# New Guy from the Pacific Northwest



## fruitveggirl (Mar 8, 2013)

flylooper said:


> I'm a little intimidated with all the info that's out there, some of it conflicting, but I hope that by hanging out here I can form some good practices and be successful at it.


You're not alone. They say that if you ask 5 beekeepers a question, you'll get 6 answers.  I'm starting to realize that the variations are because so much of beekeeping is specific to a locale. Even a few miles can make a difference sometimes. I have beekeeping friends who live an hour away, and we experience vastly different temperatures, weather, flows, etc.

Anyway, welcome to BeeSource. Good luck with your new hobby!


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## flylooper (Oct 14, 2014)

fruitveggirl said:


> You're not alone. They say that if you ask 5 beekeepers a question, you'll get 6 answers.  I'm starting to realize that the variations are because so much of beekeeping is specific to a locale. Even a few miles can make a difference sometimes. I have beekeeping friends who live an hour away, and we experience vastly different temperatures, weather, flows, etc.
> 
> Anyway, welcome to BeeSource. Good luck with your new hobby!


Thanks for the greeting. I checked out your blog. Fun reading.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

I am just up north of you, when are you taking me over to the Deschutes? 
Welcome, it was a frustrating start because everybody told me something different. I would almost think that if I were doing it again I would have tried to use more of the same type of gear. Start with no fewer than 2 hives so you can have the bees help each other.


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## flylooper (Oct 14, 2014)

minz said:


> I am just up north of you, when are you taking me over to the Deschutes?
> Welcome, it was a frustrating start because everybody told me something different. I would almost think that if I were doing it again I would have tried to use more of the same type of gear. Start with no fewer than 2 hives so you can have the bees help each other.


Minz...

I don't fish over there as much as I'd like for the reason it's so far from here. It's a great river for steelies but I get my fill of them on the Middle Fork of the Willamette and out coastal rivers, so it's not like I'm climbing the walls to fish for steelhead. 

My plan is to start with one hive (a deep and a super). I'm hoping I get them through my first year. I still need a super/frames to buy and I think probably a screened floorboard. 

My question: Why should I go with 2 hives, in your opinion?


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## Duncan MacLeod (Jul 24, 2014)

My question: Why should I go with 2 hives, in your opinion?[/QUOTE]

Welcome, from another PNW'er and flyfisherperson. I'm over in Yakima, WA, where I can fish and keep bees. As you've been warned already, get ready for a whole mess of variety of opinion and approach. it's fun to sort it all out, and frustrating, too. So what follows is one man's opinion..

I like the 2 hive suggestion and will make the argument for going with all medium boxes. Doing everything with mediums allows you to move frames around (honey, pollen, brood, larvae...who cares!) to wherever you need them. Simplifies your equipment assembly, purchasing, etc. And since you are probably only planning on some hobby hives, you don't need to worry about scaling that stuff up or selling nucs or any of that business. The mediums are lighter to move, and the ability to change frames around is pretty great. 

Having two hives lets you maximize for health, gives you some backup if a hive begins to fail, and is just as easy as one, really. 

Anyway, tight lines, neighbor, and happy bee planning!
Kind Regards,
Duncan


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## Beeonefarms (Nov 22, 2013)

BeeSource welcomes you . So good luck with your new way of life. 
Take time to enjoy

Beeonefarms


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

Welcome Flylooper! It does all seem overwhelming at first to all of us. My recommendation to any first year beek is to try one system (any book or teachers method) and do that the first year. After that, decide what worked, what can you make easier or better, and what did not work. Before my first year I read maybe 7 different books, all with different approaches to the same hobby. They all work but you need to find out what works best for you in your area. Each year you will learn more and get better and better and keep a journal with dates. Memory is not always accurate from year to year and a journal really helps.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome Bob!


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## rsderrick (May 7, 2006)

Welcome Bob....glad to have you aboard!


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

Duncan's advice is sound.


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## bbruff22 (Dec 24, 2013)

Riverderwent said:


> Duncan's advice is sound.


+1, and welcome from a first year beek. If they open a forum on how to retire in a beautiful area, you should be an expert there...well played.


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## flylooper (Oct 14, 2014)

Many thanks to all for your responses. I feel welcome indeed.

I can see that this, like any other hobby (such as fishing), can start getting expensive, at least as one initially sets up his apiary. 

Duncan wrote:


> I like the 2 hive suggestion and will make the argument for going with all medium boxes. Doing everything with mediums allows you to move frames around (honey, pollen, brood, larvae...who cares!) to wherever you need them.


I've purchased my first deep and frames, along with some clothes, tool, and smoker. But I think I'm going to look around for some plans on the internet and make my own Western or medium supers. I like the idea of all-mediums, but since I own it, I'll go ahead and use the deep I have for a brood box. It'll keep me busy over the rainy season and I can save some money in the process. 

Dudelt wrote:


> After that, decide what worked, what can you make easier or better, and what did not work. Before my first year I read maybe 7 different books, all with different approaches to the same hobby. They all work but you need to find out what works best for you in your area.


I will join the Willamette Valley Beekeepers Assoc. I actually took their beek course a couple of years ago but never followed through with a project.


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

flylooper said:


> Minz...
> 
> 
> 
> My question: Why should I go with 2 hives, in your opinion?


I was going to suggest mediums, but I did not know if you had your heart set on a nuc to get your bees in the spring. I suggest two hives because it keeps me from buying things, as mentioned you move frame of bees, pollen and open brood from one hive to the other. You can move eggs or open brood from one hive to the other and make your own queen or see if you are queenless. It gives you a good reference to gauge your existing hive, It allows you to tear your hive apart and look at them twice as much (just do one at a time). It doubles your ability to draw comb and survive a winter.
I build a lot of my own equipment. Table saw and a set of dato blades and you are set. Lots of jigs out there for making finger joints and a lot of arguments for using rabbits. The only thing this forum seems to agree on is titebond glue (and then the I, II or III gets hashed out every 6 months).:lpf:
Bee source has a build it yourself section:
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/10-frame-langstroth-barry-birkey/
also a Point of View section with lots of excellent articles.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Welcome to BeeSource! I make everything but frames and that's half the fun if you like to work with wood. Pick a size/style hive and keep them all the same so you can interchange parts, boxes, etc. You'll enjoy your new hobby. I retired a year ago and my hives are within 100 yards of the house so I check on them numerous times per day, especially during swarm season. It's surprising how much I missed every day before I retired! Good luck!


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Why should I go with 2 hives, in your opinion?

One of the most common issues is possible queenlessness. I say possible, because if they raise a new queen and she's not laying yet, it is very difficult to say with certainty that they are or are not queenless. If you have another hive to take a frame of open brood from, you can resolve such issues. Another is laying workers, and again, open brood from the other hive is the solution. Larry Connor has been suggesting 2 1/2 hives (2 hives and 1 nuc) for the same reason. You then have some room to adjust for problems. You have a nuc for "spare parts" and two hives in case one fails and also so you have a comparison between how one is doing and how the other is doing.


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## BGhoney (Sep 26, 2007)

Welcome, Just a little North of you. Good luck with whatever hive you choose


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## DirtyLittleSecret (Sep 10, 2014)

Welcome from sunny (soon wet) Sandy, OR!


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