# How many of you started with just one hive?



## julieandwadeshelton (Oct 10, 2014)

I'm undecided about whether to start with 1 or 2. I will basically come down to finances. I know it is recommended to have 2 for comparisons, etc.. but how many of you just started with 1 and did it work out ok?


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## scorpionmain (Apr 17, 2012)

I did when I started.
I got lucky that it made it through the winter because of rookie mistakes & pipe dreams of being treatment free.
Really if you can, start with two. 
It increases you chances of having something survive, increases the resources you have to work with, and gives you something to compare progress to. 

(You might be able to do a split from to create a new queen & for a second hive if you can afford the equipment.)


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## trottet1 (Jul 18, 2013)

I started with 1 as well. It was also my major regret. It ended up ok but with a lot of unnecessary stress. It is not so much for comparison purposes, but more for resource purposes. Do yourself the favor and start with at least 2.


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## julieandwadeshelton (Oct 10, 2014)

Equipment is going to be the kicker.. I've had a couple people offer me the bees. I know there is a grant available, however I'm apprehensive. I would hate for something to happen, not have the hives in a year or so and be inspected and have to answer for it. A fellow in my town was recently inspected after receiving grant money a year or so ago.

How many problems would be associated with using used equipment? Or what do I need to look out for? I would love to get some boxes from somebody else before buying brand new..


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

I started with one colony. 
Get involved with a local club. While having two colonies provides resources that may increase the chances of survival - as scorpianmain noted - nearby club members may be able to do the same.

I've only bought used woodenware when I knew the seller and the story behind why it was being sold. Again, this is where being involved with a club may be helpful. It's one thing to buy from a fellow beek who is moving out of state, or a 4-H kid you mentored who has decided not to continue, but I'd be wary of buying from someone who I didn't know.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

I started with one, but I bought it as a double 8 frame deep. Could've split it right off the bat probably, but as long as the bees are doing well and if your location has good forage it's not an issue as you could probably make a split after a couple months. Multiple hives come in handy when trouble hits or if you rely on feeding heavily just to maintain. Honestly though, if finances are an issue, beekeeping isn't the best choice in hobbies unless you have resources to turn free wood into equipment, then go for it.


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## Mbalboa (Apr 21, 2014)

I started this year with just one hive. I think that was a mistake and wish I had started with more. Are you going to start with packages or nucs? I think that makes a difference. Since the nuc should already have a proven queen, there should be fewer potential queen issues than beginning with a package. I started with one package, it had a bad queen, and my inexperience (despite tons of research and reading prior to starting) caused me to take a while to requeen, at the expense of the colony. Hope that helps.


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## rweaver7777 (Oct 17, 2012)

I started with one that was given to me by another beekeeper. Basically did NOTHING to it for two years other than jar feeding. They were still going strong. I had left the top deep above the inner cover with an empty jar in there over the summer (told you I did NOTHING!). They built comb from the bottom up from the inner cover, and they were storing honey there. THere was a little bit of brood there (queen had evidently gotten in there above the bottom two deeps). Hive did great until I started paying more attention, and then the varroa got them. Can't say it was my intervention or it was just their time to go.

I don't recommend this approach. ;-)


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

I started with one and think it is a good way to start especially if you do not have a mentor to help you. If you do not have a mentor, you will not know what to do with the second hive if you have a problem. Reading and participating in this forum are good sources of information, but you still have to do the work yourself and without someone there to guide you. One hive is also a good start to see if you really want to continue on and expand. If finances are an issue, try building a top bar hive. Total cost for new materials, about $30.00 per hive. Minimal woodworking ability is needed.


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## JakeDatc (Apr 19, 2010)

started with one.. wish i had got 2 but that was the only swarm i got. Hopefully this spring i'll either split this one or maybe split off a nuc from a friend.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

I started with one in 2013 and a top bar hive to boot. Glad that I did because I don't think I could have handled all the bees otherwise. I am extremely comfortable with them now and have 5 hives this second year (all top bar). People do get the grant money from Virginia, but it takes a while to come through. I have heard that there is finding for 2015 as well.

I'm in the minority, but I prefer the top bar hive to a Lang (but then it's not about the honey for me). I have also started a local group just for topbar hive beekeepers so they can be of assistance in helping one another in the area. If you only have 1 Lang, you should be able to locate a mentor or other beekeeper in the area to help you out with an extra frame or brood, etc for what you might need if you only have the funds for one hive this year. Getting hooked up with a local club and making friends with those people is going to be your key to success whether you go with one hive or two.

Used equipment is not a good thing, especially for a newbie. No telling what disease might be lurking around in the wood. And if you do decide to do a topbar hive but don't want to build your own, I order mine for $150 each from Beeline Apiaries and Woodenware.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

In Virginia, as in Tennessee, you certainly don't need an inner/outer cover arrangement on wintering hives. So skip buying a complete hive kit, and instead just buy components. You can make a "migratory" style top covers out of some scrap plywood with a couple of shims glued on. Similarly, you can make your own bottom boards at a significant savings.

Take the money you have saved and use it to buy boxes & frames for _two _hives instead of one.

Tops and bottoms can be made with simple tools. A handsaw will work if that is all you have. For more savings, you could make hive bodies with _butt _joints instead of the machined joints on commercially purchased bodies. A _butt _joint may not last as long, but it will certainly last _long enough_ til after you get established. The most difficult part of making a hive body is the frame recess, and I agree that cutting that without power tools will be difficult for most people. Note that it is possible to make a frame recess in a hive body by just using two layers of precut wood, as the "plywood" (all _square _cuts) used in this 'nuc' plan demonstrates:

http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/5-frame-nuc-d-coates-version/
Just scale up the concept to a regular size hive. Get in the habit of saving any scrap wood that you come across.


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## Santa Caras (Aug 14, 2013)

trottet1 said:


> I started with 1 as well. It was also my major regret. It is not so much for comparison purposes, but more for resource purposes. Do yourself the favor and start with at least 2.


+100. It's all about resources the first year(and subsequent years too!) and drawn comb is what your missing. Having one hive isnt going to give you enough and two is still not enough. My first year and I started with two and have wished many times I'd had more. Posters will talk about taking a frame of brood and doing this or that but if you dont have those resources...your SOL.....one will definitlly not do anything for you and two...just barely. There is a general rule I read somewhere about the "2.5 rule" minimum needed to be a beekeeper and what that means is 2 good hives and one nuc are needed in order to have a min of resources to work with. I agree with that and would add more too.


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## toekneepea (Jul 7, 2010)

Split the difference. 1 hive and a Nuc. Get an extra nuc box or two so you can build it up a story or two.

Tony P.


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## rookie2531 (Jul 28, 2014)

I started with 1 package this year and split them, now I have 3. The reason for the split was I didn't like the percentage numbers I was hearing about overwintering. So 3 queens is better than 1,right?


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## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

Yep, I started with one.....but then added a second one about five minutes later. 

I, too, suggest more than one. :thumbsup:


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## RudyT (Jan 25, 2012)

2 is a lot better than 1.
1 is a lot better than 0.
I advise 2 but sometimes we have limits.

To help with 2...
Call Dadant at Chatham to see if they have any info or advice.
The Commonwealth of Virginia grant should be fine if you research it carefully and provide all documentation.
If you haven't, join a local bee club and be sure you get beginner training before you get the bees to help avoid some of the pitfalls.
Contact info for the local club at Martinsville is on VirginiaBeekeepers.org

A good Youtube to view is "Two and a half hives" presentation by Larry Connors presented by Brushy Mountain.


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## biggraham610 (Jun 26, 2013)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> In Virginia, as in Tennessee, you certainly don't need an inner/outer cover arrangement on wintering hives. So skip buying a complete hive kit, and instead just buy components. You can make a "migratory" style top covers out of some scrap plywood with a couple of shims glued on. Similarly, you can make your own bottom boards at a significant savings.
> 
> Take the money you have saved and use it to buy boxes & frames for _two _hives instead of one.
> 
> ...


:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Everything Rader said. Scrap lumber makes great boxes. Frames are cheap. Bottoms and tops can be made for a fraction of the cost. I started with 2 and had one come spring. Glad I had 2..... Get 2 if you can. Enjoy. Good Luck. G


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

I started with one 3 pound mail ordered package - which arrived on May 12. I split it on July 4 and nursed both small hives successfully through that winter. All of my woodenware was home built out of freecycled scraps. I had about 20 hives before I ever even bought a queen, and other than frames i didn't buy any woodenware until this year. 

I was lucky - two packages would have been a lot more secure, but the key is to split asap and often.

Good luck!


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## Scpossum (May 4, 2014)

Bought two this year and then 6 weeks later bought two more. Meant to say nucs. Now I have 4 full hives in the first year and want about 6 more this coming year.


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## Mommyofthree (Aug 23, 2014)

So far so good. 

This may I bought 1 nuc to install in one hive. Frankly even after reading 4-5 books and many internet opinions I was still muddled as far as if I was or am doing a good job. 

Here are my thoughts- I would have liked to have had 2 hives next year I plan on having three. That being said after buying all the tools and the 1 hive and the bees -my pocket book liked that I only bought one and can add two hive boxes throughout the winter. But I would have preferred to have 2 hives at the get go (although if you would have asked me in May I would have told you I could only handle 1) 

My One hive- I believe either they re-queened or my queen slowed way down in early Aug. It would have been nice to have seen a 2nd hive to compare with but by the end of Aug early Sept there were a TON of capped brood so the queen definitely was doing something. As far as going into winter- I have lots of bees not as much honey as they need so I am learning the joys of feeding the bees.

Good Luck!


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## iluvicecream (Jun 2, 2014)

My daughter and I started with one because she did all the research (not enough!) and I probably wouldn't have signed off on two any way! I plan to get another package or nuc next spring. Fortunately, we had a resource for a queen mid-summer when the hive wasn't queen-right, but it would have been nice to be able to put in some frames with eggs, etc. from another hive. GET TWO!


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I started with 2 hives, 2 story each. They all died because of my neglect. Dawn ants!
I'd say to start with 2 nucs for better results. When the nucs grow then split them out
to another nucs. Learn about queen raising and the general up keep.


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

Starting with just one hive is like playing Russian Roulette. Sure everything may go just fine but, if just one thing goes wrong you maybe out of luck. I would do what ever you can to try and save up for a at least two hives to start with. You have all winter to save. I bet you could find enough aluminum cans to pay for a hive over the winter.


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## Santa Caras (Aug 14, 2013)

Started with 2 and before the dust even settled I had bought a 3rd. Even that wasnt enough to really do anything but limp along. When it comes to bees...more is better.


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## biggraham610 (Jun 26, 2013)

Santa Caras said:


> Started with 2 and before the dust even settled I had bought a 3rd. Even that wasnt enough to really do anything but limp along. When it comes to bees...more is better.


:thumbsup: G


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

I started with one - but and this is a huge but - I sited my hive next to a friend's hive on someone else's land - The best of all possible worlds. Something to compare while limiting out of pocket stuff. A Bee Buddy is what you need.


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## Wendellww (Sep 20, 2014)

Started with 2 here and very glad I did. Due to swarms and extended times between new Queen activity, I have utilized resources (frames of brood) from both hives at different times. First year sucess rate us 50% - so I got 2 hoping to come out if winter with one. BTW - both hives seem to have done great so far this year!

Good Luck!
Wendell


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>2 is a lot better than 1.
>1 is a lot better than 0.

And 2 1/2 is a lot better than 2...


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## skosma (May 30, 2013)

I started off with one colony because of finances. I also had some used equipment from a trusted local beek. So I put out swarm traps, the "free bees" helped with my second.


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## imthegrumpyone (Jun 29, 2013)

Started with one, had a few minor problems, but all in all they're doing a bang up job. I went from peeking to once a week and now only about three times in the last three months. They know what they're doing a lot better than I do. Have taken close to three gal. of honey, just put back four empty bars last week. They're going at it like there's no tomorrow, I'll look at them a couple times late Nov. other wise I'll leave them alone till spring. One of the best things I bought this spring was five African Blue Basil. There are four that are in about a six, seven ft. sq. area, one in a pot and one leftover from last year on the side of the house. They're all over it, and don't have far to go home, maybe sixty ft. Now if I can just figure out how to fix combs braking off and making a mess I'll be alright.


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## devil dog (Jul 1, 2014)

One would be good two would be better. 
I started this year with one hive for the same reason. A complete single deep hive and a beginner kit was $175 and a nuc was $125. I have a wife and two kids that I had to buy protective gear for as well. It can add up in a hurry. I had to buy another deep and frames about two weeks after installing the nuc into my hive, about another $40 and a super and frames a few weeks after that. It seems like it would be pretty easy to end up with $750 to $1000 worth of gear in pretty short order. 
I got another hive and trapped a colony out of a tree in June to give me my second. It's nice to have two but the first hive I got is the one that has been the donor of my two. 
If funds weren't an issue I would recommend starting with two or three hives. As was said earlier one is far better than none and gives you the opportunity to see if your are going to like the hobby. 
I now have 5 new hives assembled and painted ready for spring in addition to the two hives currently occupied.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Our plan was to start with one package and possibly split it into a second TBH we had built. We had queen issues on the initial package, got them queenright and decided we should have another hive as well. At the same time a land owner of a place where we hunt asked us to put a hive there. So we got two more packages a month or so later. The weather was much better than it was when we initially installed, and both of the new packages did very well. I took a few frames with emerging bees and bolstered the initial hive which failed to make a queen once again. 

I also captured swarms so at one point this year we were up to eight colonies (three packages five swarms). We are now down to five (three packages two swarms). If I could go back in time, I'd consider waiting until swarm season to start beekeeping. It would have saved me money and gas. I'm glad we have five going into winter though. My expectation is having 0 in the spring, so anything that lives will be an improvement on that.

I'd lean towards two, but would agree that if money is a major concern... beekeeping probably isn't a great idea. You have to be willing/able to go out and buy 100 pounds of sugar if you need to (which I have done 2-3 times this fall). Equipment and that kind of thing can be budgeted for and expected. I figured I'd need to feed some especially this first fall, but I was not prepared for the magnitude.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

devil dog said:


> single deep hive and a beginner kit was $175 and a nuc was $125...easy to end up with $750 to $1000 worth of gear in pretty short order.


I guess I'm fortunate that I can do woodwork and had access to scrap wood or it would have been difficult for me to justify the expense - at the time I started with bees the economy was in the dumper and everyone was worried that they would have to grow their own beans. I basically only bought some frames from a yard sale, a veil, smoker, and bees my first year - everything else I made or improvised. I used a paint scraper for a hive tool for a long time. Still do sometimes. 

My third year I sold about 200 quarts of honey - and it's been steadily better ever since as far as ROI goes.

If you look at beekeeping as *just* a hobby it could be kind of expensive, but if you make income a serious goal and watch your expenses then it can certainly be a hobby that makes some money. It also helps you to be a better beekeeper when you can weigh the expenses of time, woodenware, sugar, meds - or whatever - against significant revenue from sales of honey or nucs.


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

I started with one small hive that my wife found on Craigs list for $100.00, she asked me if I wanted it so I decided to get back into beekeeping after a long hiatus. From the picture in the listing I could see there was no winter stores and only a single deep with the bottom half of the deep rotted into the ground, the hive was in bad condition and it was late fall, the hive simply was not worth that kind of money so I had my wife work on the lady to get the price down, after a week of price negotiations we ended up giving the lady $35.00 and two farm cats for the hive. I fed them MegaBee throughout the winter and now a hand full of years later I have 10 hives and they are all from this single small colony .


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## Paulemar (Aug 28, 2013)

Michael Bush said:


> >2 is a lot better than 1.
> >1 is a lot better than 0.
> 
> And 2 1/2 is a lot better than 2...


This is our first year and, by accident or luck, managed to end up with 2 1/2. We bought 2 packages in April, one was very good and the other superseded the queen almost immediately. The daughter of that original queen wasn't anything to brag about either. I re-queened with local survivor stock in early August, but really liked the good original queen that came with the one package. So---- I pinched the evil daughter queen and stuck her in a bottle of alcohol and replaced her. The package queen that I liked was put into a 5 frame nuc with the required components mostly from her original hive (very strong colony) and the 2nd survivor stock queen was put into the original hive. Today I have 2 strong colonies that were packages this past Spring now with local survivor stock queens, and a 3 story 5 frame nuc (made with two 8 frame deep hive bodies & 1 medium super, all with insulated spacers on the inner walls.) If all make it through the Winter, I expect to have 3 strong colonies next Spring. If even only 1 makes it, I hope to split from that to get back to 2. If none make it, I will have drawn comb. All appears to be good at this point in time, but my lack of experience leaves me with doubts. We'll see what happens over the Winter but having 2 1/2 colonies increases our odds.


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## DirtyLittleSecret (Sep 10, 2014)

Started this summer with one 8 frame nuc. Within a month wound up picking up a 10 frame. Super glad I got a second. First, you will learn twice as fast cause you will have two hives to bother...the equipment is a long-term investment and you can get by with a lot less than you first think. Smoker, tool, veil/jacket. 
Caution: this is addictive! Already have three nucs on order for spring and have 4 more hives in the shed waiting.
Definitely get two as a minimum.


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## jawbone (Nov 10, 2014)

David im new and would like to know how you split the package 2 months later without a queen or did they start one in that short of time? details if you will. thanks


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