Beehives Come to Palisade Posh
Andy Installing his Bees to their New Hive
Guest Blogger: Andy Putnam
Andy, aka my husband, was a guest blogger in 2022 and shared his experience as a student in a Beekeeping class. Now that we have relocated to Palisade, he is taking that knowledge and applying it to the real deal!
One of the first things I did once Kim and I settled in, was join the Western Colorado Beekeepers Association. Through this group, I’ve met a lot of different Beekeepers throughout the valley including some from our church in Palisade, Saint Anne’s Catholic Church.
Beehive Dipping Machine
Based on information from the Bee club, I put my order in for various beehive components such as covers, deep hive boxes, frames, and bottom boards. Because I was just getting started, the folks at the club recommend I begin with two hives so I can see if one behaves differently than the other. I purchased one Hive kit and then build the other boxes on my own. The kit came prebuilt and painted white, but the rest of the boxes needed to be built. The starter kit included (some of the items above) plus a smoker, hive tool and feeder. The Club also offered a chance to dip your unpainted hives in hot wax. The advantage of dipping your hives is longevity. A dipped box lasts approximately ten years whereas a painted one lasts about five years.
If you are considering having your own hives someday, the cost ranges between $200 and $400 a hive. You will also need to purchase your bees. Depending on how much you want to invest, you can either buy a package of bees or a Nuc. The latter includes a colony containing five frames of bees and the queen whereas a bee box has about 10,000 to 15,000 bees in them. I ordered two Nucs which arrived in April. The bee species I ordered are called Saskatraz. These bees are specially bred to be mite resistant and good honey producers. They also have strong wintering ability and temperament.
In addition to the hives and the bees, you will need to purchase cinder blocks on which to put your hives. You want to elevate your hives so that critters are less likely to invade the hives. If you are in bear country, you will also want to invest in fencing to further protect your hives. Another thing you will need to take into consideration is a water source. For our hives we have a ceramic chamber pot located just to the left of the hives. Eventually we will replace it with a larger container. Kim wants to use a half wine barrel since we are in the heart of Colorado wine country. We first filled it with stones and then add water to the point where the stones are mostly covered but not completely. You do this so that the bees have something to land on when they come to drink, otherwise they will drown in their water source. We had a few bee casualties in our water tub located next to our hoop house for this very reason.
Andy Suiting Up
Bringing home the bees was an interesting experience. I picked up the two Nucs along with a few for a friend. One of hers seemed to be particularly irritable. I then suited up in my bee suit and took each Nuc to its hive. Opening the lid, I transferred the frames of bees one at a time making sure to place them in the same order and orientation in the hive as they were in the Nuc. I was rather clumsy pulling the frames out and irritated the bees. At one point my back was covered with bees. But I eventually got them in. I’ve named one of the hives after my mother, Caroline, and the other after my mother-in-law, Teresa.
Prior to installing the bees into their respective hives, I took some time orienting the entrance of the bee boxes. Taking into consideration foot traffic by Kim and I as well as our future guests, I decided to place the hives in the orchard on the Southeast side of the property. Locating them at a reasonable distance will ensure the bees are safe and unstressed and people can avoid getting stung. Each box has its entrance facing south to catch the morning sun. This will encourage the bees to be early risers, venturing out sooner to collect the pollen that they turn into honey.
Fun Fact: The British Iron age roundhouses had their doors facing southeast for the exact same reason.
It’s been a few weeks now, since I brought our bees home. I’m happy to report that they have settled in, and honey productivity has commenced. The low hum of the hive tells me they are no longer stressed, and I’ve enjoyed watching their flight patterns as they come and go. There is still a lot to learn about being a Beekeeper and taking care of our hives through the season. I look forward to each new discovery and sharing what I’ve learned so far with you.
