Post by beenatural101 on Jun 9, 2010 21:04:22 GMT -6
As earlier mentioned free bees are available to those who seek them out. Feral bees come with a certain element of surprise (defensiveness) sometimes to be sure. However if yo want good bees a place to start would be any old bees swarms are great , let em hang around awhile and see what they do. I they are too grumpy you can also buy a replacement queen. I like those (fancy bees), but also like the ones I let fly here and mate free. Of course their mothers are all of excellent stock and cost money. Yes queens cost, and are sometimes hard to find when you need em. Bees are full of surprises, and having a queen disappear is quite the surprise. Even a bigger one when she re appears. Guess I mighta misjudjed her age by about 4 or 5 days, don't really know. Good thing I had a real strong hive to take enough bees for that queen I ordered. More bees, cost $30.
See bees are full of surprises. Your mentor tells you this, and the bees do that. You only need 4 boxes for a hive around here, that's enough. You need 7 almost a month after he tells you. Bees are different. They cost in more ways than money, time effort. They are worth it all and more.
Money
I figure if you are long on time, equipment and technical know how, and only want cut comb honey from no foundation, you can make you one hive free, those frames are intricate, but they are cheap, and if you just want to forgo all hassling with it you can buy a decent kit or just a hive, tools and protective gear for 250-300$ Cost because you should have at least 2 boxes whatever size you are using more than you think you need. They come in handy anyway. Get the frames and some 3/4 90 degree trim to go across the top (point down) and bottom (point up ) on the indide of the frames for guides. Need frames for every box you have as well.
So that's it, a good queen should run around 20 or 30 bucks ( u pay extra for shipping of course, and quality has a price as well), a package 70 a swarm free.
Now you can spend as much as you want. I only got a grand in mine, and I think they might keep costing a little, seeing as how I am having such a good time. That's 37.04$ a month, all it has been so far if you want to be technical. Priceless.
See bees are full of surprises. Your mentor tells you this, and the bees do that. You only need 4 boxes for a hive around here, that's enough. You need 7 almost a month after he tells you. Bees are different. They cost in more ways than money, time effort. They are worth it all and more.
Money
I figure if you are long on time, equipment and technical know how, and only want cut comb honey from no foundation, you can make you one hive free, those frames are intricate, but they are cheap, and if you just want to forgo all hassling with it you can buy a decent kit or just a hive, tools and protective gear for 250-300$ Cost because you should have at least 2 boxes whatever size you are using more than you think you need. They come in handy anyway. Get the frames and some 3/4 90 degree trim to go across the top (point down) and bottom (point up ) on the indide of the frames for guides. Need frames for every box you have as well.
So that's it, a good queen should run around 20 or 30 bucks ( u pay extra for shipping of course, and quality has a price as well), a package 70 a swarm free.
Now you can spend as much as you want. I only got a grand in mine, and I think they might keep costing a little, seeing as how I am having such a good time. That's 37.04$ a month, all it has been so far if you want to be technical. Priceless.