Guilfordbeekeepers.org

Hello,
I have been reading up on beekeeping for a little over a year now and I was planning to start next year. But to my delight my wife noticed I have already started. She noticed a small swarm going in a gap in the decking of our kids swing set. Where can I go local to buy a hive, new or second hand, and when would be a good time to take up the decking to transfer them. They have not been there long, and I do not want to destroy what they have already worked hard on. Can someone help me get started in this hobby and help me transfer them it would be great and if not to expensive I will pay you for your time and instructions.

Thanks
John Kelly
Greensboro N.C.
jdkh336@yahoo.com
336-706-2217

You may want to pm Wally to see what equipment he has. This is the busiest time of year for the beekeeping woodenware suppliers and a lot of the hive parts are on back order for a week or two. Wally is in Randleman. He also has a wealth of knowledge he is willing to share. Many of us have some knowledge we are willing to share.

How long have the bees been there? Are they in a clump or are they building wax comb? If it is a swarm and they are in a clump they may not be there for long. If they have established a hive, you will have more time to get things organized. And I guess the first thing I should have asked is, how sure are you that they are honeybees?

Jacobs wrote:You may want to pm Wally to see what equipment he has. This is the busiest time of year for the beekeeping woodenware suppliers and a lot of the hive parts are on back order for a week or two. Wally is in Randleman. He also has a wealth of knowledge he is willing to share. Many of us have some knowledge we are willing to share.

How long have the bees been there? Are they in a clump or are they building wax comb? If it is a swarm and they are in a clump they may not be there for long. If they have established a hive, you will have more time to get things organized. And I guess the first thing I should have asked is, how sure are you that they are honeybees?

Thanks for the reply,
We just noticed the bees two days ago, but we have been out of town for a week. They are not in a clump, and they are under the decking of my kids play set that is on the ground so I have no way of knowing what is going on under there without removing the decking. They are going in and out of a slot about 1/2 inch by 3. I have noticed yesterday evening there was about a dozen or so going in. It looks as if there was a queen at the entrance, she was bigger with a lot more pollen yellow color with medium brown stripes. They are very calm I can get right next to them and they continue to ignore me. I will keep a eye on them today and see if there is anymore info I can give.

Thank you
John

I am going to have to head into work but if you want to pm me your address I would be happy to come out and have a look after work. I don't have the equipment or expertise to do cut outs or trap outs as you can see by the earlier postings, but I would be willing to scout the situation and see what it may take to get the bees.

If you are not busy Saturday morning, you may want to come to our field day/picnic at Hagan Stone Park. There is info in the current newsletter available on this site. You will meet lots of good people and we are putting on mini demonstrations of different aspects of beekeeping.

I will check my email during the day to see if you want me to have a look.