale offers everyone an opportunity to participate in the risks and rewards of agriculture. Careful planning and execution of beekeeping practices can result in the survival of your hive with some surplus honey, pollen and beeswax to be enjoyed as well. As with any agricultural enterprise, there are risks involved and one should avoid discouragement if results are less than anticipated. No matter how you measure the success or failure of your beekeeping experience the science of beekeeping, the social structure of the hive, and the co-evolution of the honeybee and flowering plants can lead one to look at the world in a new way.
Chalk brood is a fungal affliction of the brood. As its name implies, chalk brood causes mortality in larvae evidenced by an off white to gray appearance. Though chalk brood is a stress on the hive, it is seldom, if ever, responsible for the death of the colony. Some genetic lines of bees may be more susceptible to chalk brood than others. (see: The Hive and the Honey Bee)
There is currently no cure for chalk brood, but it often disappears with changing conditions in the hive and its outside environment, i.e. pollen availability and honey flows, etc. Persistent chalk brood can b addressed by re-queening. There are no guarantees for success with this method.
This native of South Africa was introduced to the US in the late 1990's and has since spread to most other states. As it is with greater and lesser wax moths, most of the economic damage caused by hive beetles is confined to the southern states. As with the wax moth, hive beetles can survive in Northern climates and can cause minor damage. Our northern climate does much to limit the impact of this pest. While moth balls can often be effective to prevent damage to stored combs by wax moths, there is no cure for hive beetles, though close contact with coumophos, the active ingredient in check mite strips has been found to be lethal.