"Advice for the Beginner"

[jonlorusso]

I met a beekeeper at a gas station today. He had some great advice (paraphrased) for a new beekeeper like myself.

"Dont coddle the bees. Don't feel bad if your bees don't make it through the winter. In fact, helping weak bees survive is doing no one any good."

He also had quite a bit to say about the southern package industry, which I won't repeat here; but the basic idea was that you can't breed/select for a northern climate in the warmth of the southern winter.

Anyway, I'm sure there are differing opinions about this but it was definitely interesting to hear, especially coming from someone with a bit of experience.


--jon

[mike haney]

the "... southern package industry..." is not perfect, but its tough to get package bees on April first from northern states....

[Mbeck]

So to recap
"Its okay if you kill a few $85.00 southern packages"

????

[jonlorusso]

I completely agree. I cannot afford to watch an $90 investment go up in smoke like that.

However, his take was to not buy them in the first place. He claims all of the bees in his apiary are trapped swarms or cut-outs.

Mike Palmer makes much the same point about package bees in this video: http://vimeo.com/23178333 He also speaks of the increasing rarity that is the Vermont-swarm.

May explain my empty traps here in northwestern NJ.

[Yucca Patrol]

Locally sourced bees are probably always your best bet. If you don't want Southern bees in NJ, you should get locally adapted bees from local beekeepers.

I can imagine Southern bees in NJ might fare about as well as banana plants here in Alabama. But if I planted a field of bananas and didn't get a crop, I wouldn't blame Honduras for it.

[Andrew Dewey]

The gem in the advice is the first statement - "Don't coddle the bees." The hardest part in teaching new beekeepers is getting across that beekeeping is an agricultural activity and in agriculture you have live stock and dead stock. Similarly, every time you go into a hive you are going to kill bees. Hopefully not many. Recognizing the weak hive that has limped along all summer and dealing with it before winter is a kindness. I'm not there yet but my goal is to have 100% of my hives that I prep for winter alive and thriving in the spring. I lost a tad under 15% this winter.

[HTC]

Gee I like my Southern bees they all buzz with a nice Southern accent.

I all so think local is better when you buy your bees all so I think as a new bee keeper getting a local to sell you a strong nuke is very good. It keeps the money local and gives you someone to call.