Hello from Maine

Hello everyone,

I retired recently and have decided that I would like to try keeping bees.

It appears that I am late in getting started this year as many suppliers have sold out of their packages, but that is fine. I am in the process of building hives and gathering equipment and information. If I am unable to get bees this year, I will be ready next year.

Actually, this will be my second entry into beekeeping. Years ago, my uncle gave my brother and myself a couple of hives. I do not remember all that went on with them, but we were totally unprepared, and probably starved them over the first winter. At any rate, those bees and the hives are long gone. I plan on doing a better job this time. Wish me luck!

Ralph

Find a beekeeper. Buy a hive.

Good luck. I have found beekeeping to be extremely enjoyable. Hopefully you will too.

Welcome to the site!

Welcome Ralph!

Hi Ralph. Welcome back to beekeeping and to Beesource. If you are unable to buy any bees to start off this year, over the next month or so you could put out some swarm trap boxes and perhaps catch a swarm or two. Of course, there's no guarantee that you will catch any, but it's like fishing, you're guaranteed to catch nothing if you don't put a line in the water.

There's a lot of info on this site about swarm traps, lures, etc. I built a couple dozen plywoood nuc boxes to use as swarm traps from info posted here and I'll start getting them out around this part of Maine over the next couple of weeks. (I get lots of scrap wood from work and build equipment overwinter.)

Good luck!

Wayne

Hi Wayne,
Thanks for the info.

I looks like I may have found a place to get a couple of packages. I am going to try to connect with them today. A guy in the Farmington area is taking orders for delivery in the middle of May.

Now I need to make sure that I have everything together to get ready for them. I am putting them on my lawn behind a storage shed, That will provide shelter from the wind out of the West in the winter. They will get a lot of sun from the East and South. I want to put down some concrete paving blocks or stones to control the grass around the hive. I am a little concerned about the disturbance caused by mowing each week. I have a wooded area that I could put them in, but it is much further from the house and I hope that a sunny location will be better for them.

Ralph

i'm new as well,from south ontario, canada. i, too, would like to know about siting in regards to lawn maintenance. thanks kd