[bigsteven56]

I am new to beekeeping and will be buying 25 hives in ga where i go to school and bringing them to green bay wisconsin where I live. I was wondering if there are any other major nectar flows other than alfalfa, basswood, goldenrod, soy beans and clover? What is a reasonable amount of honey to get off of these nectar flows?

Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

[Beeslave]

Dandelion, Cherry(black),Locust, Blackberry, Tartarian Honeysuckle(bush), and in certain areas Horsemint. There are others but they don't yield as much

Forget about the soybeans being a honey producer.

The amount of honey produced per hive is dependant upon exact location, hive management, and the weather. WI avg yield is around 85lbs surplus per hive. Some areas of WI produce more and some produce less.

 

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Also bear in mind this is an atypical year. Everything is early in WI. I don't know whether this means everything will be over sooner or whether it just extends bloom time. Adrian.

 

[alpha6]

Are you buying 25 hives or 25 nucs? Second thing is make sure you have a good location or locations for them. Knowing what is around your yards will greatly improve how well they do.

 

[bigsteven56]

Thanks for the advice. I will be buying hives and not nucs. What do you think will be blooming from the middle of june until september?

Steve

 

[Oldbee]

Sumac sp. [probably Rhus glabra] is listed as a major nectar source and Bird'sfoot Trefoil as a minor source listed in Wikipedia >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_nectar_sources_for_honey_bees are two others I know of.
and >> http://beelab.osu.edu/factsheets/sheets/2168.html

Purple Loosestrife >> "Wetlands along the west and south shores of lower Green Bay have been degraded by stands of purple loosestrife and phragmites as well as other exotic vegetative species that have become established. These species provide little food or habitat value to wildlife and outcompete the beneficial native wetland vegetative species." >> http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/foxriver/sites/NRDA_Selected/gbay_algae.html

"Unfortunately, Purple Loosestrife is still promoted by some horticulturists for its beauty and by beekeepers as a nectar source." >> A pdf >> http://www.co.langlade.wi.us/Purple%20Loosestrife%20Information.pdf

 

[D Coates]

From 0 to 25 hives? Power to you. I would have been completely overwhelmed. It's my 5th year and I'm only up to 13 hives with various queen castles and nucs.

 

[alpha6]

Check the hives for hive beetles if they are coming out of GA. Also do a mite load check to see how that is. Make sure you go through the hives BEFORE you buy them...yeah...all 25 give yourself a half a day to do this. Look for AFB/EFB (you will notice the smell as well as a lot of perforated cappings)

Good luck and have fun once you get them.

 

[bigsteven56]

Thanks again for all the wonderful advice. Yeah i've been helping the guy i'm gonna buy the hives from on and off for the past year and really enjoyed it so i figured I might as well get into it as well. I know where there is alot of sumac in the area. How major is this plant? I also know of tons of areas around me with huge stands of purple loosestrife. Will this plant produce lots of nectar? Has anyone had experience with it?

 

[dcross]

huge stands of purple loosestrife. Will this plant produce lots of nectar? Has anyone had experience with it?

No personal experience, but it's supposed to be a big producer.

 

[Bud Dingler]

you might want to think about how you will ventilate those hives enroute. a screened cover would be my suggestion. easy to overheat and cook them bees during hot weather.

if the hives are full of SHB you might want to stay away from other non migratory beekeepers. no one wants to get a new problem.