[ciris]

Hi there

I'm a very green beekeeper (picked up my very first nuc in April of this year)! I live near Portland, Oregon in a forested area outside of town. We have lots of native wildflowers, plentiful dandelions and poppies, and TONS of blackberries nearby (ferociously invasive, but delicious). Spring started early this year, and so far this summer has been punctuated by long bouts of rainfall, which means I've had to do a lot of waiting patiently for it to stop so I can inspect my hive.

I'm an amateur botanist so my appreciation for pollinators has led to my interest in keeping bees. I love observing their behavior, but I also have about nine million questions, some of which are far too specific for my general internet research, though I do a lot of independent research. I'm also a member of a local beekeeping club/school, but I thought it would be nice to join an online community as well to access differing opinions and alternative explanations- which I'm finding there is no shortage of in the world of beekeepers.

 

[minz]

what side of town are you on? I am over Boring Damascus.
Welcome

 

[Kevinf]

I'm brand new this year, too, in Portland. TVBA is a great club as well as PUB. PUB has a club apiary which is an invaluable learning resource. PUB has one more Zoom bee class which you can learn more about at their website. I am not a member of TVBA but I think they are doing informal Zoom group chats as well.

 

[LAlldredge]

You're going to have a ball with this hobby. I'm over the mountains in Sisters. Middle of 3rd year. A few noteworthy things. Beekeeping has a steep learning curve that can leave a person off in the weeds. In my mind there are only a few things to try and get right the first year. 1) treat for mites (period) , if you don't they will die 2) nutrition- feed them pollen patties and sugar water if nature is not providing it 3) housing- be sure they have proper housing and insulate properly 4) queens- be sure they are queenright and if not make sure you supply one.

Honestly that's really it. Colonies also have to build their comb infrastructure before they have a place to put honey. That's why most 1st year colonies do not produce honey the first year. If you take your mind completely off a harvest most things get easier.

Have fun and be kind to yourself. It's hard but a really satisfying skill.

 

[ciris]

Thank you all for the kind words!
minz- I'm just a little northwest of Portland- Sauvie Island area.
Kevinf- Yes, I am familiar. PUB is the beeschool I attend. There are actually two more classes, one in July and one more in September.
LAlldredge- Thanks for the breakdown! Fortunately, my attitude has always been that I simply want to learn more about bees, I kind of think of them more like a pet, so any honey I eventually acquire is just an incidental bonus later down the road. I only have one hive (it's all I could afford to start with) so all my focus is on trying to get them to (hopefully) survive the winter.

 

[Litsinger]

I'm an amateur botanist so my appreciation for pollinators has led to my interest in keeping bees.

Welcome to Beesource, ciris!

I share your experience, but in reverse- beekeeping has led to my interest and appreciation for pollinators and the flora and fauna they need to thrive.

Best of success to you the rest of the year- beekeeping seems to be a hobby that has an almost inexhaustible well of new things to discover / experiment with.