While at Bee School in early February, they told us that the time to order bees was NOW. Greg, a professional beekeeper who attends my church (and will thus probably be a regular player in this blog) suggested we call Tommy, since Tommy had bees to sell.
Just prior to the Superbowl, I called Tommy. Tommy not only had bees to sell, but whole hive set-ups, which I considered a golden opportunity. I've ordered two hives of Italian bees (SMR VSH....mite resistant variety) along with some shallow supers for later honey storage.
Hmmm...perhaps I should explain things like "shallow supers." We'll save that for another blog.
For now...somewhere down East in North Carolina, there are a few thousand bees getting ready to come live at my house. They will come to Asheville in April.
The friend reading over my shoulder just asked, "A few thousand?"
I explained, yes, a few thousand bees. When purchasing bees, you tend to get about three pounds of bees per hive. By mid to late summer, when the hive is at its full working population, there can be 50,000 to 60,000 bees per hive. With two hives, I should have 100,000 to 120,000 bees in my back yard.
If you've ever dreamed of being CEO of a large company, beekeeping is the hobby for you.
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