# Hello, from a new beekeeper in Fullerton, California!



## Yaymy (Sep 8, 2014)

Hi all,

I'm a new beekeeper in Fullerton, CA (Southern CA, Zone 10). 

I'd been thinking about beekeeping for a very long time when I happened to discuss it with a colleague of mine who'd kept bees for years previously. He encouraged me to contact him when I was ready. When my close friends and neighbors discovered a nascent hive under an overturned polyurethane flower pot in their back yard that needed to be addressed, I decided that the time was exactly right. I got in touch with my then-retired colleague, and he advised me to visit our wonderful local beekeeping supply store in Fullerton. The gentleman there was overflowing with information and passionate about sharing it. My former colleague joined me to help attempt the rescue of the flower-pot hive, and the moving part was very successful, but ultimately it didn't take. It was a very small hive and we transferred them into a 10-frame Langstroth, keeping it within a foot or two of their original location. In retrospect, moving them into a 5-frame nuc and aggressively feeding would have been a much better move. They swarmed out three days later, and I wish them well. It was probably far too much territory for them to defend, despite the entrance reducer, and they couldn't hope to maintain a constant temperature in that giant cavern.

My dear beekeeper friend had already promised to find me a hive to replace my neighbor-sourced bees in the event they didn't stay. He came through, purchasing 3 nucs from a local beekeeper in Riverside. He kindly gave me the "strongest" of the three, and helped me transfer them into the 10-frame. Overall, they've been doing remarkably well since, and I adore them.

I've learned two concrete things thus far in my beekeeping experience: First, that learning about the tending of bees is a lifelong endeavor and that the knowledge required to do it well is an infinite journey. And second, that the intoxicating scent of a burgeoning hive is like nothing I've ever experienced, and I'm quite addicted.

I'll post some of my questions and concerns in another post, but I wanted to introduce myself and say hello first 

Amy


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome Amy!


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## Steve56Ace (Sep 5, 2014)

Hello Amy from a newbee! One of the 1st things i learned was you will get stung!


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

Welcome from the SF bay area.


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## bbruff22 (Dec 24, 2013)

Welcome from NE Kansas Amy! I'm a newbee this season as well, and I'm hooked.


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## jfb58 (Sep 10, 2013)

Hi Amy, 

I've been at it just over a year now, welcome to the forum, it's a great resource!

Don't neglect joining the local club, the Orange County Beekeeper's Association. It meets on the first Tuesday of the month at the OC fairgrounds, just off the 55 before you get to the beach. You just missed Randy Oliver who gave a great talk last Friday night. Unfortunately, I couldn't come the next day to a trip to a local apiary with him.

For me, the single most important task in hot dry SoCal is to find enough for the bees to eat. They seem to bring in pollen: I've heard that urban gardens favor mostly male plants, since they don't drop "messy" seed pods. Nectar is in short supply for at least 9 months out of the year, so if you want to keep the bees alive, be prepared to dump in the syrup until it starts raining. As you have already discovered, the "wild" bees seem to do just fine, so if you keep your ears open, you'll have a chance to harvest many more local hybrid survivors.

Don't put off getting a good, well ventilated bee suit--hot hungry bees be feisty!


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## Yaymy (Sep 8, 2014)

Thank you for the local info! Very helpful. I will join the OCBA, for sure. (I thought the Randy Oliver thing was on Saturday, or I might have made it!) I'm also planning on visiting with the "backwards beekeepers" folks at their next meeting in Silverlake. I'm entertaining guests at my home for another week, but after that I'll have a bit more time to go to bee club meetings. 



jfb58 said:


> Hi Amy,
> 
> I've been at it just over a year now, welcome to the forum, it's a great resource!
> 
> ...


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