# Very Very New and Need LOTS of Guidance and Support (Buyer beware LOL)



## alwcm4 (Jun 29, 2015)

Hi all. I'm Amanda Griffin and live in Central Missouri. We are in the process of closing on a 150 acre farm in Clark, MO and get to move in mid August. We would like to get started in bees come next spring, so I have this summer and winter to prepare. I have done some internet research, but it seems like even the 'tips for beginners' are for people that even know the lingo and about bees. I am a complete neophyte! So I'm here looking for guidance, to do some research and to find some mentors.

Other hobbies (obsessions really) I have are canning. I canned probably 2000+ jars of stuff last year, got a little carried away LOL. I have 2 beautiful Mastiffs that are my babies. I dabble in breeding and showing, but spend alot of time researching, chatting and socializing in the 'dog world'. I've been married 6 years and my husband suffers from HORRIBLE allergies and its complicating his asthma. We go through a quart jar of local honey in 2 weeks, hence the initial thought of keeping bees. Now after some research I really think it looks quite interesting. 

Anyway, hi, looking forward to learning from you all.

Amanda


----------



## Cyan (Jan 27, 2015)

Personal opinions from a first year beek: 

1. Start planning and preparing now. I found out the hard way that trying to order equipment and then assemble it in the spring caused a lot of issues. Order it in the fall and build over the winter. I would also decide where you want to place the bee yard now, so it's placement doesn't conflict with where you plan to keep livestock or crops.


----------



## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi Amanda and welcome to the forum, hopefully you will find a mentor who is close to you and can give you hands on assistance when needed, there are many people here on BeeSource who are willing to help however do keep an open mind as opinions and methods of hive management can vary with location. The way you keep and manage hives in central Missouri can be quite different from other parts of the country. I wish you well on your journey into this addictive hobby.


----------



## Metropropolis (Feb 15, 2012)

WWW said:


> Hi Amanda and welcome to the forum, hopefully you will find a mentor who is close to you and can give you hands on assistance when needed, .


Hi WWW,

I find it interesting that you've recommended a Mentor as a starting point, but not an Extension beekeeping course. This rather dovetails with my other thread about folks choosing mentors over courses.

Are there no extension courses in your area?


----------



## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

Agree with Metropropolis; take a class, find a local bee club, find a mentor and read, read, read.

Mentoring takes a significant effort and it really helps when the mentee has a basic knowledge of the equipment and process.


----------



## alwcm4 (Jun 29, 2015)

I have looked into classes but all seem to be over for the year. None I have found until 2016. I do plan on starting to attend the local beekeeping club meetings. They're the ones that out in the classes.


----------



## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

Hello Amanda,

Welcome to Beesource!

I'm in upstate NY, on a similar-sized farm and I love to can(and freeze), too.

As other have said, find your local bee club and take some classes. It might be a good idea this summer and early fall to try and make a connection with someone in your area that already has bees. Most bee-people, are pretty generous about inviting people to see their bees. If you get a chance, try to handle some bees, or at least be around them so you'll know if beekeeping is a possibility for you. Sometimes the reality of a lot of swirling bugs in your face turns out to be something one isn't interested in, after all. Better to find that out before you've commited several hundred dollars in ordering bees and equipment.

But if you find you do like bugs in your face (with a net on to protect you, of course) then be sure to decide what kind of bees you want and get your order placed around the first of the year to make sure you have a lot of choice.

Bees are not really like dog breeds, though. Although there are some distinct "races" of bees they are much more alike than say chihauhuas and mastiffs are. And there are some advantages to having locally-adapted "mutt" bees, as they are considered sturdier. This doesn't apply if you live in area where there are Africanized Honey Bees (aka "Killer Bees") in the wild. But I think in MO you don't have them, so not to worry.

My own bees are swarm mutts, and they are in their third summer with me, still with the original queens, so I am partial to them.

Beekeeping is fascinating, but not something to be undertaken lightly as it is a big committment in terms of time. If you think you'll be super-busy just getting your farm and gardens squared away next summer it might be better to delay another year. Bees aren't going out of style. 

Enjambres


----------



## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

Welcome alwcm4, This is a good place to start to pick up the jargon of bee speak. Columbia has a bee club and that may also be a good place to find a mentor. It's Boone County Bee keepers. They have a January beginning bee class.

Since you are a gardener this may be a good adjunct for you. Just like any hobby it has some start up cost that sometimes put new people off. Expect to pay at least $500-$600 depending on how many bee suits you get. That's for equipment and 1 full bee hive. Bees are about $150 per nuc in May or Packages @ $100. Don't expect to make honey the first year. Your fellow club members will be happy to sell you local, raw honey the first year.

Good Luck!


----------



## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

Welcome alwcm4, This is a good place to start to pick up the jargon of bee speak. Columbia has a bee club and that may also be a good place to find a mentor. It's Boone County Bee keepers. They have a January beginning bee class.

Since you are a gardener this may be a good adjunct for you. Just like any hobby it has some start up cost that sometimes put new people off. Expect to pay at least $500-$600 depending on how many bee suits you get. That's for equipment and 1 full bee hive. Bees are about $150 per nuc in May or Packages @ $100. Don't expect to make honey the first year. Your fellow club members will be happy to sell you local, raw honey the first year.

Good Luck!


----------



## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome to Beesource!


There is a Beesource sub-forum called _How To Start Beekeeping_ (click the underlined link) that has 14 threads that will cover many of the issues a brand new beekeeper faces.

And when you come across terms that you don't understand, the Beesource _Beekeeping Glossary_ is helpful. (Underlined terms in the Glossary have accompanying related photos if you click the underlined phrase.)


----------



## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

Metropropolis said:


> Hi WWW,
> 
> I find it interesting that you've recommended a Mentor as a starting point, but not an Extension beekeeping course. This rather dovetails with my other thread about folks choosing mentors over courses.


Just trying to be helpful Metro, everyone need to find their own path in life and Amanda stated that she needed to find some mentors so my response was in kind. At this point with her just starting out, research and study would be the best place to begin, and a beekeeping course is up to the individual, personally I never cared for study groups and clubs but that's just me.


----------



## SS Auck (May 8, 2015)

I am also from the mid-mo area. I live in Columbia and have a couple hive north of Centralia and one at my house in como. How close do you live to the amish? Good to know there are more Mid-mo people around that keep bees. I would second the ordering and getting hives ready now. There seems to be a niche in our area for a beekeeping supply place. There used to be one a couple years ago before they went out of business. I am really kinda new too only my fourth year. This will be the first year I did not get any honey but have learned more than all years combined. Looking back the first couple of years I was lucky and had good bees. Now that I am learning more I realize there is a lot going on in the hive. I would suggest watching some of Micheal Palmer's vids on youtube. He is a genius for cold weather bees. Which if you are from Mid-mo you know it is cold in the winter.


----------



## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome Amanda!


----------



## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Welcome to BeeSource and good luck! Recommend starting with two hives if there's no one close by. You can use resources from one to rescue the other if issues come up. If you can work with someone, like enjambes said, so you can find out if you really want to be surrounded by thousands of stinging insects before spending a good chunk of change, do it to gain some experience. Again, welcome to the addiction!


----------



## bbruff22 (Dec 24, 2013)

Welcome from NE Kansas Amanda! I grew up in SW Missouri. You've got great advise on this thread. Watch out...this is addictive stuff.


----------



## DeepCreek (Jan 23, 2015)

Welcome to the site. The resources you're seeking are closer than you think. Now that we know you have access to a computer, YouTube is an invaluable resource. Good luck


----------



## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

First of all "bee math" don't work at all. 
The best advice I think I could give a newbee is that "a good beekeeper always has an extra hive ready for surprises". THERE WILL BE SURPRISES

Another thing I'd add is that a beekeeper does a lot of what I call "going with the flow" (has nothing to do with honey flow). The bees will do some weird things on you. If you fight it it is a mistake...go with the flow. 
For instance: had a hive that lost its queen. (the bees killed it) They made queen cells on two different frames and that said "split" to me. Later a different colony did the same thing on me except there were three frames with queen cells so I split it three ways. (starting to see why a good beek keeps extra wooden ware around yet?).


----------



## Hoot Owl Lane Bees (Feb 24, 2012)

Welcome to bee source.
First thing you should ask of your local club is do they have field days or mentors who would be willing to show you what they are doing when they work there hives. Our club in Springfield has at least 1 field day a month open to any one interested in honey bee's.
Also look up Missouri State bee keepers they have a list of all the local clubs.


----------



## alwcm4 (Jun 29, 2015)

SS Auck said:


> I am also from the mid-mo area. I live in Columbia and have a couple hive north of Centralia and one at my house in como. How close do you live to the amish? Good to know there are more Mid-mo people around that keep bees. I would second the ordering and getting hives ready now. There seems to be a niche in our area for a beekeeping supply place. There used to be one a couple years ago before they went out of business. I am really kinda new too only my fourth year. This will be the first year I did not get any honey but have learned more than all years combined. Looking back the first couple of years I was lucky and had good bees. Now that I am learning more I realize there is a lot going on in the hive. I would suggest watching some of Micheal Palmer's vids on youtube. He is a genius for cold weather bees. Which if you are from Mid-mo you know it is cold in the winter.


We are going to be about a mile down Highway B (to Higbee) and then about a mile and a half southwest on gravel. It's about 20-30 minutes from Columbia. Did you join the local bee keeping club in Columbia? So excited to actually find someone close already


----------



## SS Auck (May 8, 2015)

I just joined the Missouri State bee keepers but have not joined boonebees. this started as my wife's hobby. But we found out she was pregnant shortly after the two hives arrived. So it quickly became my hobby because she was not comfortable in the summer with all the gear on pregnant. She still helps and really like it. She when to a few meetings with boonebees but now we have 3 kids under 5. We are a little too busy to make it to meetings. if you want some one around when you install a package i am sure we could help out. i have installed a few and it is easy now. but first time was crazy only because it was the first time. went smooth just nervous.


----------



## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Welcome! You’ll find this site, inspiring (sometimes), funny (sometimes), stupid (at times) but addicting all the time!


----------



## ProfessorBob (Jun 17, 2015)

Welcome!

I, too, am a newbie but am finding the following particularly helpful as I try and navigate the process, lingo and complexities of beekeeping:

1) Read, read, read -- lots of good books out there. "Beekeeping for Dummies" is an excellent intro. Go to your local public/college library and check out books.

2) After you've informed yourself, contact a local beekeeper and ask if you can shadow him/her for a few hours. I've found most are more than willing to share their experiences with you. This can be invaluable. Plus, you've developed a relationship with someone you can contact if questions arise and boy will they!!!!!

3) As several have said, check out YouTube and the Ohio State Beekeepers Association website and watch their videos (under "Training Program") - they are EXCELLENT.

This is an great website with a lot of very knowledgeable folks who are often willing to offer their suggestions. However, you'll often receive a lot of different opinions. I'm not saying this is necessarily bad but it can amp the anxiety levels at times - not knowing which "path" to take on a specific issues... Hopefully this will lessen as we learn more about this interesting hobby.

Good luck.


----------

