Greetings from WI

[mlsthmpsn]

Hello everyone,

Hopefully this satisfies the admins request to show I am not a bot!

I've been wanting to keep bees for a few years now, but never got around to it. Glad I didn't because I think we've moved 5 times in the past 4 years (it's bad when you can't remember a few of the places you've lived without having to think for a while!)

Anyway, my hand has been forced with a wild hive in one of our out-buildings, close to our neighbors backyard. They were complaining last year that they were getting stung all the time, even though the flight path is away from their yard and they have both (bees and neighbors) lived there for several years and last year wasp/hornet activity was bad because it was pretty dry and they were swarming in any area with water/food; i.e. their backyard picnic area where they left beer/soda cans laying around. I contacted a local bee-remover and he's gonna set us up with a hive and help us remove/transfer the bees/brood/honey stores to the frames. We have a good spot on the back of the property away from any neighbors, protected from the north, next to some large movable cement blocks on the west (for a good night-time heat sink), and a wide open southern exposure...and it's next to a bunch of black-cap raspberries and is also in town so they get plenty of flowers to find food.

It will be interesting to see what we find when we open the wall up. We will be prepared for the possibility of splitting the brood into a few different hives as well. The guy has a bee vac and does around 10 extractions per year, so it should go smoothly. We have several other properties around town and just outside of town where we can place a hive or two in the future, if all goes well.

I am currently searching around for supplies on the internet, but I am not sure what I absolutely need, what is good to have, and what is pretty useless to buy. So far, I am pretty sure I want to get screen bottoms, medium supers, and those fancy escape screen boards for all the hives. I am on the fence for a slatted rack and a queen excluder. Any suggestions on hive pieces would be great. I would also like to here suggestions for tools and protective gear.

Thanks in advance for the help!

MT

[laurabat]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Enjoy your stay here!

[tefer2]

Welcome to the forum, there are quite a few folks on here from the Wisconsin area

[specialkayme]

Welcome to the site!

[AllenF]

Welcome to the forum.

[Hippie-Beekeeper]

Welcome cheese head I am a cheese head to I was born in Milwaukee mean moon ago.

From what i read you have a good food supply black-cap raspberries if you have a lot of them makes a good food for your bee's an makes a nice honey.

Now for your gear an this is "A MUST HAVE"

Bee veil ( use to protect one's good looks "face an head" )
Smoker ( use to calm the bees an make them move down in the super an hive )
Gloves (I am a welder so i use my welding gloves you will need cowhide leather or goatskin with long gauntlets but in time you will be working the bee's without gloves)
White coveralls with elastic or draw string wrists and lower legs ( bee's do not like dark colours like blue jeans an in time you will move in to a white jacket with elastic or draw string wrists )
Hive tool ( a small flat crow bar use to pry supper's and frames apart an to scrap )
Frame Grip ( use to life frames from hive )
Frame perch ( use to hold frame removed from hive when you inspect also help to keep trash off bottom of frame )
Frame cleaner ( use to clean wax an propolis ( bee glue ) form frames an frame rest )
Stop sting ( cream to help stop stung pain an yes you will get stung that's bee keeping )

Now for the hive

I use large supper's for the brood clamber two of them it gives the bees more room for brood an helps to keep them cool in the summer an warm when it get cold yes i know all about Wisconsin winders for pollen nectar an honey stores I use medium suppers  two each per hive Queen excluder "DO NOT USE" an if you are good with your hands a lot of the wood work like inner covers screen bottom boards you an make yourself it will save you a lot of money an it is fun to do. You said you are going to use a screen bottom boards that is a "GREAT" it helps in cooling an to check on varroa mite infestation ( more on varroa mites later). An for foundation in your frames it is up to you I myself do not use them i just wire my frames without foundation an my junk yard bee's do the rest an so far they are doing a GREAT job at it why fool with Mother Nature I am just a gear head Hippie (lol). =^..^=

I hope all of this helps you feel free to pick my brain OH check out mannlakeltd.com an brushymountainbeefarm.com they are good people an a lot of information for new-bees. =^..^= 

Take care peace be with you and your family.

Hippie-Beekeeper 
   

[hardwood]

Welcome!

Scott

[bee-nuts]

Welcome

Smoker, bee jacket with attached veil, hive tool, reading glasses for finding eggs.

I dont use excluders very often but they are nice to have around so I would buy them but not use them unless needed.
I like Dadant wood Frames, MannLake boxes, wax foundation, nothing wrong with plastic wax coated though.

Add your location to profile, its important, really!

Good luck and always feel welcome to ask questions, even the dumb ones.  We all were rookies once and nobody knows everything.

[bud1]

i dont agree with some stuf you were told to buy
dont need a frame lifter simply prie it up and lift with hand    frame perch just lean it up against the hive    fame cleaner  just scrape it with hive tool  stop sting, bee stings arent bad and help yo old acking joints  escape screans,  escape from what?  gloves, if you kinda whimpy you can just use dishwashing gloves; the others so thick that you are continually squishing bees and creating alarm    slated racks, why have the bees under the hive, just add a box or if real hotl shim the top up and make a vent
i would get some kind of top for the hives  i just cut a piece of plybord for a top and put a one in. trim on front and back to keep it from warping.

[Course Bee]

Welcome to the forum.

[beyondthesidewalks]

Welcome to beekeeping and the forum.  My advice is invest smartly in only the things you need to keep these first bees.  It's easy to get carried away buying a bunch of stuff that you'll find you didn't really use that much down the road.  Join a bee club and find you a mentor.  You'd be surprised how many good deals you can get on used equipment from other beekeepers.  Also, the advice and experience from them will be invaluable.