Greetings, everyone! My wife asked me if we could keep bees, so I enthusiastically agreed. We've been to a couple of the Jefferson County Beekeepers Association meetings, and I've just learned at last week's meeting that the state convention is THIS WEEKEND. Trying to cram on the site here to see if I need to go or not. I don't even own a hive or any supplies yet. At this point we've only bought books and a DVD to study.
We have a large backyard with a nice concrete slab in it that used to be a greenhouse, we think. It's away from the house and it gets morning sun, so we seem to be in a good position to get started.
The biggest unanswered questions seem to be around how we will treat the bees. Do we medicate them? Do we stay green and hope they don't get sick? Do we try to use a bar top hive so the bees feel more natural than a Langstroth hive? Oh, my. We were expecting to read through the summer and buy a hive box before Spring so we'd be ready to start next year. But we already have decisions to make! It's going to be a fun journey, and we're looking forward to it. We have a 2-year-old who will hopefully grow up learning a great skill to pass on.
Kyle