1 hive or 2 to start---newbee planning on ordering complete kit(s)

What's the best way to get started... I live in the city--Chicago.. getting excited!!

Best to have two so you can compare them if there is a problem.

It is always a good idea to start with more than one hive. First you can compare the hives, and see how they progress against another. You will be able to see if there is a problem, you might not know what it is, but you could get advice or help from others to diagnose the issue.
Second, you can use resources from one hive to help out the other, if need be. Brood, frames of pollen, honey or a shake of bees from one hive to another can be a huge boost and be the key to keeping them alive.
most people would suggest you get a book and read all you can before you get your bees. there are many out there that are good, first lessons in beekeeping, backyard beekeeper, beekeeping for dummy's, and the list goes on and on.
good luck with your bees!

Welcome, Having more than one gives you something to fall back on if you have trouble with one. With two hives, you can compare them to each other. You will have a source of eggs from the other hives. If one becomes weak, you can add bees or brood from the other. Best of luck!

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Originally Posted by garbear

What's the best way to get started... I live in the city--Chicago.. getting excited!!

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Welcome,

Consider having a complete nuc setup if possible, in addition to your hive or hives. You have a lot of decisions to make.

Two and a half hives are ideal, the half being a nuc to use as a queen bank.

Do alot of research on the path that you would like to take. And then order seperatley instead of kits. It may coast more, but you get what you want.

As a new beek last year go with 2 nucs. Keep the nuc boxes (might cost you thought) and if your doing real good try starting a 3rd or even 4th hive by late summer.

An old beekeeper started me out a long time ago by selling me 2 hives. He recommended I let one thrive and split the other. He said this would teach a lot about bees. It did.

By leaving one hive alone, you get honey, and the opportunity to witness what a strong hive looks like. By splitting the other, you get the education of seeing queen cells being made, how long that process takes, and 3 full hives by the end of the season.

I'm not saying this is how a commercial beek would do it, but lessons learned early on are first hand experience, and last a lifetime.

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Originally Posted by Charlie B

Two and a half hives are ideal, the half being a nuc to use as a queen bank.

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I don't understand what people mean when they talk about this. I get the general concept of it, but I don't understand how maintaining a nuc box would be easy. That and I'm going all mediums for my beginner hive so I'm not sure about nucs anyway.

Are you considering 8 frame mediums?

Nuc equipment adds a lot to the beekeeping experience. It is handy for numerous manipulations.

Always do two or more. I stared with 2 and by the end of the first year had 11. Those were the good old days now it is 150+

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Originally Posted by Gus979

I don't understand what people mean when they talk about this. I get the general concept of it, but I don't understand how maintaining a nuc box would be easy. That and I'm going all mediums for my beginner hive so I'm not sure about nucs anyway.

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I agree with you Gus. This is my first year, I started with two hives. I don't have nuc....yet. Maybe next year, but I only have a vague idea of what nuc maintenance involves. I'll move on to that when I'm ready. I may try a split next spring, but I have to see if the bees make it through the winter first!

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Originally Posted by garbear

What's the best way to get started... I live in the city--Chicago.. getting excited!!

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a variation on the theme would be to start with one, build it up, and then split it into two.

Maintaining a nuc is very simple and it gives you an instant queen if you need one. I use 8 frame mediums for all my nucs. I place follower boards, (frames of solid wood) at #1 and #8 frame position to take up excess space and maintain a 6 frame medium nuc. As the nuc grows, you can take out frames of brood to bolster your existing hives to keep your nuc at the same population level.

If you get two hives to start with, you can wait until they build up in the summer then take frames from your strongest hive and make up a nuc. You can introduce a mated queen for your nuc or let them raise their own.

This is my second year keeping. Definately get two to start as others have said. I started a nuc this year and would recommend doing so as well. It's really easy, just take a couple frames from one of your hives (one that has eggs) and let them do their thing.

My nuc turned out to be very valuable a month ago when one of my hives went queenless. I simply combined my nuc with that hive and all's well! Saved me a hive.

I see you're in Milwaukee--- where did you initially get your queen & bees? Were they Italian- as they seem most suited to this climate?? thanks alot

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Originally Posted by Gus979

I don't understand what people mean when they talk about this. I get the general concept of it, but I don't understand how maintaining a nuc box would be easy. That and I'm going all mediums for my beginner hive so I'm not sure about nucs anyway.

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Having a nuc on hand is good in case your colony explodes and decides you didn't provide enough room. You can remove a good % of bees and start a new hive, rather then losing the strong one to swarm.

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Originally Posted by garbear

I see you're in Milwaukee--- where did you initially get your queen & bees? Were they Italian- as they seem most suited to this climate?? thanks alot

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Try to get local too even if it's a hr drive. You should be prepared get your bees early in the morning too before they start work and it gets warm out.

Hi Garbear,
I live in La Grange, IL but have my hives on our farm in Pleasant Prairie, WI (just over the border). I purchased complete start-up sets from separate outfitters, and in hindsight, I wish I would have just purchased the supplies separately because I didn't like certain components that were included in the sets and ended up purchasing additional supplies that I wouldn't had otherwise needed to. Start with two hives, that way if one fails, you don't need to wait until another whole season to stay involved with your bees. I started with package bees, it was really interesting to watch the hives develop on their own from the complete start. I think I learned more from the package bee experience so I don't regret going that way. I'm also new at this, I'm going into my first Winter after starting this past Spring. I purchased my Italian Bee packages from Gardner Apiaries in Georgia but there are several local suppliers in our area. The Oak Park Conservatory has bee keeping classes this March:

https://www.pdop.net/wbwsc/webtrac.w...tion=d&wbsi=si

There is a Dadant store just west of Milwaukee in Watertown that sells that line of equipment. There, you can check out the various options, also they are really nice and helpful and willing to answer questions. If you go this route, you can save a bundle in shipping charges. The Dadant store is open Monday through Friday 8:00 to 5:00 (closed at noon for lunch hour). Here is the store info: Dadant & Sons Inc 920-261-5363 W 2763 East Gate Drive Watertown, WI 53094-0331

pov hill thanks alot