Howdy from SE PA
You came to the right place. Beekeeping is fun fun fun and has given me as many life lessons as it has honey one of natures greatest ready to eat food.
I'm small scale for my own use. I have five Langstroth hives and am moving to top bars hopping for success.
The best description of keeping bees I heard was from a corporate CEO that I fascinated with stories. He summed it up with "Experience the challenge on their terms." Bees don't care about your goals and I doubt your existence means anything more to them than a threat.
Most of my gear is pine, but I like the few cypress pieces I have from GA. Very pretty wood. Last I looked at cedar boards, the cost was a couple times more than a ready made hive. I had a polystyrene have and was happy to give it away.
As far as "organic" or "natural", Bees forage for three miles and they don't know the meaning of the words. If you want a definition from here, be ready to watch the Hatfields and McCoys. The most even handed view I found is Mike Bush http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm.
The Langstroth hive is an awesome design that has served to pollinate our food and is the source of most honey for the last century. The biggest variations consist of size (deep, medium, shallow, 10 frame, 8 frame), frame types (wood frame with crimp wire, duragilt, plastic or all plastic), bottom boards (solid, screened, slatted) and most recently cell size. The variations come with as may discussions as "organic" and have much more to do with your desires and limitations. The part that sneaked up on me is that each complete have can easily top $200 and that's a lot of honey from the whole food or farm market.
Why the farm market? Honey imports from China are wreaking havoc. Even if the jar says Argentina or similar seemingly friendly place, much of that I understand originates in china. Since our industry and the FDA has not created sufficient standards for honey, I doubt that the supermarket honey isn't stretched with who knows what syrup and fear what else is included. About five years ago my wife came home with an ornate glass flip top jar with "made in china" on the bottom. It's still there. I only enjoy and share my own.
A friend always enjoys my lengthy stories and rants because his allergies respond well to my local honey. I entertain lots of other for a long first time and a swarm capture becomes the neighborhood entertainment.
The greatest change that I'm aware of in beekeeping over the last 30 years is pathogens, parasites and disease. Foul brood, worst in the past is now way down on the list. The varroa mite is most discouraging and having a hive without them is unlikely. Tracheal mites are another difficulty. I’m becoming more aware of the small hive beetle and see more and more posts on the pests. Can’t comment of the viruses because I can’t see them. I fear the combination of all more that each. IMHO formic acid is the best combatant.
If I stop and start again, it will be with a package in a top bar or similar horizontal hive of my own making and use Mike's crush and strain extractor. Since bees will live in any enclosure that suits them, this is a minimal cost path that I feel promotes learning because you need to think about methods rather than following recipes.
My best suggestion is to find a friend who likes bees. An infrequent helping hand and sounding board makes a big difference. We have helped each other recover from catastrophic difficulty and neither will now give it up.
However you proceed, I wish you success and enjoyment.
You came to the right place. Beekeeping is fun fun fun and has given me as many life lessons as it has honey one of natures greatest ready to eat food.
I'm small scale for my own use. I have five Langstroth hives and am moving to top bars hopping for success.
The best description of keeping bees I heard was from a corporate CEO that I fascinated with stories. He summed it up with "Experience the challenge on their terms." Bees don't care about your goals and I doubt your existence means anything more to them than a threat.
Most of my gear is pine, but I like the few cypress pieces I have from GA. Very pretty wood. Last I looked at cedar boards, the cost was a couple times more than a ready made hive. I had a polystyrene have and was happy to give it away.
As far as "organic" or "natural", Bees forage for three miles and they don't know the meaning of the words. If you want a definition from here, be ready to watch the Hatfields and McCoys. The most even handed view I found is Mike Bush http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm.
The Langstroth hive is an awesome design that has served to pollinate our food and is the source of most honey for the last century. The biggest variations consist of size (deep, medium, shallow, 10 frame, 8 frame), frame types (wood frame with crimp wire, duragilt, plastic or all plastic), bottom boards (solid, screened, slatted) and most recently cell size. The variations come with as may discussions as "organic" and have much more to do with your desires and limitations. The part that sneaked up on me is that each complete have can easily top $200 and that's a lot of honey from the whole food or farm market.
Why the farm market? Honey imports from China are wreaking havoc. Even if the jar says Argentina or similar seemingly friendly place, much of that I understand originates in china. Since our industry and the FDA has not created sufficient standards for honey, I doubt that the supermarket honey isn't stretched with who knows what syrup and fear what else is included. About five years ago my wife came home with an ornate glass flip top jar with "made in china" on the bottom. It's still there. I only enjoy and share my own.
A friend always enjoys my lengthy stories and rants because his allergies respond well to my local honey. I entertain lots of other for a long first time and a swarm capture becomes the neighborhood entertainment.
The greatest change that I'm aware of in beekeeping over the last 30 years is pathogens, parasites and disease. Foul brood, worst in the past is now way down on the list. The varroa mite is most discouraging and having a hive without them is unlikely. Tracheal mites are another difficulty. I’m becoming more aware of the small hive beetle and see more and more posts on the pests. Can’t comment of the viruses because I can’t see them. I fear the combination of all more that each. IMHO formic acid is the best combatant.
If I stop and start again, it will be with a package in a top bar or similar horizontal hive of my own making and use Mike's crush and strain extractor. Since bees will live in any enclosure that suits them, this is a minimal cost path that I feel promotes learning because you need to think about methods rather than following recipes.
My best suggestion is to find a friend who likes bees. An infrequent helping hand and sounding board makes a big difference. We have helped each other recover from catastrophic difficulty and neither will now give it up.
However you proceed, I wish you success and enjoyment.
