[Duncan MacLeod]

Hi friends,

I've been using the site for research for some time, figured it was time to join. I've been keeping bees for 3.5 years now. I started with a top bar hive and a captured swarm, spent a couple years playing with those, now switching to 10-frame equipment and building colonies as fast as I can.

I am trying to build a beekeeping business over the next few years and will no doubt have a million more questions along the way. Right now I have about 12 colonies, have never bought packages of bees, been working with captured swarms and a local queen supplier. Building boxes all the time, all mediums, a choice I made from the start so that all frames will be interchangeable and perhaps I can avoid a strained back in the years ahead. I recently started 6 nucs into 4-frame equipment, after a lot of reading of Michael Palmer's threads on over-wintering nucs. My hope is to hit the spring strong and increase, increase, increase.

I want to say "thanks", you all have been a resource whether you knew it or not, and I have benefited from your discussions here. And I look forward to meeting you all more formally now that I am in the system.

Kind Regards,
Duncan MacLeod
Northwest Bees, LLC

 

[snl]

Welcome. As you now know, BS is a wealth of information.....mostly good. Learn from those who have been there, done that..... not from those that have just read that you need to do this or you need to do that..... we can all read. .. You need to pick and choose your own path in beekeeping.... it's an art!

 

[Ravenzero]

Welcome, I hope you enjoy going all Mediums, I do. The ONLY drawback to using all mediums is purchased nucs come in deeps.... but thats whats swarms and splits are for!
Huge fan of your work in the Highlander movies!

 

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Welcome Duncan!

 

[ABruce]

Hi Duncan,
We share a very similar climate, I am a couple hours north of you. It would be interesting to hear what's in bloom and compare notes as time goes on.

 

[bbruff22]

Welcome to Beesource Duncan! I'm a fan of Mr. Palmer's as well. I assume you've watched some of his youtube stuff as well. His "sustainable apiary" talk is really awesome.

There are many knowledgeable veterans out here though and they're willing to help newer beeks out. It's an awesome forum.

Good luck to you!

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

Hi Ravenzero and thanks for the greeting!
Yes, always nice to meet a fan....looks like we are just about neighbors, too!

I do think the mediums present a couple of challenges, mostly in interfacing with the beekeeping world - nucs, as you point out, are sold as deeps...and apart from the buying side, if I would like to sell nucs I'm going to need to market mediums or give in on the deeps....oh dilemmas!

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

Likewise, ABruce!

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

Welcome to Beesource Duncan! I'm a fan of Mr. Palmer's as well. I assume you've watched some of his youtube stuff as well.

Yes, I have watched several of his presentations, and just today made up six 4-frame nucs, taking frames from some of my weaker colonies, all to hit spring hard. This is after his presentations on over-wintering and reading the whole dialogue on here that he got rolling and participated in. Very useful stuff!

 

[fruitveggirl]

Welcome!