Comments on: 9 Tips When Selecting Honeybees

By: MN BeeKeeper

MN BeeKeeper — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 19:28:09 +0000

In reply to ron lane. I totally agree. We had always bought packages until this year and have had no troubles. This year, we bought nucs and are now dealing with SHB in apiaries that were free of it. We noticed the beetles a few days after the night we hived our nucs. There was at least 1-5 beetles in each nuc box we had picked up, which, in turn, contaminated the yards where we had placed them. Try bringing your own boxes and make the switch at the supplier if possible, but the risk is still going to be there.

By: ron lane

ron lane — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 15:19:16 +0000

I’m not pushing for a package of bees over a nuc, however, people should be made aware that with a package they will usually have a honeymoon period with their bees and avoid the issues of mites and disease simply because the colony is not established. When you buy a nuc you get all the issues that were a part of the parent hive. Whatever they were treating is now no longer being treated and it will soon appear in the new owners hive. For someone just starting out and learning the ropes, the “honeymoon” period can be important for the new beekeeper as they learn about the function of a hive. If they are faced with disease and mite issues immediately, its not likely those issues will be identified in time to keep from losing the hive.

By: David King

David King — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 19:43:51 +0000

I have swarms that move across my property every spring. How do I encourage one of them to hive here. I don’t think they’re African I can get them to climb on my hands and allow me to put them back outside no problem