Free Bee Equipment

[Wandering Buddhist]

Hello Fellow Members

I will spend this summer teaching basic beekeeping to a small group of impoverished mountain dwelling people in a foreign land, and I am soliciting your kind assistance.

If anyone has any extra equipment lying around: a spare hive tool, extra frames or wiring, a hammer, a box of nails, a queen excluder, a centrifuge, hat and veil; in short, anything bee related, I would enthusiastically take it with me or ship it on.  I live in Connecticut and would either pick it up from you or arrange shipping at my personal expense.  Books/magazines with lots of pictures (due to language barriers) also needed.  One hive tool or a complete hive; anything and everything helps.

Thank you in advance for your Christian kindness (or however you care to phrase your generosity and compassion) and know that any and all supplies will go to helping brethren beekeepers put food into their mouths.  These people are, quite literally, starving to death and need a vocation to support themselves and their families, due to complex extenuating circumstances.

Please e-mail me at ACote  AT hcc.commnet.edu (AT=@)for full details and explanation of this trip, if you are interested in knowing more.  I am happy to provide extensive details.  I deploy at the end of May.

Many thanks in advance for your help.  Most of us keep bees as a hobby; please help me help these people keep bees for a living.

[amymcg]

Have you considered teaching them top bar hive beekeeping?  It would probably be more cost effective for them.

[Wandering Buddhist]

Yes, top bar hives is certainly on the agenda.  I too think we will end up having to do more work with them due to economic constraints and other factors.

Thank you for your thoughts.