Entering the classroom

Hello Everyone, I have spent the last 7 months or so poking through this site, reading every book I have available, exorcising as much trouble shooting as I can as I read the problems others have faced with their bees etc. I also built tow hives. One TBH and the other a Lang with two deep bodies and three med supers.
I have frames with foundation in the lang and it is set up outside baited with lemon grass oil in hopes a swarm of bees will move in. Since I am not counting on that much luck I also located a local beekeeper that has agreed to provide me with a 5 frame Nuc. Expected date for the nuc is the third week in May at this point.

I do not expect to get the TBH started this year unless the bees do very well or a swarm takes up residence. It is also set up and baited. No foundation of course.

In the mean time I have gotten a smoke, hive tool and a vented bee jacket. I went with just a jacket because I will always use it. A bee suit I would use in the beginning but figure once I develop a comfort level with the bees I woudl not want it.

I have mason jars I can use for making a top feeder, otherwise I think I am ready. As ready as I am going to get anyway.

It has already been suggested that I start with two lang hives but room simply will not permit it for now. I am searching for other locations to place hives.

Otherwise I wanted to just thank everyone that is a part of this group. I am aware of the value of forums such as these that allow newcomers to fast track to doing things that took many others years to accomplish. Experience is an expensive commodity and I appreciate those that share theirs. Hopefully I can avoid much of the expense and simply remember the lessons learned.

Other than the very sound advice to just put the hives in a shed and walk away. If anyone has any favorite bits of advice for beginners, they are welcome to add them here.

Knowing me and my past history I will probably gravitate toward producing bees and queens rather than having much interest in honey. I have had breeding in my blood for as long as I can remember and that always seems to be where I end up. I am in a good location to be isolated. The dessert of Northern Nevada. I live just a short ways from where they do Burning Man every year. If you have ever seen pictures of that you will see that it is a flat weedless valley that stretches as far as the eye can see. Well I live in the surrounding area that is full of sagebrush. Not a lot of beekeeping seems to be going on around here although there is lots of potential to produce sage honey and here we have to varieties that produce an early and a late bloom.

I contacted my supplier this last week and he reports that the bees are doing well, but not as well as expected so far this year. We have had days this winter in the low 70's followed that night by temperatures in the high 20's and sow the following day. I would think that tends to catch foraging bees off guard and many woudl be lost. We can also go from the 60's in the early morning to the 40's by noon. That does not do much for bees either. I am not sure if this mild winter is a blessing or a curse. One woudl always hope that the bees adapt to it and will do well.

Anyway, thanks to all. I have found this group to be the single greatest resource, although the single hardest to get through, of all the resources on information. A lot of knowledge is packed into these threads. You just have to go digging for it.

Ha Ha good for you Daniel! I have seen you getting the odd poke for not actually having any bees, so you won't have to put up with that much longer.:)

Beginer advice? Manage mites properly, and don't accidentally kill the queen.

Yea, keep the TBH baited, you might be surprised. Advice? Don't do hive inspections any more often than once a week. That means you need more hives so you'll have enough to do an inspection every day. :D

Ray, keep the curiosity in check. got it. This one will be a hard one for me. It is actually one of the biggest reasons I wish I could start more hive. then I can poke around in a different one each day and not overly harass any one hive. I have spent quite a bit of time with the book 30 years at the hive entrance so that I at least know a bit more about what the outside of the hive is telling me about the inside. The problem I have with it is most of it seems like skills that only experience will truly give me. Bee activity at the entrance of the hive will be nothing more than that for a while. the ability to see a bee that lands heavily and one that lands softly is something that will come with eventually seeing the difference for myself. I will do my best to behave myself.

Oldtimer, Yeah I make a pretty big stink about that whole owning bees thing. But I also break the big rule. I listen to Ace sometimes, but only sometimes. I can here it now though "Oh Lord he listens to Ace, all is lost". Sorry Ace I just couldn't resist. I have seen a lot of information on mites and am focused on applying it. The problem that has me most concerned is CCD though. Everything else seems to be noticeable if you are actually paying attention. But CCD seems to come from nowhere. I believe I will learn to recognize mites fairly well. I have demonstrated that ability in regard to other issues in the past. I tend to pay very close attention to healthy behavior. that way any deviation from that stands out to me. the issue of what is different may take a little more time. But I know that a particular behavior often looks specific to a certain problem. I have read descriptions of some of the behaviors. But reading is not he same as seeing. Once I do see it I tend to remember it. I hope to spend a day with a local beekeeper and actually watch them inspect their hives. this way I have someone familiar with healthy behavior introducing me to it.

The problem I have with it is most of it seems like skills that only experience will truly give me

Bingo! You've read enough and analysed too much and now you need some bees.