My sister lost her hives last year. Is looking for someone near Okla city or within a couple hundred miles that might have some for sale. Can we get any help on here? Hope this is allowed. Harold
I have a sister, so I speak on good authority. ;)
Your/her best resource is a local club, to find a local source of locally adapted bees. You're looking to buy a nuc from someone who has been keeping bees there for a longish time, raises queens from their own stock, and has a good reputation among the other beekeepers. Good bees from a good beekeeper are worth the $$extra.
But if she's got dead-outs, she's got the equipment to put together a swarm trap or two. 40 liters is a single 10-frame Lang deep or two 8-frame medium boxes lashed together with frames in the top box, a solid bottom board, outer cover, and "small" entrance reducer. Placed at least shoulder height facing east or south. Bait with fancy swarm lure or less fancy lemongrass essential oil or even less fancy frame-of-old-comb. cf
https://www.horizontalhive.com/honeybee-swarm-trap/bait-hive-how-to-catch.shtmlThe best bees are free bees, if only for the psychological shift in the beekeeper to hold them with open hands.
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