Newbie questions: Is there an advantage in North Carolina for a single brood chamber and one medium for the winter or two full size broods. I forgot to ask this question at the last meeting. I have one brood and one medium seperated by a queen excluder and the bees look fine.
Two broods = more bees during the season?
Bee suits, I figure it is smarter for a full size suit for all year. Where is the est place for one? Brushy Mountain is pretty pricey, Dadant is a bit cheaper?
What is everyone's preference? Full suit or inspection jacket?
Brood boxes
I am completing my first year in April so I am still learning.
My two hives ended up in a single deep each with mediums on for food storage. I will let the more experienced give you the pro's and con's and which is better.
Suit
Some times I don't wear any protection, sometimes I wear just a vail and in the fall and like right now its good to have a suit, but I think I could get along pretty easy with just a jacket. IF you plan on doing any cutouts it may be good to have a suit at least it is for me.
it is a balancing act, you want to leave the bees enough stores to get thru the winter, but with our winters, 1 brood and 1 medium super usually does just fine. with 2 deep brood boxes, if the bees fill that with honey stores, it cuts down on your 'take' sometimes to the point of nothing at all.
also consider the effort for you of lifting multiple 50 pound boxes full of brood, bees and honey. In spring, you might end up reversing the boxes 2 or more times.
Brood chamber
Use what you have. During the Spring, you will be lucky to contian the bees to 2 deeps. I run a combination and taylor it to the bee buildup. When overwintering, I sometimes break them back down to 2 mediums or a deep and a medium.
Suit
I personally think that a suit is more beneficial to the commercial beekeepers or those that move bees frequently. If you are simply managing bees in one location, then I like a jacket.
Moving bees requires more protection because they get angry!
I will be trying to go with a bigger brood box this year. I went with one deep last year. Maybe I will try just adding a medium to my deep and see how that works. I want more bees than I have now. I think some of that will be dependent upon my feeding and managing them going in to the winter.
I just wear a veil and gloves. Can't say I would go with the suit but I know that several beeks do. I am trying to go with what Wally wears but it will take a little more time.
thanks for the replies. I think I will stay with the brood and one medium as this seems to have worked this year plus I supppliment the feed.
I have one hive with italians which I can work well around with a veil, jacket and gloves and I have another that are aggressive. You better have protection around them.
I have the beginners veil and gloves from BM but if there is a little openning they will find it..
Lesson learned last year and anytime I work them I have a veil. You face swells ready bad with one sting to the forehead.
BM is expensive for both the jacket and suit so I am looking for alternatives. I plan on splitting a hive and during harvesting they are how to say....denfensive.
I have the beginner veil from BM but I don't like tying it up and then putting a jacket one so I am trying the figure if the BM jacket and veil is the way to go...i know another beekeeper with a full suit. He does not have the "fun" I have....
The bees will find an opening if there is one...via pants or....just a little crease in the veil....
I think I will take everyone's advice on a jacket and veil.
Wally is a better man than I am. If I wear a veil then the guard bees love to get me...plus...one of my hives is a little more aggresive than the other...man...they love to bang on my veil and I don't think they are love taps.
