# Cost of beekeeping currently



## wengeasley (Jun 25, 2013)

I personally think its expensive. I have 2 hives and have spent $1000 so far.
A Nuc around here is $130 a bag of bees is about 80...equipment and such and Im finding I always need something else. Now Im looking at $700 for an extractor.
I will say I have no regrets...the start up cost is whats hard to swallow but then after that it gets better...who knows maybe one day I will make some change from my girls lol even though that's not my primary purpose.
I have 2 hives...


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## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

This is my first year and I started with 4 nucs (down to 3). I made most of my own wooden ware (except frames) and made enough for 5 hives. Each hive includes 2 deeps, 2 mediums, screen bottom, top feeder, inner cover and telescoping cover. With all of the equipment, frames, materials and nucs, I am up to about $1200. I also bought a couple air tools to make things easier but I am not including those costs.
I want to double my hive count next year and hopefully, it doesn't double that cost. I found a friend who has an extractor, so I won't have that cost. You won't need one the first year, anyway.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

That's a bit higher than I thought, I was thinking more around $850 after looking some items and such, but that's a little bit more. Not that it makes an impact on me, seeing as I always wanted to keep bees and honestly, it's still cheaper than having a dog I think haha. And much more beneficial for a garden haha.
Is there a process to extract honey without buying an extractor that's just as efficient? Seeing as I don't plan on having more than 3-4 hives I might not need an extractor. 

Also, what do you guys do with your excess honey? Sell it or give it away? Not that I'm in it for the money, just want to know if anyone actually makes a bit money off them to help with the fees.

Is there a guide I could follow to make my own hive (Wooden Box)? Even though I'm not a very good handy man, I'd like to give it a shot, if not I'll just buy my own. Are they expensive?


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

I'm the sort that closes my eyes and orders what I "need." But beekeeping does not need to be a massive expense. How to make it less expensive? Build your own equipment, Catch swarms, Share your club's extractor. Catching swarms is not for those that have to have bees mid May but for someone who is flexible can work. I find I have to remind myself this is agriculture and if I want queens they are not pulled off of a supply house shelf, but rather raised sometimes even to my order.


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## TRIMMAN (Apr 15, 2012)

i guess im lucky i live right down the road from dadant and i dant buy the wood from lowes for less than i can buy a deep from them for and not counting the labor


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## dirt road (Jan 4, 2011)

$850.00 is plenty to start with. As stated already, you will not need an extractor in your first year, and you may be able to rent or borrow one when you do need it. Assembling the pre-cut woodenware from the supply houses is enough of a challenge if you are "not a very good handyman", and the cost is very reasonable for the basic parts required. Leave the scrounging wood bits and cutting them out, till you've really been "bitten" by the hobby. You do NOT need all of the fun gadgets listed in the big supply house catalogs. Find a club in your area, and attend some meetings, at least till you meet a few keepers who are willing to help you get pointed the right direction. Someone with experience who is in your area, and is willing to show you what you actually need, and why, and how to use it will be worth more to you than a pick-up load of doodads and gizmos. Forums are fun, and can be very educational, but they'll drive you crazy if you try to apply everyone's ideas to your particular situation and circumstance.


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## Bees In Miami (Nov 30, 2012)

Nick: I figure each base hive is a hundred dollar bill. Another $40 or so for each box added on top. Unless you already have a decent wood shop, buying un-assembled wooden ware is the way to go. I actually find it therapeutic to build my hives. Don't skimp on protective equipment for yourself, as well. My suit ran about $180 (ventilated, full suit), and I wouldn't be without it. You'll want just a veil, as well, so you don't need to fully suit up for a quick visit or quick peek. You will start with two hives, but it won't end there... Jump on in!! The water is fine!!! :lookout: You will need a good smoker ($40), a hive tool or two ($10), cinder blocks or some sort of stand for the hives... For two hives, I would estimate $1000 to get through your first season. Don't plan on honey your first year...leave it for the bees first winter. Research...research.....research!!! The more you learn about your bees, the more you will realize how much you don't know!!! It is a forever learning hobby!! I was in a situation where I jumped into bee keeping due to a swarm in my yard. I hived them up, then jumped in the pool!! I didn't have time to check to see if there was water in the pool first!  That was 16 hives ago. I love my girls, and love what they do for all of us. I was in a situation that I kind of had to teach myself. You Tube was a great resource, as is this forum, and others. Find a local bee club, and hopefully a mentor that will take you under his or her wing. Good luck!!!


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## barberberryfarm (Feb 16, 2013)

Nick S. said:


> That's a bit higher than I thought, I was thinking more around $850 after looking some items and such, but that's a little bit more. Not that it makes an impact on me, seeing as I always wanted to keep bees and honestly, it's still cheaper than having a dog I think haha. And much more beneficial for a garden haha.
> Is there a process to extract honey without buying an extractor that's just as efficient? Seeing as I don't plan on having more than 3-4 hives I might not need an extractor.
> 
> Also, what do you guys do with your excess honey? Sell it or give it away? Not that I'm in it for the money, just want to know if anyone actually makes a bit money off them to help with the fees.
> ...


I started with 4 NUCs in April this year and just pulled 85 frames from 3 of those hives which turned into 240 pounds of extracted honey. So when some folks say don't expect to get honey the first year, especially when you start with NUCs, that is not always the case. 

As far as extracting honey goes, as Spring went on and I continued adding supers every 10 days or so, I went and bought a 9-frame Maxant power extractor, with no regrets what so ever, as I had no desire to manually crank an extractor for hours on end. However, if you join a local bee club, they may have one you can rent and avoid that cost plus you gain tons of knowledge by talking with fellow local beekeepers.

As far as getting rid of the honey, luckily I have a U-Pick farm which allowed me a means to sell it for roughly $8 a pound with most of it being sold before I pulled the honey. So there is definitely a demand for local honey, especially for those folks with allergies. If you pull enough honey and want to sell it, maybe you can partner with someone at a local Farmers Market who can sell it for you. 

As far as costs go, I plan to extract again the end of September which hopefully will cover my inital startup costs, which wound up being over $2000, which included a power extractor and associated harvesting equipment, 24 hive boxes, to include frames and foundation, bee suits and other essential bee management equipment, hive stands, etc. 

As far as "Build It Yourself" plans, there is a link on the main page of the www.beesource.com webpage which has a variety of plans for all different kinds of things. 

But one of the first decisions you'll need to make is what size of hive do you want, 8 frame or 10 frame? For me, I chose 8-frame as they are lighter to lift than a loaded 10-frame hive.

But above all else, read, read, read, and take in a variety of opinions and use those that fit YOUR location and situation. I highly recommend scanning the various topics you find interesting on Michael Bush's "The Practical Beekeeper" web site, bushfarms.com/bees.htm, along with George Imrie's Pink Pages website pinkpages.chrisbacherconsulting.com/. I've enjoyed and learned a bunch from reading some of their writings. Also, don't forget all the online videos, such as those created by the Fat Beeman in GA.

Well, that's enough from me. Hope this helps,

Ken


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## Wolfer (Jul 15, 2012)

Unless you have several hives you can easily do without an extractor. A lot of us crush and strain. I have about 4 dollars in my set up. A pretty cheap way to get started is to build a long hive that would hold 30 frames at least. The cost on this could vary a lot depending on how fancy you did it. Frames run something under 2 bucks apiece. I would use mostly foundationless since I crush and strain. A package of bees run around 100 bucks. 

I run two deep brood boxes and one med super on each hive. When I get 4 or 5 capped frames of honey I take my bucket to the hive, cut out the comb, set the frame back. In a good flow it'll rebuilt, filled and capped again in a couple days.

If you don't check on your hives regular this system may not work as well.

You can do a search for long hives and M Bush has a lot of good info on top bar hives.


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## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

For me it was around 1000 per hive but I had to build a bee yard with stone /fence/electric fencer/4x4s/gate / Then all the other stuff I didn't need /top feeders/hive stand/ frame holder/bee brush/smoker fuel/shallow honey supers/bee mags. then there is all the stuff you do need/bee suit/smoker/hives/frames /bees/books / extraction equipment{I have the extractor but need the other stuff} all ads up real fast I have 4 years in to this hobby and I now have 3 bee yards 10 hives 13 nucs and have spent over 14 thousand but I have all the honey i'll ever need and I have bees every where and there all healthy i'm sure i'll spend more but I don't mine I love my bee's. Better then a lot of hobbyies.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Thanks for the responses everyone! Your responses have helped quite a bit! I'll look into a local beekeeping group and see if I can talk to some of the experts. I'll put about $1500 on the side, a bit more, but you don't know what will happen haha. When I start college I'll talk to some people to see if they keep bees since there is a pretty big agriculture department. 

I also was looking at a hive box like this:
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/8-Frame-English-Garden-Hive/productinfo/254/
or
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/8-Frame-English-Garden-Hive/productinfo/254CW/

But I don't really know the difference and which is better. I figured that I'd get two of them for two separate hives. Not the most cost friendly, but as some have posted here, when I start expanding I'll try building my own. I'm also reading Michael Bush's site to learn more and I'm going to be getting _Beekeeping for Dummies_ and _The Backyard Beekeepe_r in the future.

So an average nuc would cost around $100-150? Is a box included with them or just the frames?


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

Selling your honey can involve you in the wonderful world of state food processing regulations. Every state seems to have different rules so by all means do some investigation. There may be much more involved than picking up some mason jars at the dollar store and filling them with your own honey. And the IRS will want their pound of flesh.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Andrew Dewey said:


> Selling your honey can involve you in the wonderful world of state food processing regulations. Every state seems to have different rules so by all means do some investigation. There may be much more involved than picking up some mason jars at the dollar store and filling them with your own honey. And the IRS will want their pound of flesh.


Ouch, did not think about that. And also state regulations about bees. Well, I have quite a bit of time so I'll study up! Haha


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## barberberryfarm (Feb 16, 2013)

Nick S. said:


> Thanks for the responses everyone! Your responses have helped quite a bit! I'll look into a local beekeeping group and see if I can talk to some of the experts. I'll put about $1500 on the side, a bit more, but you don't know what will happen haha. When I start college I'll talk to some people to see if they keep bees since there is a pretty big agriculture department.
> 
> I also was looking at a hive box like this:
> http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/8-Frame-English-Garden-Hive/productinfo/254/
> ...


You may also want to look at Mann Lake and Rossman's for woodware. They are a little cheaper and Mann Lake has free shipping if you order over $100 worth of stuff. BTW, the bees don't need a landing board. That thing on the bottom of those two BM sample hives. That's just some of the excess fluff folks above were talking about.

No, the hive box is not usually included with the NUC.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

If you choose one of the 8 frame garden hives linked above, be aware that in the long run you will be laying out more cash than a more traditional 10 frames hive. There is nothing wrong with using 8 frame equipment, but as the volume of each box is less, more boxes will be required than 10 frame equipment.

If you have woodworking power tools, particularly a tablesaw, and the time, you can make virtually all beehive equipment. This is a good winter project if you have a heated shop available. :lookout:If you can find free wood to scrounge, even better! 

Plans to build all this stuff, including _extractors_, are here:
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

barberberryfarm said:


> You may also want to look at Mann Lake and Rossman's for woodware. They are a little cheaper and Mann Lake has free shipping if you order over $100 worth of stuff. BTW, the bees don't need a landing board. That thing on the bottom of those two BM sample hives. That's just some of the excess fluff folks above were talking about.
> 
> No, the hive box is not usually included with the NUC.


Thanks! I'll look into those two sites as well! I was just interested in BM since it did come with supers and such, but I'll do some more looking into!



Rader Sidetrack said:


> If you choose one of the 8 frame garden hives linked above, be aware that in the long run you will be laying out more cash than a more traditional 10 frames hive. There is nothing wrong with using 8 frame equipment, but as the volume of each box is less, more boxes will be required than 10 frame equipment.
> 
> If you have woodworking power tools, particularly a tablesaw, and the time, you can make virtually all beehive equipment. This is a good winter project if you have a heated shop available. :lookout:If you can find free wood to scrounge, even better!
> 
> ...


That makes sense, how much more weight is a 10 than an 8? Is one person alone able to carry them?
I probably won't have a lot of tools and I'm not much of a handy man but I'll give it a shot in the future after I start up a bit!
Thanks!


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## barberberryfarm (Feb 16, 2013)

The trick with the bee supply stores, is shop and compare. For me I buy from Dadant, Rossmans, Mann Lake and Brushy Mountain. But there are other bee suppliers other folks like as well. The thing about Rossmans and their woodware is all their hive boxes are made of cypress rather than pine.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

barberberryfarm said:


> The trick with the bee supply stores, is shop and compare. For me I buy from Dadant, Rossmans, Mann Lake and Brushy Mountain. But there are other bee suppliers other folks like as well. The thing about Rossmans and their woodware is all their hive boxes are made of cypress rather than pine.


Thanks, I'll keep that in mind!
Does that have a major impact on the bees? I know with reptiles certain woods could poison and kill them, but do bees do better with one type of wood opposed to another?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Nick S. said:


> Just curious as I'm planning to keep bees in the future, I just want to see what is the cost of starting up two beehives (nucs), hive equipment, extraction equipment, etc. and also the cost of maintenance overall. Not that it'll deter me as I plan on keeping them anyways haha.


Some people need a 60 K dollar car to take them to work and others use a 800 dollar car. Which are you?

Beekeeping is as cheap as it gets or the sky is the limit. Ten cents or ten hundred dollars, your choice.

It is not a business. right?


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## ginkgo (Apr 26, 2013)

Cypress is for longevity re weathering. I increased my costs buying stuff I have never used... various feeders, gloves, beetle traps, chemicals. There are some good threads here along those lines about valuable vs. fluff gadgets. Keep an eye out for free shipping deals come holiday time (I think maybe Brushy Mountain has done this in the past) and consolidate your orders. We built a homemade extractor for under $100 - check online / youtube for designs. If you're handy, you can save a lot. If you have a back to protect, 8 frame equipment may save on those chiropractor bills.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Acebird said:


> Some people need a 60 K dollar car to take them to work and others use a 800 dollar car. Which are you?
> 
> Beekeeping is as cheap as it gets or the sky is the limit. Ten cents or ten hundred dollars, your choice.
> 
> It is not a business. right?


I'm pretty much the person who tries to do things the cheapest, most efficient way possible. But since I'm not a handy man whenever it comes to tasks I sometimes find the cheapest alternative or I'll buy part of it and make the other part.

Nope, not a business. Just planning to live organically so having a couple of hives would help out a great deal haha. Honey wouldn't be too bad either lol


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

ginkgo said:


> Cypress is for longevity re weathering. I increased my costs buying stuff I have never used... various feeders, gloves, beetle traps, chemicals. There are some good threads here along those lines about valuable vs. fluff gadgets. Keep an eye out for free shipping deals come holiday time (I think maybe Brushy Mountain has done this in the past) and consolidate your orders. We built a homemade extractor for under $100 - check online / youtube for designs. If you're handy, you can save a lot. If you have a back to protect, 8 frame equipment may save on those chiropractor bills.


Oh okay gotcha. Didn't know that. Okay, I'll search around the forum and look up things for a couple of years! I'm pretty young (18) and by the time I'll have bees I'll probably be 23-25 so yea haha. Altho at that age I might be moving around, so I'm guessing it's better to wait until I'm settled to get bees? Opposed to moving that is.


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## barberberryfarm (Feb 16, 2013)

Nick S. said:


> Thanks, I'll keep that in mind!
> Does that have a major impact on the bees? I know with reptiles certain woods could poison and kill them, but do bees do better with one type of wood opposed to another?


No, the bees don't care. The thing with cypress is it's oil-based rather than water-based and in humid climates, like where I live, "they" say it lasts longer. Also, the knots in cypress are much tighter than knots in pine wood which means they are less likely to deteriorate or pop out. Why that's so important is because you can feel comfortable buying hive bodies made from commercial grade lumber rather than the more expensive "select" grade of wood.


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## brownbuff75 (Jul 1, 2013)

Basiclly is comes down to how many bells and whisles you want and what your willing to spend. For example looks like most people here does nucs, which there are a lot of advantages to them, but one dissadvatage with them is they cost a lot more then packaged bees.(in my area almost double.) What type of hive you going to use(langstroth, Top Bar, etc..), are you going to use foundation or go foundationless, and even depending on type of foundation can save 10 to 20 bucks. This year I have so far spent around $350 for 2 hives(excluding extraction cost and early feeding), but that cost was spread over a 6-8 month period. I recomend not buying it all at once, just when you need it to help take the bite out of it.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

I got up to my first 5 hives with a cost of just less that $2000. the bees have reduced that deficit to $1300 this season as well as carried their own through attempts to expand to 23 hives plus the purchase of an extractor. This includes the cost of two smokers. three bee jackets and multiples of other equipment like frame grips, hive tools queen rearing supplies and a wide selection of grafting tools. In some ways I took the path of least expense and in others I compounded the cost beyond what woudl be typical. So I do not consider this a "Budget" example. I also think you could recover cost much faster than my results indicate by reducing cost from the beginning. buy just one smoker instead of two for example. Only one jacket rather than three. that sort of thing. But then you can lay out a lot more than the $400 for an extractor that I did also.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Nick S. said:


> I'm pretty much the person who tries to do things the cheapest, most efficient way possible.


OK Nick if you have to buy, buy someone else"s equipment. Look for the newbie that bought everything before he realized bees are work. I recommend getting a nuc and don't screw with packages. Three hundred to four hundred bucks a hive should do it. A hundred bucks per hive to maintain. If you get smart quick, next to nothing.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

barberberryfarm said:


> No, the bees don't care. The thing with cypress is it's oil-based rather than water-based and in humid climates, like where I live, "they" say it lasts longer. Also, the knots in cypress are much tighter than knots in pine wood which means they are less likely to deteriorate or pop out. Why that's so important is because you can feel comfortable buying hive bodies made from commercial grade lumber rather than the more expensive "select" grade of wood.


Okay got it, thanks!



brownbuff75 said:


> Basiclly is comes down to how many bells and whisles you want and what your willing to spend. For example looks like most people here does nucs, which there are a lot of advantages to them, but one dissadvatage with them is they cost a lot more then packaged bees.(in my area almost double.) What type of hive you going to use(langstroth, Top Bar, etc..), are you going to use foundation or go foundationless, and even depending on type of foundation can save 10 to 20 bucks. This year I have so far spent around $350 for 2 hives(excluding extraction cost and early feeding), but that cost was spread over a 6-8 month period. I recomend not buying it all at once, just when you need it to help take the bite out of it.


So NUCS would be higher than $100-$150? I'm not exactly sure of all the types of hives yet, but I'm still researching everything. And I definitely won't buy everything at once, I'll buy things when needed haha. Thanks!



Daniel Y said:


> I got up to my first 5 hives with a cost of just less that $2000. the bees have reduced that deficit to $1300 this season as well as carried their own through attempts to expand to 23 hives plus the purchase of an extractor. This includes the cost of two smokers. three bee jackets and multiples of other equipment like frame grips, hive tools queen rearing supplies and a wide selection of grafting tools. In some ways I took the path of least expense and in others I compounded the cost beyond what woudl be typical. So I do not consider this a "Budget" example. I also think you could recover cost much faster than my results indicate by reducing cost from the beginning. buy just one smoker instead of two for example. Only one jacket rather than three. that sort of thing. But then you can lay out a lot more than the $400 for an extractor that I did also.


So you are able to sell your honey? Was it hard, or did you have an outside source to help with that? Seeing as another user mentioned in some places it can be very hard to sell home grown goods. I don't think I'll be needing queen rearing supplies until a few years in when I plan on expanding into more hives. Thanks for your response!


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Acebird said:


> OK Nick if you have to buy, buy someone else"s equipment. Look for the newbie that bought everything before he realized bees are work. I recommend getting a nuc and don't screw with packages. Three hundred to four hundred bucks a hive should do it. A hundred bucks per hive to maintain. If you get smart quick, next to nothing.


I'll keep my eye out for that haha. Three to four hundred for a nuc right? Or did you mean the hive, frames and such overall right? Or did you mean just the bees and not the hive itself?


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## brownbuff75 (Jul 1, 2013)

"So NUCS would be higher than $100-$150"

Yes at least in my area, a 2 lb package hive cost $75, a nuc $130 to $150. I haven't had problems as of yet with packged bees and when my father had bees a long time ago all he used was packaged bees and never had an issue. I have never used nucs so, not sure what i'm missing out on. lol


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

I meant everything to get started. It doesn't take a lot of skill to build your own equipment but you talked like that wasn't your cup of tea so your not going to do it on a dime. But you could if you push yourself.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

brownbuff75 said:


> "So NUCS would be higher than $100-$150"
> 
> Yes at least in my area, a 2 lb package hive cost $75, a nuc $130 to $150. I haven't had problems as of yet with packged bees and when my father had bees a long time ago all he used was packaged bees and never had an issue. I have never used nucs so, not sure what i'm missing out on. lol


That's good that you haven't had any problems, but don't they usually take a longer time to settle? I haven't heard too many good reviews about packages in general so I'm a bit cautious, but it's good to hear yours!



Acebird said:


> I meant everything to get started. It doesn't take a lot of skill to build your own equipment but you talked like that wasn't your cup of tea so your not going to do it on a dime. But you could if you push yourself.


I'll look into some of the specs to see what actually goes into it, and you're right, if I push myself I could probably do it. I'll have to buy some tools, but they'll pay for themselves in the future haha. Thanks!


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## brownbuff75 (Jul 1, 2013)

"but don't they usually take a longer time to settle? I haven't heard too many good reviews about packages in general so I'm a bit cautious"


Depends on what you mean by taking longer to settle. One package i have, when i put it into the hive and put the queen cage in there, I left it for a week and a half(dumb mistake on my part). They had the cage ingulfed in comb and the comb had larva in it. That was back in april, and now i just stuck on my 3rd super. But in constrast the other hive I started this year I'm hoping by the end of this month i can stick on its first super. 

I havent heard to many good reviews about them either, and like i said before there are risks with them(mainly if you have a short honey season), cause they are set back as much as a month or more compared to a nuc. What Breed of bee were you thinking on going whith?


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## scallawa (Jul 6, 2013)

I agree with Acebird.

Some have recommended a list of things that I would more consider nice to haves. I have been building my inventory as I go. Some equipment will make your life easier but isn't absolutely necessary. It sounds like you have a good budget already set aside. I started off with a $400 budget. This in my case got me a suit, gloves, basic hive and bees. 

I would recommend getting a good quality suit. It will be difficult for you to handle the bees properly if you are uncomfortable and afraid of being stung. A good suit will help with that. You of course need the hive. That is what I started with. A butter knife and a putty knife was my first hive tool.

There are quite a few options and you will have to make decisions on which way to go. My suggestion would be to do research and check the opinions of others. Most people will tell you that their setup is the best way. BeeKeepers tend to be very polarized in opinions. You will need to chose your path and equipment based on your own criteria.

You will have a lot of fun. They are fascinating creatures.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

brownbuff75 said:


> "but don't they usually take a longer time to settle? I haven't heard too many good reviews about packages in general so I'm a bit cautious"
> 
> 
> Depends on what you mean by taking longer to settle. One package i have, when i put it into the hive and put the queen cage in there, I left it for a week and a half(dumb mistake on my part). They had the cage ingulfed in comb and the comb had larva in it. That was back in april, and now i just stuck on my 3rd super. But in constrast the other hive I started this year I'm hoping by the end of this month i can stick on its first super.
> ...


Oh okay, that's pretty cool!
I'm not exactly sure, I think from what I read Italians are the most common (or no?) I read this article I found on the web and Italians seem the best. Which do you keep if I may ask?



scallawa said:


> I agree with Acebird.
> 
> Some have recommended a list of things that I would more consider nice to haves. I have been building my inventory as I go. Some equipment will make your life easier but isn't absolutely necessary. It sounds like you have a good budget already set aside. I started off with a $400 budget. This in my case got me a suit, gloves, basic hive and bees.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I still have quite a few years to go tho haha. Did you build your own hives if I may ask?
And they are fascinating insects! I've been interested in ants and bees for quite a few years due to their function-ability in a colony and such haha.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

If you buy your own equipment, 3 deep broodchambers with plastic frames and foundation plus 2 plastic bottoms from Kelley will set you back $200. This is enough for a single colony and should be enough equipment to run for 2 years. If they are productive, you may need additional supers for honey in the second year.

Extractor and knife will set you back between $300 and $1000 depending on source.

I was fortunate to buy out a beekeeper several years ago and got a 4 frame extractor, 2 knives, 100 gallon tank, and other equipment including 30 colonies of bees for $1000.


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## xcugat (Mar 4, 2008)

Beekeeping can be expensive but It doesnt need to be--It would be helpful if you had an experienced beekeeper guide you through your inital purchases so you do not waste money. With experience you can expand cheaply. For example, in my case I started this season with 3 strong hives ( I had more but they didnt make it...), and I bought 3 queens at 25 dollars each and made splits. Then I took some queen cells from a hive that was thinking about swarming and made more splits. Then I caught a swarm. I bought 13 deep boxes with frames and no comb of any value for 3 dollars each used. After throwing out most of the frames, buying new frames foundation bottoms and tops for the new hives I got 6 more hives completely ready to go for around 450 dollars all told. 
So now I have 10 hives and spent 75 on bees and 450 on equipment for all the hives running now


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

I started with a $150 nuc and $135 package and apx $300 later I'm up to 7 hives. If you buy everything, beekeeping will cost you a small fortune. If you build most of everything its not too terrible


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## brownbuff75 (Jul 1, 2013)

Italians are probably the most common one people use. I have Italians and Carniolan. I like my Carni's the best, and thus far has produce more than the Italians. They have so far overwintered better than the Italians, but let met tell you they seem to have ten times the proplis compared to the Italians. Also from what I have read Carnis like to swarm alot, but haven't had it happen to me yet. Next year I'm thinking on getting some Russians just to see how they work out.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Fusion_power said:


> If you buy your own equipment, 3 deep broodchambers with plastic frames and foundation plus 2 plastic bottoms from Kelley will set you back $200. This is enough for a single colony and should be enough equipment to run for 2 years. If they are productive, you may need additional supers for honey in the second year.
> 
> Extractor and knife will set you back between $300 and $1000 depending on source.
> 
> I was fortunate to buy out a beekeeper several years ago and got a 4 frame extractor, 2 knives, 100 gallon tank, and other equipment including 30 colonies of bees for $1000.


Well that doesn't seem to be that much. What I was thinking before is that for the first two hives I would buy a set, then for the next hives I would build my own after looking at professionally made ones so I knew and had a general idea of how they should come out. But now that people are saying it's much, much cheaper creating your own I think I'll look at some specs and try making my own. I've also heard of people just making the hive and buying the frame since I read frames are hard to make and all.



xcugat said:


> Beekeeping can be expensive but It doesnt need to be--It would be helpful if you had an experienced beekeeper guide you through your inital purchases so you do not waste money. With experience you can expand cheaply. For example, in my case I started this season with 3 strong hives ( I had more but they didnt make it...), and I bought 3 queens at 25 dollars each and made splits. Then I took some queen cells from a hive that was thinking about swarming and made more splits. Then I caught a swarm. I bought 13 deep boxes with frames and no comb of any value for 3 dollars each used. After throwing out most of the frames, buying new frames foundation bottoms and tops for the new hives I got 6 more hives completely ready to go for around 450 dollars all told.
> So now I have 10 hives and spent 75 on bees and 450 on equipment for all the hives running now


That's really pretty cheap! You got a nice haul haha. Hopefully I'll be able to be friends with an experienced bee keeper in the future, as for right now I don't have any who keeps bees.



Harley Craig said:


> I started with a $150 nuc and $135 package and apx $300 later I'm up to 7 hives. If you buy everything, beekeeping will cost you a small fortune. If you build most of everything its not too terrible


Yea, I think I'll just make my own! Haha.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

brownbuff75 said:


> Italians are probably the most common one people use. I have Italians and Carniolan. I like my Carni's the best, and thus far has produce more than the Italians. They have so far overwintered better than the Italians, but let met tell you they seem to have ten times the proplis compared to the Italians. Also from what I have read Carnis like to swarm alot, but haven't had it happen to me yet. Next year I'm thinking on getting some Russians just to see how they work out.


How are the temperaments between the two? And how far apart do you keep the two hives? Wouldn't they interbreed? 
Is having large amount of propolis good? Sorry for the amount of questions aha


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## Waterbird17 (Apr 30, 2012)

i've killed my back account on my bees. im semi-commercial though...building up


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

I build my own stuff--boxes, stands, feeders, bottom boards, covers. I do not build frames, however. I'm in the middle of a building frenzy this summer. I have bits and pieces all over the shop. I've spent maybe $50 on hardware and $20 on paint. For wood, I've collected broken 1 x 12s from the local lumber yard for pennies on the dollar and salvaged enough from each board to build all the boxes I had planned plus several nucs I hadn't planned. The only serious expense was the plywood for the tops and bottom boards. I stick to 2 lumber sizes--1 x 4 and 1 x 12. The 1 x 4 I use for tops and bottoms and the 1 x 12 for all my boxes. I have found it more convenient to keep just one box size. I like deeps, so that is what I am using, but lots of folks prefer mediums for less weight. I'm not building fancy--just serviceable--so I am using FatBeeMan's plans (http://dixiebeesupply.com.) His plans are simple and he has videos on YouTube that explains a lot of the how-to (http://www.youtube.com/user/fineshooter?feature=mhee) as well as a lot about beekeeping in general.

This can be as expensive or inexpensive a hobby as you want to make it. It's kinda like fishing--you can wet your line off the free pier down the road or off the deck of your hundred-thousand-dollar dream boat--and still catch plenty of fish either way!

Good luck. Have fun.

Rusty


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Waterbird17 said:


> i've killed my back account on my bees. im semi-commercial though...building up


Ouch, but I hope the best for you!



Rusty Hills Farm said:


> I build my own stuff--boxes, stands, feeders, bottom boards, covers. I do not build frames, however. I'm in the middle of a building frenzy this summer. I have bits and pieces all over the shop. I've spent maybe $50 on hardware and $20 on paint. For wood, I've collected broken 1 x 12s from the local lumber yard for pennies on the dollar and salvaged enough from each board to build all the boxes I had planned plus several nucs I hadn't planned. The only serious expense was the plywood for the tops and bottom boards. I stick to 2 lumber sizes--1 x 4 and 1 x 12. The 1 x 4 I use for tops and bottoms and the 1 x 12 for all my boxes. I have found it more convenient to keep just one box size. I like deeps, so that is what I am using, but lots of folks prefer mediums for less weight. I'm not building fancy--just serviceable--so I am using FatBeeMan's plans (http://dixiebeesupply.com.) His plans are simple and he has videos on YouTube that explains a lot of the how-to (http://www.youtube.com/user/fineshooter?feature=mhee) as well as a lot about beekeeping in general.
> 
> This can be as expensive or inexpensive a hobby as you want to make it. It's kinda like fishing--you can wet your line off the free pier down the road or off the deck of your hundred-thousand-dollar dream boat--and still catch plenty of fish either way!
> 
> ...


That's awesome! How much do frames usually cost? And are they all generally the same size? I don't want to run into a problem of frames not fitting in and such. Once you put everything together do you have to do anything before you paint them? Like use any water proof coatings and such? I wish I could see FatBeeMan's plans, but they cost money and I have no way to buy them currently. What exactly is shown in that plan? I know it says 'Includes top, hive body, bottom board, & 8 frames (no wax).' but does it also include how to make supers and such? How to build all parts of the hive? Do these hives last and how did you make a metal lid to keep out the elements?

Thanks a lot and sorry for the amount of questions!


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## spreerider (Jun 23, 2013)

i put about 700 in to get started i have 2 hives up and running and frames and boxes for about 3 more. I bought most of my equipment used from old retiring beekeepers.


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

Don sells both the complete hive and the plans to build it yourself. I've been at this awhile so I confess I modified his plans to suit me--I like IPM bottom boards, so that is what I built. And yes, I like metal covers as well, so I bought 20" aluminum flashing and made my own. I built my boxes from pine and painted the outsides (no waterproofing necessary), so they should last for years. 

Using Don's plans so far I've built more than a dozen boxes and half a dozen tops, plus half a dozen IPM bottoms. (My bottoms are my own design--basically a screened bottom over a closed 3" space where I will keep an oil pan for SHB control.) I like 10-frame double deeps for my basic hive body and then add additional deeps as needed for supers. I've also cut a bunch of his feeders but I haven't assembled them yet. 

Hope that answers a few of your questions.



Rusty


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Rusty Hills Farm said:


> Don sells both the complete hive and the plans to build it yourself. I've been at this awhile so I confess I modified his plans to suit me--I like IPM bottom boards, so that is what I built. And yes, I like metal covers as well, so I bought 20" aluminum flashing and made my own. I built my boxes from pine and painted the outsides (no waterproofing necessary), so they should last for years.
> 
> Using Don's plans so far I've built more than a dozen boxes and half a dozen tops, plus half a dozen IPM bottoms. (My bottoms are my own design--basically a screened bottom over a closed 3" space where I will keep an oil pan for SHB control.) I like 10-frame double deeps for my basic hive body and then add additional deeps as needed for supers. I've also cut a bunch of his feeders but I haven't assembled them yet.
> 
> ...


How exactly did you make IPM bottom boards?
Oh okay gotcha! If I don't want to paint them, do I have to put a coating on to make up for that or still no?
So the super and the normal brood boxes are the same size and overall you follow the same plan?

Also, sorry if this sounds stupid, but when you buy frames do they have something in the middle or is it basically just a normal 'frame' that the bees cover over with comb? 

Thanks a lot, you helped me a great deal!


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

Because I'm using pine, the wood needs paint or stain to make it last. Otherwise the box would fall apart in a few years.

My boxes and the supers are all interchangeable, altho some folks do run 2 different sizes. Personally I find that inconvenient and use all the same so I don't have to worry about grabbing the right size of frames to match the box, etc.

As to frames, I buy mine from Dadant and use their foundation as well. But it is quite possible to let the bees draw their own comb using just a small comb guide on the frame. There is a lot more about foundationless on Michael Bush's site, if you are interested. I have an older Dadant extractor that I really like, use plasticell foundation, and have very few frame or foundation failures during extracting, so I basically stick to what I know works for me.

Making IPM boards is a whole other topic that would take me quite a bit to explain how I came up with my theories and what I am doing to implement them. I haven't "field tested" them long enough yet to know for sure that I'm on the right track. It is too soon to say that it works.



Rusty


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Rusty Hills Farm said:


> Because I'm using pine, the wood needs paint or stain to make it last. Otherwise the box would fall apart in a few years.
> 
> My boxes and the supers are all interchangeable, altho some folks do run 2 different sizes. Personally I find that inconvenient and use all the same so I don't have to worry about grabbing the right size of frames to match the box, etc.
> 
> ...


Oh okay gotcha!
I could see how that would make it inconvenient haha.
How do you attach their foundation? Also, does Brood Foundation sheets work just as good with supers, or only for brood boxes? Are all frames made a similar size so they fit into all hives or are different ones made according to size?

Thanks again! Hope the field testing goes well!


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

Brood foundation needs to be wired, which I think is a time-consuming pain, and that is why I use plasticell. It snaps into the frame. No wiring. BTW frames and foundation have to "match". Most of the supply houses tell you right in their catalog and on their website which frame to use with which foundation. I use all the same foundation in all my boxes no matter what the box is being used for. The only exception is when I want extra drone cells for queen rearing. Then I use a frame or 2 of drone foundation and remove it when I'm done.

HTH

Rusty


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Rusty Hills Farm said:


> Brood foundation needs to be wired, which I think is a time-consuming pain, and that is why I use plasticell. It snaps into the frame. No wiring. BTW frames and foundation have to "match". Most of the supply houses tell you right in their catalog and on their website which frame to use with which foundation. I use all the same foundation in all my boxes no matter what the box is being used for. The only exception is when I want extra drone cells for queen rearing. Then I use drone foundation and remove it when I'm done.
> 
> HTH
> 
> Rusty


Oh okay gotcha! How is drone foundation different? And if you add those in to a queenless hive, will you be able to rear many queens or is there a different way to go about it? Are all frames made a similar size so they fit into all hives or are different ones made according to size? Thanks and I promise these are the last of my questions aha


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

Drone cells are larger than worker cells. That's part of why we use foundation--to limit the number of drone cells on a frame. But when raising queens we need the drones to fertilize her, so I raise queens in one hive and extra drones in 2-3 other hives so there are plenty of drones to get the job done. And once the job is done, then out with the drone frames until next time! 

All deep frames are supposed to fit in all deep boxes and all medium frames are supposed to fit all medium boxes, but the manufacturers don't always play fair. Their frames fit their boxes and MAYBE a few other brands. But not always. Foundation works the same way. There are charts floating around the net that detail which fits what. I use Dadant because I already know their deep frames fit the boxes that I build. 

Foundation, however, comes not just in deep, medium, etc but also comes according to cell size--from 4.9 up to 5.6. Small cell has its followers and standard has its. And then there are the folks that prefer 5.1!!! (And here you thought this was gonna be easy!) 



Rusty


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Rusty Hills Farm said:


> Drone cells are larger than worker cells. That's part of why we use foundation--to limit the number of drone cells on a frame. But when raising queens we need the drones to fertilize her, so I raise queens in one hive and extra drones in 2-3 other hives so there are plenty of drones to get the job done. And once the job is done, then out with the drone frames until next time!
> 
> All deep frames are supposed to fit in all deep boxes and all medium frames are supposed to fit all medium boxes, but the manufacturers don't always play fair. Their frames fit their boxes and MAYBE a few other brands. But not always. Foundation works the same way. There are charts floating around the net that detail which fits what. I use Dadant because I already know their deep frames fit the boxes that I build.
> 
> ...


So queens will also grow on drone foundation? 

Ah, that could cause a problem in the future aha.

Which one is the best one to pic? Or closest to natural? I wouldn't want to over extend them and such.

Sorry, I had a few more questions .-.


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

No, actually queen are grown in their own cells that look kinda like peanuts in the middle of the frame or hanging from the edges. 

In the brood area, the size of the cell determines what the queen will use it for. A worker cell will only be used to produce workers, which you want lots of! Drone cells will only be used to produce drones, which you only need during queen rearing. The rest of the time they only use up hive resources without adding anything to the hive. So you want as few drones as possible. If the foundation is already formed into worker cells, the workers will have to redo any cells they use for drones, thus cutting down on the number of drones produced and increasing the number of workers produced. This is one of the reasons we use foundation in the first place. Generally in foundationless hives the first thing the bees do is make a LOT of drone cells, sometimes whole frames of them, before they start seriously raising workers. Queens lay eggs based on the size of the cell they are laying in, so if the workers have made lots of drone cells, you get lots of drones when what you need are lots of workers. So we try to minimize the amount of drone cells by using foundation.

Clear as mud?



Rusty


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Rusty Hills Farm said:


> No, actually queen are grown in their own cells that look kinda like peanuts in the middle of the frame or hanging from the edges.
> 
> In the brood area, the size of the cell determines what the queen will use it for. A worker cell will only be used to produce workers, which you want lots of! Drone cells will only be used to produce drones, which you only need during queen rearing. The rest of the time they only use up hive resources without adding anything to the hive. So you want as few drones as possible. If the foundation is already formed into worker cells, the workers will have to redo any cells they use for drones, thus cutting down on the number of drones produced and increasing the number of workers produced. This is one of the reasons we use foundation in the first place. Generally in foundationless hives the first thing the bees do is make a LOT of drone cells, sometimes whole frames of them, before they start seriously raising workers. Queens lay eggs based on the size of the cell they are laying in, so if the workers have made lots of drone cells, you get lots of drones when what you need are lots of workers. So we try to minimize the amount of drone cells by using foundation.
> 
> ...


Oh okay, I knew that, but I also thought they would be made from drone cells since they are a bit large too, my mistake aha.
Do you know how many queens a hive would produce when it's queenless? Then wouldn't you be able to harvest the queens before they start fighting or take the cell out before they hatch? Or would that be counter productive and just harm the queen?

Sorry for the amount of questions and all


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

They can make dozens. And yes, you can move the individual capped cells into nucs/queen castles to start new hives. There are lots of videos out there showing how it is done. I do believe FatBeeMan has at least one! There is a queen rearing forum here on BS with lots of info on the whole process and many different ways to do it.

And now I am gonna go crash!



Rusty


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## brownbuff75 (Jul 1, 2013)

"How are the temperaments between the two? And how far apart do you keep the two hives? Wouldn't they interbreed? 
Is having large amount of propolis good?


Both relativly gentle, but when you get hives of your own you will find that each hive kinda has its own personality. You will have hives that are both gentle and mean that are the same breed. 

They are about 6 to 12 inches apart. 

Yes they would interbreed being so close together and normally I would be worried about it if I didn't like the traits of either of them. Also there are serveral beekeepers in the area with different breeds of bees, So they possibly would end up interbeeding anyways.


Good question, to answer I dont know. Its the sap bees collect from the area and so its sticky and a pain at times to deal with. I have read in some articles saying that it is kinda like a antibacterial antifungal substaince for the hive.


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## scallawa (Jul 6, 2013)

No, but I have built hive components. I am not a skilled woodworker but the pieces I have built have turned out nice. 

I don't know if I will build any of the boxes(deeps, mediums) from scratch. I like the idea of having the finger joints and I don't have the equipment to accomplish those cuts nicely on my own. It also seems like it would take a fair amount of time and wouldn't be worth it for me, unless I was doing it for fun(that's my I probably will someday clause). If I was ordering my stuff online, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase the disassembled boxes and put them together myself. I have access to an air nail gun and glue. I watched one of my supers being assembled and it was pretty simple. My next project will likely be building a ventilated inner cover.

I can't say that I share your same interest in ants. While I find them fascinating as well, I would prefer them in someone else's yard. I get to study both as ants are currently interested in my hive and are farming the colonies of aphids(needed to get ladybugs earlier in the season) in my yard. 

I noticed that you said the Italians are the best. I have Italians and I love them but I wouldn't rate any of them as best or worse without a qualifier. They all seem to have different characteristics that suit some people's needs better. I have heard the Russian honeybees take longer to get going but when they start, they build a lot faster. This can make them prone to swarming a lot faster than say Italians. Seems like this isn't everyone's experience with Russians but that seems to be a common trait. A coworker of mine has them and chose them because we have a short season that get's started late. His Russians are typical to their description so they get started late which works perfectly for him. Year after year they swarm several times, which he doesn't mind as he likes to contribute to the feral bee community. Personally I would like to have Russians in the next hive I get. Hopefully over the years I will be able to get good genetic diversity in my hives but would love to see if I notice a difference between the two while they are a pure strain.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Rusty Hills Farm said:


> They can make dozens. And yes, you can move the individual capped cells into nucs/queen castles to start new hives. There are lots of videos out there showing how it is done. I do believe FatBeeMan has at least one! There is a queen rearing forum here on BS with lots of info on the whole process and many different ways to do it.
> 
> And now I am gonna go crash!
> 
> ...


Thanks for all your help! I forgot to mention, do the plans for the hives include finger joints? scallawa had brought up a good point haha.



brownbuff75 said:


> "How are the temperaments between the two? And how far apart do you keep the two hives? Wouldn't they interbreed?
> Is having large amount of propolis good?
> 
> 
> ...


That's true, since all animals have distinct personalities. Wouldn't they try robbing each other when in close distance like that? What about in the future if you plan on selling off one or more of your hives, are mixbreeds worth more or less? Thanks!



scallawa said:


> No, but I have built hive components. I am not a skilled woodworker but the pieces I have built have turned out nice.
> 
> I don't know if I will build any of the boxes(deeps, mediums) from scratch. I like the idea of having the finger joints and I don't have the equipment to accomplish those cuts nicely on my own. It also seems like it would take a fair amount of time and wouldn't be worth it for me, unless I was doing it for fun(that's my I probably will someday clause). If I was ordering my stuff online, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase the disassembled boxes and put them together myself. I have access to an air nail gun and glue. I watched one of my supers being assembled and it was pretty simple. My next project will likely be building a ventilated inner cover.
> 
> ...


Neither do I, but I'm hoping the tools won't be too costly and hopefully they'll pay for themselves in the future. If not, hopefully I can borrow some of them from someone.

I essentially like all animals haha. I'm majoring in zoology in the fall and it's going to be hard to pick my concentration. And I can see why you wouldn't like them messing with your hives.

I didn't mean that they were the best, I meant they were the ones most commonly kept after reading that article. Before I get any bees I'll put in more research and then check out an individual colony before buying. So would I! It would be interesting to see if there are any differences between the comb, and any other differences haha.


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## sweetas (Apr 16, 2012)

Yes, it does cost money which most don't want to spend.

As it is a hobby, do a cost comparison. ten pin bowling, ball, shoes, maybe a uniform, ongoing game costs. FISHING: rod real, boat etc, how much does the fish eaten cost, $500-$2000 per kilo if you are lucky. 

Spend what you can or have to and enjoy.

Geoff


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## sweetas (Apr 16, 2012)

When I did my first extraction, I got 70 kg. I thought , what am I going to with that much. I managed to spill 20 kg so that reduced it. Yes I do sell honey. At work, local shops, neighbours ( give some sell some) .

I've sold about 1200 kg in the last three months, so yes you can get id of it.

Geoff


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

ENo need for finger joints if you make your own equipment I make all mine on a simple table saw


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I went in with my cousin on purchasing a guys equipment in the spring. My dads hives didn't make it through the winter and I wanted to help him get some more bees. It was 12 bottoms and tops and 40 boxes, all 8 frame medium. Plus there were some 4x4s and cinder blocks for stands. There were 6 hives with bees, but they were not long for this world. Two had less than a handful of bees in them. The stuff was all commercial grade, most of it unpainted. We got the whole lot for around $400. Four hives made it and now have been split bringing it to eight. With the increases in the hives and the splits they have had to start making more boxes. If you are not in a hurry you can find deals. The only bad thing with the deal was that it was all 8 frame medium and his existing stuff was 10 frame with deep brood boxes. The upshot was after working those smaller boxes he has no want to go back to the bigger boxes and will probably end up getting rid of that gear through selling splits and nucs down the road.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

If you can do a little basic woodworking, and are willing to do some scrounging, recycling, and swarm collecting - and you don't get in a big hurry for instant gratification - you can start with Langstroth hives for little more than the cost of frames. You can have sellable amounts of honey in 2-3 years, and operate in the black from then on.

Or the sky is the limit on what you can spend, and you may never get out of the red - which is fine if that is what you want.

If I had no need or desire to make a profit, I think I could have enough fun to satisfy my itch with around 5 hives. But I could also make a thousand or so dollars a year off of 5 good hives. It all depends on what you try to do.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

The fun thing for me was once I got into the bees I realized I like making the hives. My skills were bad, and they still are not great, but I'm getting better and having fun with it.


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## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

> Thanks for all your help! I forgot to mention, do the plans for the hives include finger joints? scallawa had brought up a good point haha.


No, which is why I chose them. I use rabbet joints and find they work quite well and are much easier to make. I've used them for years and the boxes do hold up. I stopped for a few years and am just getting back in, so I'm going with what has worked for me in the past. I've never had a deep box with rabbet joints fail on me. 

Good luck and enjoy your new hobby!

Rusty


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Be sure to check your local Craigslist for almost new equipment for sale. I am seeing signs of the beekeeping mania finally starting to dwindle. It has had a good run since 2006 and millions of boxes will be for sale over the next few years.


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## Dunkel (Jun 12, 2009)

Nick, how far into beekeeping are you thinking into going. I think for just starting up I would do what odfrank talked about by keeping an eye on craigslist or local classifieds. I might even post a looking for etc. If you could get in touch some local beekeeps it would be a plus. They may have some extra equipment that would get you going to see how it works for you. Some people jump in and find out its not for them.

On the topic of making your own equipment, except for a topbar hive, which I know nothing about, I'd stick to 10 frame bought deeps and frames. I can't buy the materials and save much since I don't have acess to cheap enough wood the right size. What I can scrap out, is tops and bottom boards with a pretty good savings. But for the first two I would plan on buying. Starting them out is alot of assembly on the frames and depending on the foundation some extra work. Not bad and pretty fun for the first ones. Gets to be about as much fun as cleaning the toliet after a while though.

Good luck with learning about bees and finish up school. You'll need a good job to continue with bees if you get hooked.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Dunkel said:


> Gets to be about as much fun as cleaning the toliet after a while though.


Funny, I don't mind making hives, but for some reason I can't stand assembling hives. I guess it isn't just me. But I don't mind cutting bars for my top bar hives at all. I don't recommend top bars for new beekeepers. Everyone you meet will criticize your decision to go with top bars, and there is a very steep learning curve that is rather unforgiving. Now if you can get a mentor that has top bars that is another thing.


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## Wolfer (Jul 15, 2012)

I don't enjoy assembling frames either. There are two feed stores nearby that sell bee stuff ready to go. Some of it is branded Walter T Kelley. The price is about the same as Kelleys after shipping unless you buy a lot.
I just buy one or two at a time as I need them.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Yes, the last time I needed frames I bought assembled frames from Kelly. I think it was a buck more per frame, but I didn't have the patience to put them together. Plus I like there foundationless frames. I need a kid that is good for something besides playing video games to do stuff like that.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

wengeasley said:


> I personally think its expensive. I have 2 hives and have spent $1000 so far.


Now those were the days. I have spent 70k this year. Between a forklift and another 100 hives it has added up.


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## nobull56 (Mar 30, 2013)

Well young man, I started this year with one hive and one nuc placed in my new equipment. After a eBay bee suit and books I was in for about $600.

What I wish now I would've done is this. Buy an bee jacket and hood and go on hive inspections with either a bee club or a bee master/mentor.

I'll stick it out, but what I see a lot of the bee students in my class doing is dropping out! A lot of them spent money and then discovered all them little stinging bugs weren't for them! If I would've been inside the boxes before starting my own hives I would've had the experience to make different decisions on my purchases.

I'm not sure if the other respondents have made it clear to you but the height of frames are generally three different sizes. 1 deep frames. 2 medium frames. 3 shallow frames.
You can buy unassembled frame parts from Man Lake for about $2.15 each. Or they'll sell you 20 assembled for about $2.40 each. Mostly it doesn't matter which size the cost is close to the same. If you have access to a table saw and can salvage the wood using rabbit joints it will cost you under five dollars per box for the outside structure. So $25 for frame and foundation +5 dollars will give you an average cost of $30 for each expansion box.

If you can go to five different bee yards you will see 10 or more different configurations of beehives. When you pick up a 10 frame deep full brood or full of honey then people saying it weighs 70+ pounds is real! Seeing a healthy hive with two deeps and a medium next to another healthy hive with three or four mediums will start your brain to working.

Have fun


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## brownbuff75 (Jul 1, 2013)

"Wouldn't they try robbing each other when in close distance like that? What about in the future if you plan on selling off one or more of your hives, are mixbreeds worth more or less"

You do run the risk of robbing no matter the distance between the hives, but there are measures that you can do to help prevent it such as puting entrence reducers during dearths and on weak hives(less space for the bees to guard). I have also read that carnis are less prone to robbing then others. Why I dont know and I'm not sure if its true or not. I haven't really had issue with robbing with my Italians either so...... 

As far as "mutt" worth.... It depends on what people are looking for. Just like with animals, I'm sure there are people out there who only want "pure breed" bees(which I would bet it would truely be hard to find or at least expensive), but I think that your bee hobbiest type people want bees that are going to survive year after year, are gentle, and will produce honey(at least this is what I look for). These people wont nesissarily care about breed for the most part. If you do plan on selling different breeds there are things you can to help keep a genetic line going, like having serveral bee yards away from each other.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

sweetas said:


> When I did my first extraction, I got 70 kg. I thought , what am I going to with that much. I managed to spill 20 kg so that reduced it. Yes I do sell honey. At work, local shops, neighbours ( give some sell some) .
> 
> I've sold about 1200 kg in the last three months, so yes you can get id of it.
> 
> Geoff


Wow, that's a lot! I think when I produce excess honey I'll probably sell it if there isn't much of a hassle.



Harley Craig said:


> ENo need for finger joints if you make your own equipment I make all mine on a simple table saw


I need to get a table saw in the future! Haha



shannonswyatt said:


> I went in with my cousin on purchasing a guys equipment in the spring. My dads hives didn't make it through the winter and I wanted to help him get some more bees. It was 12 bottoms and tops and 40 boxes, all 8 frame medium. Plus there were some 4x4s and cinder blocks for stands. There were 6 hives with bees, but they were not long for this world. Two had less than a handful of bees in them. The stuff was all commercial grade, most of it unpainted. We got the whole lot for around $400. Four hives made it and now have been split bringing it to eight. With the increases in the hives and the splits they have had to start making more boxes. If you are not in a hurry you can find deals. The only bad thing with the deal was that it was all 8 frame medium and his existing stuff was 10 frame with deep brood boxes. The upshot was after working those smaller boxes he has no want to go back to the bigger boxes and will probably end up getting rid of that gear through selling splits and nucs down the road.


That's a pretty good deal, congrats!



David LaFerney said:


> If you can do a little basic woodworking, and are willing to do some scrounging, recycling, and swarm collecting - and you don't get in a big hurry for instant gratification - you can start with Langstroth hives for little more than the cost of frames. You can have sellable amounts of honey in 2-3 years, and operate in the black from then on.
> 
> Or the sky is the limit on what you can spend, and you may never get out of the red - which is fine if that is what you want.
> 
> If I had no need or desire to make a profit, I think I could have enough fun to satisfy my itch with around 5 hives. But I could also make a thousand or so dollars a year off of 5 good hives. It all depends on what you try to do.


I don't think I'll do swarm collecting (if by that you mean catching wild bees) during my first beekeeping experience. I'll probably wait until I have a bit experience first haha. I'll probably build all my own hives except for frames and see how it goes from there. That's a good amount of money coming from just a hobby haha.



shannonswyatt said:


> The fun thing for me was once I got into the bees I realized I like making the hives. My skills were bad, and they still are not great, but I'm getting better and having fun with it.


I think it'll be good to build my own hives since it'll help me get 'handy man' experience and such haha. And who knows it could be fun! Haha.



Rusty Hills Farm said:


> No, which is why I chose them. I use rabbet joints and find they work quite well and are much easier to make. I've used them for years and the boxes do hold up. I stopped for a few years and am just getting back in, so I'm going with what has worked for me in the past. I've never had a deep box with rabbet joints fail on me.
> 
> Good luck and enjoy your new hobby!
> 
> Rusty


Oh okay thanks! You helped me out a lot!



odfrank said:


> Be sure to check your local Craigslist for almost new equipment for sale. I am seeing signs of the beekeeping mania finally starting to dwindle. It has had a good run since 2006 and millions of boxes will be for sale over the next few years.


I still have quite a few years and such but I'll keep an eye out! Thanks!



Dunkel said:


> Nick, how far into beekeeping are you thinking into going. I think for just starting up I would do what odfrank talked about by keeping an eye on craigslist or local classifieds. I might even post a looking for etc. If you could get in touch some local beekeeps it would be a plus. They may have some extra equipment that would get you going to see how it works for you. Some people jump in and find out its not for them.
> 
> On the topic of making your own equipment, except for a topbar hive, which I know nothing about, I'd stick to 10 frame bought deeps and frames. I can't buy the materials and save much since I don't have acess to cheap enough wood the right size. What I can scrap out, is tops and bottom boards with a pretty good savings. But for the first two I would plan on buying. Starting them out is alot of assembly on the frames and depending on the foundation some extra work. Not bad and pretty fun for the first ones. Gets to be about as much fun as cleaning the toliet after a while though.
> 
> Good luck with learning about bees and finish up school. You'll need a good job to continue with bees if you get hooked.


I'm not exactly sure, still too early to tell, but I'm planning to have a pretty big garden so I wouldn't mind having 2-3 hives or even more. Yup, I'll be taking his advice! Where I currently work there's also an apiary nearby so I'll stop by there Monday to get some more information.

What exactly is a topbar hive? I'm still debating if I should buy my first two or just one and then build the rest and all.

Thanks!



shannonswyatt said:


> Funny, I don't mind making hives, but for some reason I can't stand assembling hives. I guess it isn't just me. But I don't mind cutting bars for my top bar hives at all. I don't recommend top bars for new beekeepers. Everyone you meet will criticize your decision to go with top bars, and there is a very steep learning curve that is rather unforgiving. Now if you can get a mentor that has top bars that is another thing.


What exactly are topbars and why do people dislike them? I'm hoping to get a mentor in the future! If I find one that is haha.



Wolfer said:


> I don't enjoy assembling frames either. There are two feed stores nearby that sell bee stuff ready to go. Some of it is branded Walter T Kelley. The price is about the same as Kelleys after shipping unless you buy a lot.
> I just buy one or two at a time as I need them.


Yea, I heard frames are a hassle to put together and such, but I think I'll buy them already assembled.



nobull56 said:


> Well young man, I started this year with one hive and one nuc placed in my new equipment. After a eBay bee suit and books I was in for about $600.
> 
> What I wish now I would've done is this. Buy an bee jacket and hood and go on hive inspections with either a bee club or a bee master/mentor.
> 
> ...


That doesn't sound too bad! And congrats on your first year!

I'm still trying to look for a bee club near my area but to no avail. I'm hoping when I go to college they will.
Didn't know that. I thought the brood boxes were one size and then supers could be smaller or the same size.
Oh okay thanks!
I'll try doing that, thanks!

Thanks and you too!



brownbuff75 said:


> "Wouldn't they try robbing each other when in close distance like that? What about in the future if you plan on selling off one or more of your hives, are mixbreeds worth more or less"
> 
> You do run the risk of robbing no matter the distance between the hives, but there are measures that you can do to help prevent it such as puting entrence reducers during dearths and on weak hives(less space for the bees to guard). I have also read that carnis are less prone to robbing then others. Why I dont know and I'm not sure if its true or not. I haven't really had issue with robbing with my Italians either so......
> 
> As far as "mutt" worth.... It depends on what people are looking for. Just like with animals, I'm sure there are people out there who only want "pure breed" bees(which I would bet it would truely be hard to find or at least expensive), but I think that your bee hobbiest type people want bees that are going to survive year after year, are gentle, and will produce honey(at least this is what I look for). These people wont nesissarily care about breed for the most part. If you do plan on selling different breeds there are things you can to help keep a genetic line going, like having serveral bee yards away from each other.


I've read that also, but I've also read that Italians are more prone to it, but as you said before, each colony is different.
That's true, it would just be nice to have different sub species and then see how they differ and all haha.

I've been thinking of that in the future, if I'll be able to ask other land owners who have gardens if I could place a hive there while I still have hives own my own property and all. It would be interesting to see how each of the honey taste would differ and the honey production among the different sub species.

Thanks!


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Well, langs technically have top bars (the top bar of the frame) but I was referring to top bars for top bar hives. A top bar hive looks like a feed trough and has bars on the top. The bees cannot move up and down, only front to back as the top bars close the hive off. The advantage of top bar hives is they are simple and inexpensive. The bad part of top bars are there is no standard, so you pretty much have to make your own stuff. There is no practical way to extract honey (I know, it can be done, but it is hard) so you have to crush and strain your honey. Also since there is no frame the comb is prone to collapse when manipulating comb, particularly fresh comb. You don't get as much honey from a top bar hive either. But in a top bar the bees pull their own comb so they get to do what they want. It is way easy to put a window in a top bar and get an observation hive. If you put a window in a standard lang you are either looking at the end of the bars or the last piece of comb. Both of those get little traffic. A top bar is a nice hive for a back yard, but it is hard to do any commercial work with them. There are some folks that have lots of them and sell honey, pollinate, etc, but if you are doing that with a top bar you are probably doing it to be different or prove something. You would not be doing it to be the most productive. A lang is a honey making box, and the fact that it can be suppered makes it great as it is a continually expanding system. I have a poor back, so lifting suppers isn't something that I need to be doing.


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## nobull56 (Mar 30, 2013)

Nick you've given us a lot of fun on this thread. 

If you can't find a be club find beekeepers! If you have your own jacket and hood you can find the oldest guy that's nice and offer to help him once in a while.

You might want to go to YouTube and watch videos on skeps. This was the old kill and crush way bees were kept. If the bees have a home they like they will fill it with comb lay brood and keep honey. The bees will put brood in any size of box and surround the brood with honey and pollen. We beekeepers try to manipulate the different configurations according to our opinions and experience.

Thanks for going through all these posts and acknowledging everyone!

See you're already having fun!!


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

nobull56 said:


> You might want to go to YouTube and watch videos on skeps. This was the old kill and crush way bees were kept. If the bees have a home they like they will fill it with comb lay brood and keep honey.


But do note that modern day law in the US requires bees be inspectable - thus skeps are illegal to use. (Note NoBull56 said "old" way)

There are lots of good beginner bee books that talk about equipment and stuff you ought to know before you get your first bees. Beekeeping for Dummies is a good one and rest assured Dummy would not be in the title if the book were not part of a series. If you are more scientifically minded try The Beekeepers Handbook, now in its fourth edition.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

shannonswyatt said:


> Well, langs technically have top bars (the top bar of the frame) but I was referring to top bars for top bar hives. A top bar hive looks like a feed trough and has bars on the top. The bees cannot move up and down, only front to back as the top bars close the hive off. The advantage of top bar hives is they are simple and inexpensive. The bad part of top bars are there is no standard, so you pretty much have to make your own stuff. There is no practical way to extract honey (I know, it can be done, but it is hard) so you have to crush and strain your honey. Also since there is no frame the comb is prone to collapse when manipulating comb, particularly fresh comb. You don't get as much honey from a top bar hive either. But in a top bar the bees pull their own comb so they get to do what they want. It is way easy to put a window in a top bar and get an observation hive. If you put a window in a standard lang you are either looking at the end of the bars or the last piece of comb. Both of those get little traffic. A top bar is a nice hive for a back yard, but it is hard to do any commercial work with them. There are some folks that have lots of them and sell honey, pollinate, etc, but if you are doing that with a top bar you are probably doing it to be different or prove something. You would not be doing it to be the most productive. A lang is a honey making box, and the fact that it can be suppered makes it great as it is a continually expanding system. I have a poor back, so lifting suppers isn't something that I need to be doing.


Didn't know that, heard the term top bar hives before but didn't know they were like that, thanks!



nobull56 said:


> Nick you've given us a lot of fun on this thread.
> 
> If you can't find a be club find beekeepers! If you have your own jacket and hood you can find the oldest guy that's nice and offer to help him once in a while.
> 
> ...


Haha, you guys have given me plenty of info! And hopefully I'll be able to find either or. Actually there's an apiary near my place where a nature center has a few beehives so I think I'll just stop by today haha.

No problem, and thanks! I am haha



Andrew Dewey said:


> But do note that modern day law in the US requires bees be inspectable - thus skeps are illegal to use. (Note NoBull56 said "old" way)
> 
> There are lots of good beginner bee books that talk about equipment and stuff you ought to know before you get your first bees. Beekeeping for Dummies is a good one and rest assured Dummy would not be in the title if the book were not part of a series. If you are more scientifically minded try The Beekeepers Handbook, now in its fourth edition.


I've seen skeps before in cartoons and such as a kid, but never in real life. And honestly I don't like the way it looks much so it doesn't bother me haha. 

I have quite a few years before I have my own bees and I'll be reading as many books as I can! I'm already planning to go to the library and get 'Beekeeping for Dummies' and another one which I forgot the name of. I'll get 'The Beekeepers Handbook' too, thanks!


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## bbrowncods (Oct 10, 2012)

Nick,

I researched for a good year before I bought a thing. Joining the local club really helped alot. I don't pretend to know a lot but here are a few ideas that helped me.

Buy the same equipment your local club members run, especially if you have a mentor. Use what they have. That way you guys can swap frames, brood, capped pollen/honey, etc. A great help when starting out!

We have a local guy that sells wooden ware. Really top notch wood (no knots, through dovetail joins). I like supporting a local small business.

The club has extracting equipment for free if you are a member ($20.00/ year).

Bees - People call the club all the time to come get these killer "hornets" out of my tree!- Free bees! Well, except for the sweat equity.

So for a single 8 frame hive w/ three mediums, frames and foundation, feeder (with a deep box to cover it), SBB, telescoping cover, inner cover, and paint, all comes to $137.00/hive. I built a stand from cinder block and 4x4's for $20.00. Plus your tools and clothing.

Pretty cheap hobby as far as hobbies go, and there is a potential for profit.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

bbrowncods said:


> Nick,
> 
> I researched for a good year before I bought a thing. Joining the local club really helped alot. I don't pretend to know a lot but here are a few ideas that helped me.
> 
> ...


I'll probably be researching quite a few years until I buy anything unless my parents let me get a hive on their property haha.

That's a great idea! I'm actually planning to join a club, but the only thing is I'll be going off to college soon so I won't have much access to anyone. Hopefully there's a club down there and even better an apiary at my college aha.

That's pretty cool! I don't think anyone around me sells wooden ware and such, but it's worth a look!

Lol, do you ever get called down and they're actually hornets? I want to wait a few years until I'm used to beekeeping before I actually go to calls and such haha.

That's a sweet deal! Did you use any plans at all? What is a telescoping cover if I may ask? And what tools did you use? 

Thanks and sorry for the amount of questions! I'll be heading out soon so sorry if I don't respond back for a while!


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Nick S. said:


> I need to get a table saw in the future! Haha


Proceed with caution. If you haven't been around power tools and you are all thumbs a table saw is a good way to lose one.

Do your research on beekeeping. Buy use equipment if you have to cut cost and ease into the hobby.


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## Virginiabees (Jul 19, 2013)

I studied information on the internet, built top bars from salvaged wood, caught swarms with a cardboard box, made a head net from my daughter's laundry bag, a bee brush from goose feathers. This is my first year beekeeping and I have four hives at mid-summer. Total cost, $0. Experience, priceless!


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

> .... Total cost, $0. Experience, priceless!

All very doable. How did you go about getting a smoker without purchasing one?


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## Virginiabees (Jul 19, 2013)

I've never used one. I guess you don't miss what you've never had. I'm probably too new to know what I'm missing. And when I do need one, I'll figure out how to make it. Then I'll always have one.


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## honeybeebee (Jan 27, 2013)

Macgiver could make one out of a coffee can, funnel, old bong, and some clothes hanger parts.....


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## Bob_in_Westsylvania (May 5, 2013)

Nick,

It is great to hear a young man with your passion. You have been given a lot of good advice here. Since your are off to college, the best thing you can do is research, research and research. Order all of the supplier's catalogs, read books (you don't have to buy them-- many state extension offices have some online or very reasonable--here is your first one from my state's extension office: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/agrs93.pdf; go to the public library and borrow them.) I started my research nearly a year ago, and we got our first bees in April, this year. The first book I borrowed from the library was Kim Flottom's Backyard Beekeeper. I borrowed it more than once and finally purchased it a few weeks ago. I think the library was getting tired me. Browse the internet for State bee associations and read there newsletter archives. Seek out a club near your college and attend the meetings. You may meet someone who could use some help with their bees and teach you in the process 

When you get those catalogs, build a wish list spreadsheet with a running cost total of what you want. You will soon learn the difference between what you want and what you need. Give each supplier a column in your spreadsheet and compare prices. 

Sign up for the newsletters, e-mails and special offers from the suppliers. Items go on sale from time to time and bargains can be gotten. 

You mentioned getting a table saw. Go to estate sales. I lucked out and got an old (very old) Craftsman for $5 a few years ago. It has sat unused in my garage since then. This summer I have tried to make a few things. Haven't done very well, yet, but I am learning and still have all 10 fingers.

Recently I found a seasoned beekeeper who makes and sells just about everything I have needed so far. Wish I had met him before I bought from the big guys. His prices are better, the quality is great (I've seen the lumber before it was cut), and there is no delivery charge. Plus I pick his brain every time I visit him. I'm old, but he is a lot older and has been keeping for a 1/2 century. He harvested over 5 tons of honey last year, so I think he knows what he doing. As you meet other beeks, you will find some of them build and sell equipment. I purchased a nuc this spring from a local sideliner (commercial operation, but works full time elsewhere). When I picked up the nuc, I marveled at his wood shop. Since he runs a hundred hives I assumed those stacks of boxes, bottom boards and tops were for his operation. His boxes were beautiful, with nicely cut handles and fingered corners. Last week I learned he sells that stuff. Who knew? So ask around at beek meetings, who has equipment, new or used for sale.
.
Now Nick, we expect you to report back regularly with your progress. BTW, where will you be going to college? If you said, I missed it.

Best of luck to you young man. I wish I had started with bees a few decades ago instead of waiting until I retired.


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## Nick S. (Jul 18, 2013)

Acebird said:


> Proceed with caution. If you haven't been around power tools and you are all thumbs a table saw is a good way to lose one.
> 
> Do your research on beekeeping. Buy use equipment if you have to cut cost and ease into the hobby.


Yea, I'll be pretty cautious, but thanks for warning! I'll be researching for quite a few years and hopefully join an association here and there to learn more. Thanks!



Virginiabees said:


> I studied information on the internet, built top bars from salvaged wood, caught swarms with a cardboard box, made a head net from my daughter's laundry bag, a bee brush from goose feathers. This is my first year beekeeping and I have four hives at mid-summer. Total cost, $0. Experience, priceless!


Nice! I'd love to try to harvest a swarm, but two concerns is the temperament of the bees and how the extraction of the bees themselves. I probably will buy my equipment here and there (Suit, head net), but I'll try making (brush, hive tool and possibly the hive) my own things whenever I can. But congrats!



Bob_in_Westsylvania said:


> Nick,
> 
> It is great to hear a young man with your passion. You have been given a lot of good advice here. Since your are off to college, the best thing you can do is research, research and research. Order all of the supplier's catalogs, read books (you don't have to buy them-- many state extension offices have some online or very reasonable--here is your first one from my state's extension office: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/agrs93.pdf; go to the public library and borrow them.) I started my research nearly a year ago, and we got our first bees in April, this year. The first book I borrowed from the library was Kim Flottom's Backyard Beekeeper. I borrowed it more than once and finally purchased it a few weeks ago. I think the library was getting tired me. Browse the internet for State bee associations and read there newsletter archives. Seek out a club near your college and attend the meetings. You may meet someone who could use some help with their bees and teach you in the process
> 
> ...


Thanks! And I will be researching, as much as I can! Haha. I'm planning to major in zoology with emphasis in entomology hopefully. Or neotropical mammology. Haha. I actually talked to a beekeeper at my local nature center today today and she loaned a book out to me called 'First Lessons in Beekeeping' and I'll be reading it today!

Hopefully in college they'll have a bee club or apiary that I can learn more about and hopefully gain experience. I'm actually going to start looking for a mentor haha.

Oh wow, that's a great deal! I wish I can get something that cheap. Haha

Woah, that's really cool! I'd love to learn from someone like that, and the beekeeper who I was talking to had a mentor who was 78 years old! It's really pretty cool, to me at least haha, that they're passing their beekeeping tips and the way they do things. I was hopefully planning on doing that, probably get a much better price haha.

I will! Haha. I'll be going to SIUC!

Thanks and you too!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Acebird said:


> Proceed with caution. If you haven't been around power tools and you are all thumbs a table saw is a good way to lose one.


Watch out for manually operated kitchen devices too. I sliced off the corner of my third finger w/ a potatoe slicer this past Spring. I used to say that power tools help you make mistakes faster. That chip maker was pretty fast. Ouch!!


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

honeybeebee said:


> Macgiver could make one out of a coffee can, funnel, old bong, and some clothes hanger parts.....


Seriously, you can make a smoker out of a corn cob. The only draw back is how long it last.


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## Bob_in_Westsylvania (May 5, 2013)

Acebird said:


> Seriously, you can make a smoker out of a corn cob. The only draw back is how long it last.


Like a corn cob pipe? How would you puff it?

Bob


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

You never tried a corn cob pipe?


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## chrisaukcam (Jun 5, 2013)

I am a newbie, but don't have much invested. There is a factory that I pass up on the way home and they have old lumber out back from packing crates, etc. Lots of planks and so forth. So I stop by on Fridays and accumulate pieces that I can use. I did build one top bar hive to get into the swing of things. Free except for the wood screws. I got my smoker from ebay. I got a veil from amazon. Got a white shirt from the thrift store and use and old pair of off white Khaki's. Oh and pair of white cotton gloves from K-mart. So the biggest expense was the package of bee's. The other stuff, well under $50. If I get bigger, I might invest in a bee suit. 

Plans for next season are to spend the winter building some Langstrom's style hive bodies. Reason being that I am gathering from lurking on this site that for production, they are the way to go. I like to do it myself (and the wood is free) but frames seem real cheap from suppliers. Seems like you can order them and it would be a big time saver from doing all the labor yourself. Anyway plan to expand 3-5 more hives next season and see what it takes to manage them. And from there who knows. Plan to retire in about 5 years so it might be a nice sideline to make some extra pocket money + keep me busy.


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