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30 hives, TF six years, have never bought a single bee. Sold a dozen hives last year, will likely sell more this year.

Like my friend Nabber all my bees originated from swarm captures or cutouts. ...

There is actually a fair number around the Kansas City area I know of. I sell 6 to 10 full size TF colonies a year.

Don Semple - Overland Park, KS

5 years, TF, Foundationless & SC, 20 - 25...

I'd sue Drew for not having better instruction! :D

BINGO

I've made money from day one by getting all my bees from cutouts, trap outs, and swarm catches all of which I charge for.

Generally $50 - $75 for a swarm capture, $400 - $800 for cutouts and trap...

I always fill the empty nest void after the removal with R-30 roll insulation and take before, during and after photos. Costs less then $20.00. The bees can always find away around just caulk.

But...

Let me preface by saying that I have the luxury to be TF because I'm a sideliner / hobbyist, If I counted on my bees for my living I would treat and have no agenda to convince others to be TF.

...

Those hairy vines are poison ivy.

:scratch:

My experience is that management in TF just has to be different

The bees I have that survive best shut down brood rearing during dearths.

And any management I do that stimulates brood rearing...

I like trapouts a lot when they are convenient.

It's not just about the bees, they can produce boxes of honey also in very short order when started early on a good flow. Just throw a couple of...

Signs you're over it,

You:

- hate meeting new beeks
- quit going to meetings
- hate the bees every year by mid-july
- don't tell anybody you're a beekeeper
- quit trying to save poor hives...

5. Waste of time

I've seen Michael type, probably didn't take him more then 5 minutes.

lol, perfect treatment free beekeeping candidate in the making :)

Yes yellow jacket queens are huge compared to the workers and unlike honeybees, big colonies will have lots of queens.

Drione Dust with a bellows duster does a great job in killing nests.


...

60 lbs. is about average for our area, nobody beats a path to Kansas chasing a honey crop :(

And, we generally have a long summer dearth and an unreliable fall flow so I always leave a couple...

I've put up 1600 + lbs this year from 25 tf hives and haven't done any fall harvesting yet.


Don

1. 5a,
2. 5 years
3. Fair, 20 - 30 hives, generally can get 2 or 3 good productive seasons out of a hive, I've got a few that have survived 5 years.
4. Summer dearth, local feral population (have...

I've been able to get 2 or 3 productive seasons out of most and have a few hives that have done well for 5 years.


Don

Don't know, I have never looked for that.

Don

Drione Dust made from our friends at Bayer


Don

Got to leave them plenty of honey reserves.




The bees that survive best in my apiary start a little slower but have explosive growth in the spring triggered by maple pollen in late Feb. or...

Varroa wins eventually.


Don

I would agree with you about the natural brood breaks being very important. The hives I have that don't shut down brood production during our late summer dearth invariably fail after a couple of...

I side with the neighbors, it was rude of you to put bees 15' from their property line without asking them.


Don