# West of Denver



## Mountain Homestead (Oct 24, 2010)

Hello everyone!

My wife and I have decided to jump into bees. We are excited to get a couple hives going in the spring, but in the mean time, we are trying to absorb as much information as possible.

We live at 9000ft. in elevation and our winters can be cooler than most in the area, so we know that we will have a 'special' set of issues to deal with!

Finding other beekeepers in the Colorado area would be a nice bonus!

Thanks for all the help you have already provided, and thanks ahead of time for all the future help!!

Dan


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Welcome fellow Coloradoan. Over further west from you with yards at 8200 ft. Any questions fell free to PM me.


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

Welcome to the site!

I'm not very familiar with the Denver area, but make sure you find a local beekeepers association. Get a good mentor, and learn all you can.

Enjoy!


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## Mountain Homestead (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks Alpha6, I will remember that, (and try not to be a pest!).


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

7200 ft is the highest I've had bees. In Laramie. But they did fine. Winters, of course, are the biggest issue. Wind is next. In Laramie it never stopped blowing and the bees had difficulty foraging. But they did ok.


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## PuebloCO (Oct 1, 2010)

Welcome, Mountain.

As my screen name implies, I'm a couple house south of you. I'm in the same boat that you are (going to start a new colony in the Spring). I just bought my first hive last weekend. I know that there is the Pikes Peak Beekeeping Association in Colorado Springs. I don't know about the Denver area.


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## Laurence Hope (Aug 24, 2005)

From someone else "West of Denver" - Welcome!
Laurence


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## Mountain Homestead (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes! 

Michael - I've already been reading a lot of your posts and your website, and have taken a lot of it to heart. Wind isn't bad here, but since we literally live in the forest, finding a nice sunny spot so the hives can stay warm in the winter may be a challenge.

Pueblo - I've been checking out a couple local clubs near Denver, and hope to find one that is helpful. Good luck this next spring! We can compare hives!

Laurence - West of Denver and East of Japan! This board does make it a small world! Glad that I can draw on experience frome ALL over the place.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Hey Dan, welcome! We have a couple very good friends in your neck o' the woods. Talk to your club members, and just watch your bees. Your season will be short, so make sure they're healthy and prepared to capitalize on your flows like spring wildflowers. Some of the meadows in the valley floors can provide good forage in brief bursts, but areas that are "pine barrens" can be pretty thin (pine and spruce pollen is poor nutritional fare). Bears are a concern too: either fence or provide a good physical barrier. If you've lived there long you know what we're talking about .

Much of the non-commercial beekeeper literature focuses on suburban beeks who have mixed forage through much of a longer season, but you'll have short, intense bursts of forage in all likelihood. In part, it means is try to disturb them less when they're on a flow.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome, are you going to nail and paint your hive now or this Winter? You can plan and dream as you go by the hive every day.


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## Mountain Homestead (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks for the tips Ben! We do have bears, but also have an electric fence.  We ARE in a heavy pine area, and you are correct that there is not much additional forage on the forest floor. There are quite a few open meadows within 1 mile of us and we live right on the border of National Forest. I was initially worried about our lack of flowering plants, but then I read about beekeepers in HEAVY urban areas, and figured that if bees can thrive in Brooklyn, NY, we shouldn't have much of a problem!

I have started building boxes already, but haven't decided how I'm going to coat them. Paint sounds the easiest, but it seems like if I could find something more 'natural' to soak the wood in that would be ideal. I'm still open to ideas.


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