Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Claudia & Linda" <dragonhill2@netzero.net>]

Gwen, in answer to your second question--yes, it is still possible to get 
bees and start a home hive.  Your best bet is to see if you can find a local 
beekeeping club; usually beekeepers are a friendly bunch and club members 
will help newcomers get started.  Some members may have "nucs" (frames of 
brood, with a few thousand bees and a queen) to sell you or they can tell 
you where to buy a nuc.  Used to you could buy packaged bees thru the mail 
from Dadant, but now I understand you have to pick them up at one of their 
branches.  I think you can still buy a nuc thru the mail and there are 
places that have those.  I have one source for nucs but I don't have the 
name and address handy.  If you're interested, I'll look it up for you.  I 
used to keep several hives of bees but lost my last one about 3 years ago. 
I just set up a new hive again this spring.  With all the pressure on honey 
bees I figure everyone who possibly can should keep hives.  You really 
should have more than one hive so if a hive becomes weak you can combine it 
with a stronger hive or give it brood from a stronger hive.  You just 
increase your chances of success if you have two or more hives.  My aim is 
to have at least 5 hives eventually but just one nuc was available locally 
to begin with.  Hopefully I can keep the mites under control and avoid this 
new Colony Collapse Disorder and all the other threats to bees and get this 
hive off to a good start.

Claudia


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "elderberryjam" <elderberryjam@zippytech.com>
To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 10:54 PM
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] bees and vegetables


> This year I ordered about $75 worth of seeds from Baker's Creek, and Seeds
> of Change. Now I'd like to know, what vegetables are least dependent on 
> bees
> for pollination? We are late getting our garden in. DH just plowed - I 
> know
> many of you prefer no-till and all that, but we haven't plowed for several
> years, and this was the year. I can't plant everything I bought this year.
>
> Second question: is it still possible to get bees and start home hives; 
> and
> if so, where is the best place to look? There are others I can ask, but
> thought I'd ask here also. I went for a walk out in the pasture today, and
> saw a grand total of 2 bumble bees on the numerous dandelions, in all my
> walk. It was in the 70's here in Ohio. A local beekeeper we know, 
> according
> to my folks, has lost 90% of his hundreds of hives. I don't see he and his
> wife often enough to ask them much.
>
> Thanks,  Gwen
>
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