The Wally-Gee Bee Journey 🐝

[WallyG74]

I have been debating getting into bees for several months now. I have a good friend that is guiding me through my newbee endeavor. The holdup was getting my wife to agree to it. She is scared to get stung, so I assured her they would bee placed somewhere way out out her way. She signed off on it and here we are! My friend and guide, we’ll call him Walt, has given me some beginning pointers and set up a swarm trap where I plan to have the hive. This is a homemade 5 frame nuc that Walt made for catching bees.

I have ordered a deep brood box with 10 frames that I will copy, because I’m handy in the shop and I like to save money. Walt has supplied me with a top and bottom to copy as well. He had caught 2 swarms but they are getting antsy and need to go in a hive, so we will catch a swarm fresh for my hive… we hope. There’s lots of bees around here so I’m not worried at all. It gives me more time if they don’t jump right in.

My goal this year is to get a strong colony started and then hopefully overwinter them and get to the honey next year since it’s a bit of a late start. I started talking to some kind and knowledgeable folks over in Ralphie’s bee thread and really appreciate the input and encouragement so far. I decided to start my own thread to easier keep track of my progress, and due to the push/shove from @The Moonshiner and @Overo Mare. So join in and share your thoughts and tell me when I’m screwing up!

 

[Miami Leghorn]

I'm just here to learn and enjoy.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yep, following

 

[WallyG74]

The start of my first base. That router has been collecting some dust since I got chickens over 3 years ago. We will see how it goes!

 

[Sally PB]

Following as well!

This will be my first year with bees as well. I get them two weeks from tomorrow. Excited and a bit nervous.

 

[Hayden Goseek]

I always thought about getting bees but never enough to actually do so.
I will be living vicariously through your project.

 

[Sally PB]

In March of 2020, I attended a bee keepers club meeting, thinking I'd like to get bees. That was a Wednesday evening. The next Monday, everything shut down because of Covid.

So Tuesday, I got chickens. Now, I want to get bees.

I recently read the book, The Backyard Beekeeper, by Kim Flottum. I bought it that night at the bee meeting, which was held in a bookstore. Very helpful, and I bet I refer back to it often. Anyone else have a book they recommend? Or website?

@WallyG74, I think your hive is going to be gorgeous!

 

[Painted Calls]

Following!

 

[WallyG74]

I think your hive is going to be gorgeous!

At least the part in the middle will be . That being the deep brooder that’s coming from a company that knows what they’re doing. Seriously though, my base or bottom is test fitted and looks good for the first one.

Sorry for the bad lighting in my basement.

 

[WallyG74]

It’s going to work, but once I glued and screwed it, the width is 1/16th of an inch short of 16”. Live and learn. A little paint and the base is done.