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1K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  ccjersey 
#1 ·
Hello everyone just a few questions, I'm new to beekeeping this year but have fallen in love. I am a retired disabled veteran and am going full force over the next couple of years for honey and propagation for personal and profit purposes.
I live in southern new England temps average between 20-90 degrees F .

1) I am using 10 frame langstroth hives right now but am open to suggestions for new hive styles for production/ survivability ( had interest in horizontal and rose hives cause I do have some back problems) I am decent at woodwork made a few supers so I'm up for a challenge and I would make most of my equipment myself

2) I've been feeding sugar syrup for the nucs I got them the last week of May but it seems that there not building much comb still haven't moved to 2nd brood box any suggestions
To help them boost seeing it's almost August and for future new frames? While asking about frames: foundation, starter strips or foundationless or combination?

3) Mites... Treat/ don't treat, natural or pesticide I've read heard so many differences?

4) I know this will vary per area but how many hives per yard I'm currently working a yard just shy of 3 acres (12k meters ^2)with 2 acres being wooded. The area surrounding this yard is mostly wooded with a houses spaced out but no major agriculture.

I know with beekeeping as anything else there are 100 ways to skin a cat I'm just looking for some view points and suggestions. What works for some may not work for all, one of the reasons I love beekeeping

Thank you in advance for your responses, if these questions have been answered before, if you could just point me in the right direction.

Brendan
 
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#2 ·
Well Brendan, welcome.

I know nothing about New England, but have been keeping bees in Texas about 6 years. I'm gonna start with question 4 - How many hives per yard depends on forage density. Dense forests will have flow only when the trees bloom, in the very early spring. I started with this question because now is the time to address forage. Buy a few pounds of clover and wildflower seed and start creating forage. Grass doesn't make good honey.

Mites, I use oxalic acid vapor now. I may go to OA drenched shop cloth to give some treatment during the summer. Randy Oliver is your guy to follow, the nationally known beekeeper has been developing mite treatments since at least 2006, he is not on this forum, may not be on any, but writes for beekeeping magazines such as American Bee Journal. It is possible to go treatment free, if you simply allow the mites to kill the vulnerable hives and breed the survivors, but bees are expensive. If you want to try treatment free, you will want a VSH (varroa sensitive hygenic) queen, and there are several queen producers that are breeding them fairly successfully. I used to have VSH bees, and not treat, but my queen producer ended up having to treat his bees and I just quit buying queens. Mine aren't VSH, although my gluey hive is pretty good.

Just keep feeding sugar syrup but probably go to a 5:3 ratio, 5 parts sugar to 3 parts water. Boil water before adding sugar, but not afterward. You will want to learn to make fondant for their winter survival, I think I posted my fondant recipe a couple of years ago.

I just use 10 frame langs - I have never had time to learn to build a top bar hive, I run a small business that is not bee related.

Hope this helps!

Gypsi
 
#3 ·
Might want to stick with mediums or shallow supers. A deep full of brood and stores is heavy enough, but one full of honey is downright intimidating! Could also use 8 frame equipment to cut the weight some.

Hive stands help get the hives up off the ground for healthy colonies AND for ease of working them. I think having a small folding stand or room on the hive stand next to the hive to be able to set boxes on as you remove them would save your back a lot.
 
#4 ·
Might want to stick with mediums or shallow supers. A deep full of brood and stores is heavy enough, but one full of honey is downright intimidating! Could also use 8 frame equipment to cut the weight some.

Hive stands help get the hives up off the ground for healthy colonies AND for ease of working them. I think having a small folding stand or room on the hive stand next to the hive to be able to set boxes on as you remove them would save your back a lot.
 
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