[Sylvan Knollden]

Hello, I've just begun beekeeping this month, and have had all plans of mentorship frustrated in various ways:

1) My own social ineptness and introversion
2) Demands of family schedule: wife, three children under 10, home-ownership and remodeling, homeschooling, other hobbies
3) One visit to a local hobbyist beekeeper in February was nearly snowed out; and his hive had died (bear-assisted)
4) Local bee club meets once a month; now on zoom... no real hive time
5) I chose a Warre hive
6) Quarantine

So now I read more and more as I'm home on quarantine, and I'm thankful for finding these forums, but still the same obstacles.

Despite all that, I enjoyed building my boxes from salvaged pallets and scrap lumber with a less than ideal woodshop (another hobby). I've enjoyed sharing my excitement with my family: we love to peek in the observation windows; the children helped with many aspects of construction and installation, help me mix the sugar syrup etc.

Thinking short term, I can still get another colony of bees next week IF I build another floor, quilt and roof. Then I'd have to build the boxes to nadir later in the season - possibly switching to modified Warre/Gatineau or Alpine Russian...

I'm open to learning; if anyone has recommended threads and/or willing mentors - thanks!

A pleasure to be here.

Sylvan

 

[rwlaw]

Welcome Sylvan. You might want to introduce yourself and ask a question on the warre hive forum, good luck!

 

[Gray Goose]

Welcome Sylvan,

this current thing will pass, beekeeping is a long term goal, start with the time you have, maybe when the kids get older you will have more time.
Do keep looking for a mentor, it helps. As you have chose the Warre you may have a interesting challenge there.
I have had bees since the 70s, time crunches come and go, the bees will always be there.

GG

 

[WaverlyBees]

Welcome aboard, Sylvan. Great to see you are involving the kids.

 

[Litsinger]

Sylvan:

As a fellow homeschooling father of six who also has three that are under ten I do identify with the time crunch.

The good thing about beekeeping (at least in my experience) is that it is better to progress slowly and make steady progress- before you know it you will have more bees than you want and hopefully your family will have grown to enjoy beekeeping at least half as much as you have.

I also have a few Warre hives and can see some definite advantages and disadvantages to them- there are some very experienced Warre and top bar practitioners on here who can give you some good advice.

Best of success to you in your beekeeping and homeschooling efforts!

Russ

 

[Sylvan Knollden]

Thanks, all, for the encouragments and long-term perspective. I oscillate between inactive introspection, planning, day-dreaming and frantic busy-ness with growing frustration at how long it takes to actually DO things.

I'm thankful for my wife who does the majority of the homeschooling, and I'm thankful for this enforced home-time to whittle away at things, and having the time with my family.

I'm hoping to make it to the local bee club virtual meeting this month and am signing up for the free PSU beekeeping course.
beekeeping-101

Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.