# New in Amarillo, Tx



## ramdisk (Feb 10, 2015)

Is there anyone in the Amarillo, Texas area that would be willing to help my wife and I with our bee-venture? We have a 3lb package of bees scheduled to be delivered in May and want to make sure we are ready to go when they get here. Current thoughts are a 10 frame Mann Lake hive kit. This comes with a brood box and some start-up accessories. From our research it looks like we will also need to get at least a medium super to go on top of it. 
Nick & Christina


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Welcome to BeeSource and a great hobby! Most folks recommend at least three medium supers per hive so the bees don't run out of room and swarm. That three supers assumes at least one deep brood box, if you go all mediums due to weight issues of a deep full of bees, brood, and honey, you would probably want six or seven mediums for a medium only hive. Lots of different configurations--about as many as there are bee keepers! Good luck with your bee adventure!


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## ramdisk (Feb 10, 2015)

Thanks for the info! So you would recommend the brood box and 3 medium supers to start? And grow to 6-7 supers after that? Would you recommend a queen excluder and would that go in 2-3 supers up from the bottom?


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## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

Hello. 
I don't know what your ant situation is. You probably have a few types of ants is my thoughts since your in Texas. I poured a concrete slab today with embedded black pipe from Lowes. The pipe stand has 4 legs with 2" PVC caps that are drilled, so that the caps can slide up the legs. This is for grease. I will pack the PVC caps with grease and coat the legs with grease too.






, My stand is up off the ground a ways so I don't have to bend over. I can move boxes off the hive and set them on the stand very conveniently. I have a bad back, so doing this helps me tremendously. 
You can watch videos 24/7 on YouTube, but what you'll find most valuable is talking 1 on 1 with a bee keeper. If you have a club, join and hopefully they'll have something like they do in Central Texas a day of working putting together bee hives. You see stuff online and wonder what that actually is and by golly you'll learn first hand. I must have wired up 150 frames in 3 hours. 
Bee keeping is not all the same, it's different up North then it is in the South. 
Liberty Hill Texas (N.W. Austin)
Zak


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## BenW (Jan 27, 2014)

HI Ramdisk,

I live in Borger, and started my first hives last year. I started with 3 packages, and that has turned into 5 hives that so far have overwinterd very well. If you are using the "deep" hive kit, I installed my first packages on April 16th, and was adding second deep hive bodies by the middle of June. That was enough equipment/supers to last me through the rest of the year (even though they probably could have done more if I had left them alone). 

I think your plan with the medium super could work well, my only concern would be that 1 medium might not be quite enough. Maybe consider a second deep, or a couple mediums.


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## BenW (Jan 27, 2014)

Hopefully you could see 6-7 eventually, but I wouldn't count on it this year.

I have only used queen excluders incorrectly so far, but I would like to use them to insure the honey isolated. Worth a try at least!


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome Nick & Christina! If you put all those supers on before they need it you will be buying bees again next spring to replace your dead hives. By need it I mean 70 to 80 percent of the frames they have are full of brood or food. Too much for them to heat, cool, humiidify, and defend and you will be frustrated too!


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## ramdisk (Feb 10, 2015)

What does everyone think of the Mann Lake HK170 10-Frame Kit? I was thinking of using this as the base brood box. To start when my bees get here in May, would I go with a second deep brood box and a medium super with a queen excluder between the brood boxes and super? The plus side for me with the Mann Lake boxes is I can get more pretty quickly with 2 day shipping if I need them.


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## nater37 (Aug 15, 2013)

ramdisk said:


> What does everyone think of the Mann Lake HK170 10-Frame Kit? I was thinking of using this as the base brood box. To start when my bees get here in May, would I go with a second deep brood box and a medium super with a queen excluder between the brood boxes and super? The plus side for me with the Mann Lake boxes is I can get more pretty quickly with 2 day shipping if I need them.


It will work just fine. You will be a few weeks before they have comb built for the queen to even lay. That will give you time to catch some supers on sale or build them. There are a few guys here in Amarillo that say 1 deep and a super is all you need for winter. But, this year they are scratching there heads, cause there bees are already pushing brood like no other and going through the honey stores since it is so warm. I think you will be just fine with 2 deeps.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

The Mann Lake kit is fine. By three supers and a brood box, I meant eventually you'll need them, not all at once. Once the deep has 7 or 8 frames drawn and brood in them, you can add a super. Once it is 7-8 frames fully drawn, add another super unless you have a monster nectar flow and then you could add two supers. The number 6-7 supers would only be if you were going to use medium boxes only, for brood and supers. The queen excluder is a personal thing, some use them, some don't, for numerous reasons. I sometimes use them for catching swarms when I want to be sure the queen stays in the box so they won't leave (I put it under the box so she can't leave-leave it for 2-3 days then remove) but I don't usually use one on the hives. I let the queen lay where she wants. Sorry if I confused you, I know you're getting information overload the first year and want to do everything correctly. The bees will usually work it out no matter what we do.


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## ramdisk (Feb 10, 2015)

Basic Hive kit (1 deep body 10 frame + tops, bottom, etc) ordered. Just under 2 months until the bees get here; so still time to get everything lined out and ready before they arrive. Thanks for the help so far!


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## glassman (Dec 15, 2011)

There is going to be a bee school in Amarillo on monday the 16th starting at 8:30 in the morning, By bees are coming from Edgewood NM. and the suppliers are putting on the class. According to their website it is free but you have to RSVP. nmhoney.com is their website for the location and times.


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## ramdisk (Feb 10, 2015)

AWESOME!! Thanks glassman!! I just got signed up!


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## glassman (Dec 15, 2011)

Glad I could help Ya . Wish I could be there.


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