# New beekeeper and new to forum



## rikbrooks (Mar 27, 2009)

Hi! I'm not only new to this forum but to beekeeping as well. I live in Mississippi but spend weekends on my 10 acre plot in Tennessee. It's right beside my father's fairly large farm.

I don't know what made me do it but last year I bought a beginner's beekeeping kit for my father for christmas. I figured at worst he wouldn't like it and I'd have to take it back. I'd put it beside one of his fields for pollination. So I read everything that I could on beekeeping. I bought several books and read articles on the internet.

I bought him a beginner's kit from Kelley Bees. He was thrilled! I mean like a little boy thrilled! So we signed up for a beginner's class in Jackson Tennessee and went to the all day class. Dad got his kit in and together we put it together and painted it. He ordered his bees and they'll be in soon.

I got so interested that yesterday I ordered the same kit for myself. I'm going to put a hive up beside my garden in my back yard. As soon as the kit gets in and I put it together I'm ordering my bees.

So that's my interest in bees. Other than that I am a computer programmer with 20 years experience. I'm married with grown kids who still live with me with THEIR kids (we are a tight southern family). I'm preparing my retirement in about 15 years.

What else? I'm an amateur magician and I'm building a cabin on my land. It's gonna be a cordwood construction cabin. Ummmm, my wife is really interested in doing homesteady kinds of things. We bake our own bread and make preserves, etc.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Congratulations and welcome to Beesource, and beekeeping! Sounds like a great time down there. You might consider ordering a package soon; they tend to sell out.


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## rikbrooks (Mar 27, 2009)

Ben Brewcat said:


> Congratulations and welcome to Beesource, and beekeeping! Sounds like a great time down there. You might consider ordering a package soon; they tend to sell out.


I will do that the moment that I get the hive in. I'd just hate to have the bees show up and no hive to put them in.


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## treebee (Mar 7, 2009)

*welcome*

Hello and welcome I too am new this year just starting out on a new farm and beeking. My wife has got it in her head to do a cordwood shed on our farm and I'll be interested in seeing how yours comes along, please post some progress reports (we're going to dry some logs this year and build next spring)This place is great. WELCOME John


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## Fred Bee (May 5, 2007)

Hello and welcome! As others have suggested you might want to check on availability of package bees as they are in great demand this time of year. I know you want to have your hive ready before ordering, but you may want to at least check from your bee supplier to make sure they will be available when you think you are going to need them. If you are getting your stuff from Kelley's, then they might be the ones to help you out. Of course there are other options too. Anyway, I am happy you've been "bit" by the "bee bug."  

Good luck and let us know if we can help.


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## rikbrooks (Mar 27, 2009)

treebee said:


> Hello and welcome I too am new this year just starting out on a new farm and beeking. My wife has got it in her head to do a cordwood shed on our farm and I'll be interested in seeing how yours comes along, please post some progress reports (we're going to dry some logs this year and build next spring)This place is great. WELCOME John


Cordwood is wonderfully inexpensive but labor intensive. We have about four cords of wood set aside which is about a quarter of what we want. We are going to you only cedar which makes the job take longer.

You can see the progress at www.texasmob.com/hawglot The oldest pictures are at the bottom.


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## paintingpreacher (Jul 29, 2006)

Hello there;; I am not for from you, located 20 miles east of Oxford in the Thaxton Community. I have friends that live in Olive Branch. Glad to hear about your new adventure. I know you will enjoy the bees. I have had bees for 40 years off and on and I learn something new about them every week. Good luck to you and your dad...


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