# Hello from WI



## Adrian Quiney WI

Welcome Angie. There are plenty of cheeseheads on here, and there is lots to learn.


----------



## AndrewoftheEast

Hey welcome! I'm just starting too, but I don't have a family member to funnel my dumb questions to.


----------



## SouthTexasJohn

Howdy and welcome. I think we all learn all the time. These are great little rascals.


----------



## AmericasBeekeeper

Welcome Angie!


----------



## Angiebubs

Thank you for the warm welcome! Adrian-Hi neighbor! I was just down in Hudson this morning and my bees are coming via Wolf Honey Farm-Have you used them before?


----------



## snl

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


----------



## bbruff22

Welcome from NE Kansas! All beekeeping is local, and you'll be hearing a lot about wintering up there no doubt. Good luck to you.


----------



## Angiebubs

Thanks again for all the warm welcomes! Yes, winterizing is a concern and I know several people that don't even try to over winter but with the prices of bees increasing, they are investigating more and more on how to try this again successfully!

Today I went and watched a friend hive up 2 hives for the spring! Exciting and simpler that I thought it would be.


----------



## GaryG74

Welcome to BeeSource and good luck with your bees!


----------



## Adrian Quiney WI

Hi Angie, no I got my first package mailed to me as I didn't know any better, and then I got 4 over the next couple of years from Jim Kloek (natures nectar) in Stillwater MN. Since then I have been lucky enough not to need to buy any bees.


----------



## Angiebubs

Adrian: Stillwater is where our friend just picked his up from!!! However they are sold out for the season and Baldwin was the first/only place we found that still had availability


----------



## Drewman

Welcome from Eleva, WI Angie! I'm just starting my beekeeping adventure as well. The Beekeeping for Dummies is a great book! I just finished it, and get my 3 packages this Saturday! I bought mine from Wild Comb Apiary in Westby. You will have to keep me posted on how everything goes. Good Luck!!


----------



## Angiebubs

Drewman: Hello neighbor!! I would love to share experiences and tips learned with someone local! (Not sure if there is a way to follow someone on BeeSource?) Do you have your hives set up yet? At work today, they had a presenter from U of M come in and present on bee keeping for earth day. They will be placing hive(s) on our campus. There was some really interesting information shared. One thing I learned was a recent study showed that pollen was even more important in over wintering success than previously thought!


----------



## Drewman

oh man... Overwintering is so intimidating haha. What do they use the pollen for in the winter time? Eating? I do have my hives set up. I have two topbar hives and one langstroth. I built them all myself, so im excited to see how they work. How many packages are you getting and what kind of hives? Sidenote: The dandelions started to blossom today!!


----------



## Angiebubs

Drewman: They were saying that the pollen provided a higher protein content. (Which I thought would cause brood laying-planning on reading more on this) I have 4 langstroth hives with migratory tops (Long story-my brother who is a beek in CA purchased 5 hives, shipped here to set up and I decided to do it on my own insterad-planning on starting with just 2 this year and see how it goes. I ordered 2-3# pkgs from Wolf Honey Farm in Baldwin, WI. Buckfast/Carni cross with MHQ. What race of bees did you get?


----------



## Drewman

They say that two hives to start is best. What is a migratory top? I'll have to look that up. I don't know exactly what race mine will be. Wild comb raises Russian queens but I don't know what the packages are that they get from Florida. I'll have to ask on Saturday. I heard of a slick way to put the packages into the langs that I want to try. You put the package on the bottom board, empty deep around it and a full deep on top with the queen in between the frames. Bees crawl up to queen. Heard of it?


----------



## Angiebubs

Migratory top is a different from a telescoping top in that it does not have the lip/overlap around the sides, and it does not have metal on top. Commercial beeks use them as they are easier to stack/transport. (Only reason I have them is my brother ordered these)

So with the way you described hiving up your bees; you basically have 2 deep brood boxes, with the top one containing frames where you put the queen? And the bottom one has no frames and that is where you dump the pkg? No I havent heard of that. Let me know how it works if you try it?


----------



## Drewman

Angiebubs said:


> Migratory top is a different from a telescoping top in that it does not have the lip/overlap around the sides, and it does not have metal on top. Commercial beeks use them as they are easier to stack/transport. (Only reason I have them is my brother ordered these)
> 
> So with the way you described hiving up your bees; you basically have 2 deep brood boxes, with the top one containing frames where you put the queen? And the bottom one has no frames and that is where you dump the pkg? No I havent heard of that. Let me know how it works if you try it?


Yep, it said that you don't even need to shake them. Just take the cap off the package and let them crawl out themselves up to the queen. I am going to try it with my one lang. Ill let you know. When do your bees come in?


----------



## Angiebubs

They said the 1st weekend in May so I am assuming either the 1st or 2nd (Keeping my eye on their FB page as there is where they share updates on delivery)

You said you bought 3 pkgs of bees were they 2 or 3 lbs pkgs? And does that mean you are starting out with 3 hives?


----------



## Drewman

They will be 3 lbs pkgs, and yes I will start out with three hives. Im scrambling to make the finishing touches on them :/ I'm glad that I started a few months beforehand. Are you going to try and catch swarms this spring?


----------



## snick4zoo

Hello Angie! I am also a Wisconsin gal just starting out my my bee adventure. I live in southeast WI. My supplier still has not gotten their bees in and the waiting is killing me  I am also starting out foundation less with 2 Langstroth hives. Wintering is nerve racking for me too. I am hoping that by using all natural comb my bees will have a better chance in our LONG winters. 
Good Luck, Nikki


----------



## Drewman

Welcome Snick4zoo! I couldn't stand the wait either. Today I put my 3 packages in their hives! It was an amazing experience. I was really nervous when I took the cap off, but they were as friendly as could "bee". Some of my family were standing right with me without protection and no one got stung. 

I found that the langstroth was way easier to install than the topbars. It seemed easier to close the bees into the hive and feed them. They loved the wax foundation too. My favorite part of the whole thing was watching them stick their butt in the air and flap their wings. It was also interesting to watch them feed each other syrup. 

The only problems that I had was a queen cage that broke on me so I had to dig it out of the bottom. I also made the mistake of not having the food ready in the hive before I shook them in. One hive didn't find it right away and it is going to be cold tonight, so I hope they are ok.. :/ 

Angie: I didn't try the method of installing a package that I was talking about earlier. I thought it might be too cold for them to crawl all the way up to the queen.

Get excited! Its a blast!


----------



## WI North Woods Guy

Hello- I am just NE of you in Rusk county WI. We are in a heavily wooded part of the county with very few bee keepers. I am a new hobbyist type myself. It was 4 or 5 years ago we got out first hive. Beginners luck that one hive of Italians put 3 gallons in the supers for us that first year. And they made it through the following winter in great shape. Then the winters 2 and 3 years back were brutal and we lost our hives. So the big thing for me now is learning more about overwintering. This year we bought one package of Carnelians and one of Italians for some side by side comparison. They spent there first week enduring a cold snap, but as of yesterday they are both bringing in bright yellow pollen and cleaning out my old drawn frames. Good Luck!


----------



## Drewman

That's great! I'd be interested to know how the carnelians do. I've heard that the Russians are a pretty hardy race too. I was thinking about introducing a Russ. Queen this fall. It's tough to keep them alive anywhere, especially in wisconsin. I hear of people in Canada doing pretty well with them though. I guess it all has to do with trial and error. Still cold up there in the north woods?


----------



## mathesonequip

the foundation stock for the "russian" bees was mostly carniollian but a lot of italian and a little german black bee mixed in. these were developed in eastern Siberia over the last hundred years or so after comeing from European Russia across the Siberian railway. in north America in a very few generations they are local mixed. almost all of the commercial Russian hybreds sold are already a few generations in this direction already. the migratory top may not be the best choice for harsh northern climates in the winter. best wishes.


----------



## Drewman

mathesonequip said:


> the foundation stock for the "russian" bees was mostly carniollian but a lot of italian and a little german black bee mixed in. these were developed in eastern Siberia over the last hundred years or so after comeing from European Russia across the Siberian railway. in north America in a very few generations they are local mixed. almost all of the commercial Russian hybreds sold are already a few generations in this direction already. the migratory top may not be the best choice for harsh northern climates in the winter. best wishes.


So there isn't much of a difference in hardiness of the "Russian" hybrid?


----------



## mathesonequip

the bees closest to the original "Russian" stock tend to be able to over-winter with a smaller population. I do not think a small winter population is a desireable trait. in general the darker bees seem to do a bit better in the winter.


----------



## mathesonequip

the "Russian" bees are more interested in swarming, again not my favorite trait,


----------



## Angiebubs

Wow its awesome there are so many of us from WI. I joined the Wisconsin forum but doesnt look like there is much activity on that thread? Have you all joined that thread?
There is a beek group that meets the last Thursday each month in Baldwin' I may try to make it there this Thursday! We painted our hives today:








Snick4zoo: wow your trying the frameless? I am taking the easy way my first year and going with Mann Lakes plastic that has a wax coating.

Matheson: The last 2 winters were pretty brutal! I have been reading a lot about quilt bags-have you ever tried these?

I feel like there is still so much to learn and hope I am prepared for this weekend! What is everyone using for feeders? I have the frame feeders with the ladders. Not my first choice but was in the box of stuff I brought from my brother (new from Mann Lake).


----------



## mathesonequip

I have used quilt boxes. they help keep the bees dry in damp weather. last winter I did not have enough quilt boxes made up, it was a good late summer and I was overloaded with other things. I left empty mann-lake feeders and no top entrances on some weaker hives. well you guessed it, these neglected ones were the ones that made it. sometimes it seems like less beekeeping is the best way to go.


----------



## snl

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


----------



## snick4zoo

Angie: Nice hives!! Here is a picture of mine 








I tried emailing the WI beekeeper Assoc and never received a reply


----------



## Angiebubs

snick4zoo: nice hives!!! I will have to take a look at WI beekeepers Assoc; I located 2 bee associations close by that I want to start attending and figure out which I want to join (or both!)


----------

