# Hello from Washington State



## ChrisC (Nov 17, 2013)

Greetings Beeks!

I have been studying recommended books have contacted a couple of bee clubs for their meeting schedules and have ordered two hives worth of gizmos and two nucs to start my bee keeping adventure next year, once things get started.

As a child, I was given a giant beeswax candle that we burned (mostly during the holiday season) for about 15 years. It was hand dipped and about 20 inches tall and really fat. I thought, and still think, that the scent of beeswax is one of the most fabulous scents on the planet.

Naturally, I love honey, so that is also an attraction.

I intend to start bee keeping, though, as a personal expression of the importance of bees to our environment. I look forward to learning from all of those of you who have worked with "the girls" for these, and other reasons, long before I realized that this was possible at the hobby level.

Thanks, in advance for all of your patience with my questions.

ChrisC, Seattle and Cle Elum, Washington


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome to Beesource!

So, are you planning to keep your bees in Cle Elum or Seattle? (from a former WA resident)


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## ChrisC (Nov 17, 2013)

I plan to start in Seattle with two hives, and use my 22 acre property in Cle Elum for what seems to be the inevitable "Apiary Expansion Disease." I spend half of my time in each place. Bringing more critters into an urban area appeals to me, and I have the space.

I was worried that there might not be enough forage in the Ponderosa Pine/Douglas Fir treed land I have, until what looks like a commercial bee operation sited a lot of hives about six miles away, in the same environment. We have great wild flowers in May, but I want to make sure of the rest of the season before I set up hives here in the woods.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome Chris!


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## BGhoney (Sep 26, 2007)

Welcome, Several great bee clubs up your way. Good luck, and have fun


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## samoadc (Dec 15, 2012)

I read that after a rain it takes a few days before nector is again available from flowers. If true Seattle winters must be quite a hard place for bees since most of the time it is warm enough for them to fly all winter long. Any comments?


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## AramF (Sep 23, 2010)

Well, we have pollen almost all the time. The weather today is in 40s, so no flying activity until March 10th or so. Dandelions bloom in April and that nectar flow is enough to sustain a hive most of the time, but not enough for harvestable honey until blackberry bloom in June. In late July we get a lot of robbing cause things are drying up quickly. Fall flow is iffy too. So a lot of what we take we have to give back in syrup supplements.


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

You should come to the SVBA. We meet the first Tuesday of the month in snoqualmie. I think it is the best club in the area.

http://www.snoqualmievalleybeekeepers.org/


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## ChrisC (Nov 17, 2013)

Lovely invitation! As I am eager to learn, I may stop by to meet you all. 




EastSideBuzz said:


> You should come to the SVBA. We meet the first Tuesday of the month in Snoqualmie. I think it is the best club in the area.
> 
> http://www.snoqualmievalleybeekeepers.org/


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## samoadc (Dec 15, 2012)

Thanks for the very interesting data. I went to Pahrump to pick up what was evidently a late summer swarm that made their home in a pasteboard box about 18 inches square. They were so light I couldn't believe it and living in a small group of houses,maybe 100 out in the desert. I doubt if they would have survived the winter without my bringing them back to Las Vegas where more pollen and nectar is available due to some people raising flowers year round and bees seem to fly almost every day. I have them about a pint of honey, maybe half a pint or what ever is in one of those little plastic bear containers. It had begun to sugar as someone put it in the refrigerator for a few months. it was huckle berry flavored but I don't think that will hurt the bees. Only got stung once when a bee climed up inside my pants leg. I guess it was so cold they just didn't want to leave their ball when I was trying to duct tape all the holes in the box that was coming apart. Hopefully I will now have two hives of bees next year. I think it is too hot here to use the top bar frame and will use a long horizontal box but with the traditional frames that have a complete wooden frame for the foundation. When it is 103 degrees maybe even that won't work and I will just have to leave them alone during the 3-4 hottest months of the year.


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## Variable (Nov 18, 2013)

Greetings Chris,
I too am new here but would like to extend my welcome. It is nice to see all the WA people on this thread.


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