Ready to go so come on, Spring!!!

[JimWWhite]

Jim that is just amazing! I'm so impressed and utterly fascinated by that. Tell her to keep up the good work! I'm dying to get a set up but I have a feeling it might be a couple more years before I can get them. (Few other more pressing matters to deal with first). By the way that picture you posted is REALLY something else too!

Jared, Thanks! I went to your web-site and it's top notch. I've been wanting to start one myself but just haven't invested the time to learn how. My son set up a super web-site for the business he owns and it's really professional looking. But anyways, I saw one thing on your site I wanted to give you some insight on. You mentioned you wanted to do top-bar hives. They're good and easy to build but there's one drawback from the traditional framed hives. When you harvest the honey you have to remove the comb by cutting it out. At least that's what I understand. That's fine if you want comb with your honey and a lot of people do. But think of this: When you harvest the honey from a top-bar hive the bees will have to expend a lot of energy and time rebuilding and replacing the comb. They actually have to exude the wax from glands on their abdomens. That's less time for them to forage and it consumes a lot of energy, i.e. food, i.e. honey. But with a traditional framed hive you use a knife to slice off only the tops of the comb cells on both sides and you put the frames in a centrifugal extractor which slings the honey out of the cells where it drains down to the bottom of the extractor and it can be drained and strained. The frames with 90% of the comb material still intact then goes right back into the hive where they go right back to work filling them up again. Just my 2-cents worth. Hope you don't mind.

 

[Jared77]

Thanks Jim I appreciate the kind words. Actually all of that site is all out of a template. I just put in what I want it to say but the rest of that stuff is all cut and paste codes.

As far as the Top bar hives I had thought of doing those because I want bees as pollinators first and honey production second. Actually any honey I get is a bonus. If I can get a couple quarts I'm pleased as punch. My concern is the more honey I set them up to produce is more honey I have to deal with. Maybe at some point I may expand to a Langstroth set ups but right now I want to have them and let them do their thing for the garden.

 

[JimWWhite]

Thanks Jim I appreciate the kind words. Actually all of that site is all out of a template. I just put in what I want it to say but the rest of that stuff is all cut and paste codes.

As far as the Top bar hives I had thought of doing those because I want bees as pollinators first and honey production second. Actually any honey I get is a bonus. If I can get a couple quarts I'm pleased as punch. My concern is the more honey I set them up to produce is more honey I have to deal with. Maybe at some point I may expand to a Langstroth set ups but right now I want to have them and let them do their thing for the garden.

Good Deal, Jared. Keep us informed when you make your move. I'd be real interested in hearing your experiences with the top bar hives.

 

[JimWWhite]

Oh, I know what I wanted to say in an earlier post about the bees. Ever since we've had them our neighbors all say they have never seen their flower and vegetable gardens be so beautiful and productive. Kelly, the neighbor down the lane says her butterfly bushes have been flowering out to the extreme for the past three seasons. She says the butterflies have to compete with the bees and it's funny to watch them try to intimidate the bees off their flowers and vice versa.

 

[sharon.bender]

I have just started on this forum. I have found some from Indiana, Ohio, but not from PA. I just want to talk to someone in similiar climate; I think NC is much warmer earlier in year. I would like to know when to put up portable greenhouse and electcric heater can be used, but isn't this too expensive? I would be running it both day and night?This is my first year of doing this and thats why I keep asking questions. You seem like you have a good attitude. thanks sharon.bender

 

[JimWWhite]

I have just started on this forum. I have found some from Indiana, Ohio, but not from PA. I just want to talk to someone in similiar climate; I think NC is much warmer earlier in year. I would like to know when to put up portable greenhouse and electcric heater can be used, but isn't this too expensive? I would be running it both day and night?This is my first year of doing this and thats why I keep asking questions. You seem like you have a good attitude. thanks sharon.bender

Well, I don't have any experience with greenhouses except wanting one myself. If I was going to set up a portable greenhouse and I had a way to anchor it firmly on the ground I'd go ahead and do it right about now. But that's here. In PA you'll still get some really heavy blizzards and snowfall for a few weeks more. My guess here is we'll get a dusting or two for the rest of the winter but nothing too heavy. We'll get March winds for the rest of February to mid-March here and rains from mid-March to mid-April. All that being said I doubt our climate here would be something I'd hang my hat on in PA.