# New at tbh beekeeping



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Any strain of European honey bee will do fine. Pick what you like.


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## Pondulinus (Jun 24, 2015)

Michael Bush said:


> Any strain of European honey bee will do fine. Pick what you like.


Ok, thank you 

There are many ways of introducing the bees to the warre hive, my concern is that we often have cold springs here in Norway (day temp can be as low as 5-10C may/june). So my plan is to take three or four empty combes and bind them to the top bars with wire and give the bees sugar emediately after introduction to stumulate builing of comb and egg-laying. The problem with suth a scheme is that the nucleus have to be big so that the bees will be able to keep brood warm. Or am i wrong? 

We started beekeeping last year and our three hives arent expected to contain extreme ammounts of bees;-)


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I have introduced packages to empty hives while it was snowing... as long as you keep them from starving they should do fine. A smaller box is always better (to a certain point) but they are capable of handling a fairly large box. I've never build a follower for my top bar hive (though they are a nice idea) and I've installed packages in it from time to time.


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## Pondulinus (Jun 24, 2015)

Snowing ey? Hehe it sounds like you are working them hard ;-)
So you think i can introduce the new bees early in the spring if i can get nucs that early?

What can do you think i can expect in terms of yield the first year? 
The main sources of nectar in my area is rasberry but my hives is in the middle of a residential area so i expect that there will pretty much be good nectar sources available from spring to autum.

I am also planning to keep some of my Warre hives in the woods where the sources of nectar are not so stable (if not a plant-lice year). Main sources of nectar would then be blueberry, rasberry, lingonberry and heather 
Should i expect these hives to develop slower as the bees will feel less of a need to build comb? As i understand, the bees have to bring in sufficient ammount of nectar before the "house-bees" starts to build wax. 

Do you have any tips on how to keep the bees building comb throughout the season? As i understand it is the main problem with Warre hives where i live. The other beekeepers mainly explain this with short nectar flows with periods of unsufficient nectar sources in between.


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## Chuck Jachens (Feb 22, 2016)

Building comb takes a lot of energy, something like 8 lbs of honey for pound of wax. A new package needs to be fed 1:1 sugar water and pollen/protein patty to make sure the maximum number of bees are staying in the hive to build comb and raise the brood that are sure to follow.

The first year is about building comb and building stores (honey and pollen) to make it through the winter and have enough to start the spring buildup. You might get lucky and be able to take a comb of honey but its better to leave it the first spring. My first year I had 15 bars built and really good honey stores, so I harvested one bar. That spring I had to feed during a cold period because they finished off their honey reserves. Otherwise they would have staved because they were already starting into spring build up.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Snowing ey? Hehe it sounds like you are working them hard ;-)

Not me. Nebraska weather.

>So you think i can introduce the new bees early in the spring if i can get nucs that early?

I would rather get them later. Sometimes I have no choice. Sometimes it snows in May...

>What can do you think i can expect in terms of yield the first year? 

I would expect nothing. I'd enjoy whatever I get...

>I am also planning to keep some of my Warre hives in the woods where the sources of nectar are not so stable (if not a plant-lice year). Main sources of nectar would then be blueberry, rasberry, lingonberry and heather 
Should i expect these hives to develop slower as the bees will feel less of a need to build comb? As i understand, the bees have to bring in sufficient ammount of nectar before the "house-bees" starts to build wax. 

They have to have sugar to make wax... but if there is any they will be making some wax to store it in and for the queen to lay in.

>Do you have any tips on how to keep the bees building comb throughout the season? As i understand it is the main problem with Warre hives where i live. The other beekeepers mainly explain this with short nectar flows with periods of unsufficient nectar sources in between.

Space management has a lot to do with them building comb.


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