Author Topic: Hello from North Carolina (Read 7930 times)

ChiefBee · « **on:** February 04, 2015, 08:05:04 pm »

Hello all. I'm recently retired from the Air Force living in Wilson, NC and will start my first two hives later this spring. Very excited. I joined the Tar River Beekeeping Association last year and attended their beeschool as well. So what is your best advice to a newcomer to the bee world?

Slowmodem · « **Reply #1 on:** February 04, 2015, 08:16:24 pm »

Welcome and enjoy your stay!

Riverrat · « **Reply #2 on:** February 04, 2015, 08:20:51 pm »

You just signed in to the best advise you can get as a new keep. Welcome aboard.

Curtchann · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2015, 08:29:52 pm »

Welcome Chief and Thank you for your service!

iddee · « **Reply #4 on:** February 04, 2015, 08:39:50 pm »

Welcome. Glad to have you.

Best advice. Take it slow and easy. Study hard. Most new beeks buy lots of stuff they don't need.

PS. Visit the NC beek spring conference tomorrow and Friday in Monroe.
There will be many suppliers there.

http://www.ncbeekeepers.org/education/statewide-conferences/2015-ncsba-scba-spring-conference/

brooksbeefarm · « **Reply #5 on:** February 04, 2015, 10:48:03 pm »

Welcome, and thanks for serving our country. From the show me state. Jack

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #6 on:** February 04, 2015, 11:00:59 pm »

Quote from: ChiefBee on February 04, 2015, 08:05:04 pm

Hello all. I'm recently retired from the Air Force living in Wilson, NC and will start my first two hives later this spring. Very excited. I joined the Tar River Beekeeping Association last year and attended their beeschool as well. So what is your best advice to a newcomer to the bee world?

Your already getting two hives, and thats my first best advice. Next comes asking questions. ALL of them, not just the ones you think are most important. By signing up here, you have hundreds of years of experience at your fingertips!
Glad to have you with us!

http://outyard.weebly.com/getting-started.html

Perry · « **Reply #7 on:** February 05, 2015, 06:17:46 am »

Already having taken a beekeeping course and joining an association before you got bees displays good common sense, I think you're going to have some fun this year.

Jacobs · « **Reply #8 on:** February 05, 2015, 06:33:43 am »

Welcome to the forum. If your association has a mentor program, take advantage of it. If not, try and find an experienced beekeeper to hang out with. What looks like chaos in a hive in your first season becomes an organized society when you have worked with bees for awhile. That process goes quicker with help from an experienced beek.

kebee · « **Reply #9 on:** February 05, 2015, 08:22:42 am »

Welcome CheifBee to the forum, glad to have you with us.

Ken

blueblood · « **Reply #10 on:** February 05, 2015, 09:56:06 am »

Welcome Chief! Study the forum topics and a few books that I am sure you will find floating around on Amazon.com. I started out with Beekeeping for Dummies. It's a little outdated but the basic info is still solid. Although, we are dummies, ha! Anyway, you can review the entire book at this link, hit the light blue "View" link at bottom of picture of book. http://free-onlineebooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/download-beekeeping-for-dummies-ebooks.html

riverbee · « **Reply #11 on:** February 05, 2015, 10:57:30 am »

welcome chiefbee!

hamptor · « **Reply #12 on:** February 05, 2015, 11:07:32 am »

Hey there from Guilford County. This forum will give you a wealth of timely, friendly advise. Read everything you can find and check out the beekeeping videos on You Tube. They've been a big help to me, as well.

ChiefBee · « **Reply #13 on:** February 05, 2015, 05:55:59 pm »

Thanks to all for the warm welcome. I enjoy attending the association meetings but the problem is the distance from my house. I don't mind making the trip just wish they were closer so I could ask for a mentor who wouldn't have to drive so far. There is a farm a couple of miles down the road with several hives and i need to stop and introduce myself. Being an old dairy farm boy I hope to be able to make the transition. There one gentleman in the association who sells beekeeping supplies and is offering a deal on starter kits and will see what he has hopefully in the next week or two. I want to have everything ready to go prior to ordering the bees. Only a few weeks before things start hopping here in NC.

kebee · « **Reply #14 on:** February 05, 2015, 06:55:17 pm »

If you are sure you are going to have bees, you need to order the bees now before they are sold out, try to start with 2 packages if possible, that way you can compare them and know if something is wrong when it happens.

Ken

efmesch · « **Reply #15 on:** February 06, 2015, 04:02:37 am »

Welcome to the forum Chief.
So you decided to trade in one set of big wings for a lot of little ones.
Good move. They'll do the flying and you can handle their flight baggage. Hopefully they'll bring plenty excess baggage for you to unload.

rwlaw · « **Reply #16 on:** February 07, 2015, 09:12:45 am »

Welcome chief, hopefully you'll have plenty of enjoyment out of your retirement and bees.

gcassell · « **Reply #17 on:** February 11, 2015, 08:35:02 pm »

Hi from fellow NC resident. I'm starting this year too. I'm in Kernersville NC. Good luck.

tbonekel · « **Reply #18 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:07:53 pm »

Welcome!

caesarsfish · « **Reply #19 on:** February 12, 2015, 11:21:34 pm »

First, we cannot all be MARINES but my checks did say department of the Navy. I have never bought a package of bees, if you check with local beekeepers you can get a nuc that is going strong for a a few dollars more. I have friends that bought 3 lbs and about 1 in 3 survive. If you want to come to Eastern Alabama and bring a box I will sell you a strong nuc for $125. Just my imput

jb63 · « **Reply #20 on:** February 13, 2015, 10:41:56 am »

Welcome chief.My advice is to keep some nuc boxes on hand.You may start seeing swarms that you drove right past before.Also learn how to post a digital pic on the forum so we can see what your talking about. Enjoy your stay.

Slowmodem · « **Reply #21 on:** February 13, 2015, 10:51:24 pm »

Quote from: blueblood on February 05, 2015, 09:56:06 am

Welcome Chief! Study the forum topics and a few books that I am sure you will find floating around on Amazon.com. I started out with Beekeeping for Dummies. It's a little outdated but the basic info is still solid. Although, we are dummies, ha! Anyway, you can review the entire book at this link, hit the light blue "View" link at bottom of picture of book. http://free-onlineebooks.blogspot.com/2014/11/download-beekeeping-for-dummies-ebooks.html

I started with Beekeeping for Dummies, too. Lots of good basics in there.

BTW, that's a great profile picture, Dave!

ChiefBee · « **Reply #22 on:** February 14, 2015, 08:30:55 pm »

The bee school I attended last year used the book "Beekeeping for Dummies" as text and I found it useful. I'm now using "The Beekeeper's Bible". It is also helpful. I would like to manage my bees organically as much as possible so listening to a few beekeeping podcast. A lot of different information out there if you look for it. Thanks to all for the welcome.