hello

[mikelouden]

Very glad to see this forum up now I need to remember to use it. You guys are doing great work with the web site thanks much for your efforts! I've alawys been kinda interested in bee's never realy thought about getting any. Then i saw a opportunity to go to a honey farm fall gathering 4 years ago. Saw some info about the winter bee school in greenwood my wife and i went. Great time nice folks a little scarey but quite informative. I'm not one to jump into something without knowing a lot about it. So i was reading, eating, breathing bees for a while. My wife said enough is enough just go get some. I finally pulled the triger and bought the start up supplies, woodware and a package of bee's. Ouch $467 to start April 2011. Picked up our 1st package May 1st so cool to hear all the packages buzzing at Grams Bee's where i picked them up. Sold ! Then i learned that summer why you should have at least a couple hives or know someone who has been into it a while also. Lost the queen somehow squessed fle the coup or something I ended up in September with a drone layer - lost that hive. Live and learn. The next year i was ready, bought 2 nucs early April off Ron Meyers nucs not packages. Then picked up 2 more in May from Kevin Ward (Pappy's in Peru). I've built a lot of my woodware to try and save some $. Took no honey off them last year. My April's Ron's over wintered nicely, the May's Wards bee's failed, one didn't make it through at all his queens the other very weak one his Mutts are coming back a bit now. This year i also picked up a Burdell hive thanks Sam and Tim, these can't be beat, thats the way to go! Next time i will split it as soon as i get them home though. They swarmed even after adding a second deep and pulling a couple frames up to its center to let them know they had more room oops! Live and learn again. I walked out to check them after work, neat to see the orentation flights going on. Lots of activity this day realized a louder than normal buzzing, looked up to see hundreds of my burdells flying around. They all went up about 45 foot, landing in top of some trees in back of the yard. Rats! It started raining like 10 minutes later turned very cool and they got stuck up there for the weekend. Very neat experience never seen a swarm in the wild or as it was happening COOL! Saved thanks to a catch box with some Pheromone on the storage shed roof. Well thats where i stand as of now have a few honey supers on hoping to get some of my own local honey this year. Having fun, always learning ! Thanks again for doing such a nice job on the site !