New beekeeper spring 2012

**thomasj** · 09-09-2011, 06:48 PM

Hello I'm Thomas. Retired residential contractor and planning to get my first bees spring 2012. Very interested in the top bar hives and raising the bees the natural way. The forum has already been very helpful.

**Specialkayme** · 09-09-2011, 06:53 PM

Welcome to the site!

**featbee** · 09-09-2011, 08:06 PM

Hello and WELCOME. Good Luck and have fun learning.
featbee

**AmericasBeekeeper** · 09-09-2011, 09:31 PM

Welcome Thomas! I hope you have ordered bees now for next Spring. Beekeeping is one of the fastest growing interests. The suppliers cannot keep up.

**Grant** · 09-09-2011, 10:09 PM

I get a lot of calls from people like you who want to go "natural," and believe the TBH is the answer. You can raise bees just as naturally in the Langstroth hive with foundationless frames and the cost will be about the same to start out...unless you're building your own boxes. TBH's can be very inexpensive and are easily built from scrap lumber. I suggest buying your first hive to see how it functions, then if you are inclined and skilled, build your own.

But aside from raising your bees naturally, what is your purpose in beekeeping? If it's just to keep a few bees around and pollinate the garden, then a TBH is great. If you want to intensify your management and harvest a reasonable amount of honey, I'd suggest a Langstroth. The beauty of beekeeping is the varied approaches and at times, conflicting managerial options.

I have both, but the Langstroth is paying the tuition at Mizzou for my son.

Grant
Jackson, MO

**indypartridge** · 09-12-2011, 04:29 AM

Hello and Welcome!

I'm sure you'll find this forum to be an informative site to learn more about bees and beekeeping.

If you're interested in keeping bees, I also recommend getting involved with a local club. Clubs are great places to find mentors and get connected to local beekeepers:
http://www.scstatebeekeepers.org/ind...es/Page549.htm

**thomasj** · 09-12-2011, 11:24 AM

I had contacted a couple of suppliers and they said that they would not be taking orders until november. Is that the standard/

**thomasj** · 09-12-2011, 11:28 AM

I am going to my first beekeepers meeting Thursday Sept 15th, the Pee Dee Beekeepers Assoc. here in Florence South Carolina

**thomasj** · 09-12-2011, 11:38 AM

I am a retired building contractor and have already built a couple of the Langstroth hives and also a TBH. I'm just planning on having a couple of hives mostly for the fun of it and if I can harvest some honey it'll be a bonus. I only have a small amount of space where I live so I couldn't do more that that. I do garden alot, so they'll be great for that. I do want to go foundationless, but it has been real confusing as to the size of the top bars. One question I had is that if I put 1 1/4" bars in the front for the brood and say 1 1/2" toward the rear will the bees automatically use the 1 1/2" bar for the honey. I know that bees will do what bees do and they know best what they're doing, but I'm just curious.