NZBF: New to bees, tips please!

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1
1
Auckland
Experience
Wannabee
Hi everyone,
I am very interested in bees and would love to get a few hives going. I am also a complete beginner and would love any tips, advice, must dos etc - things that you wish you had have known before you started yourself!
Can't wait to get learning and get into it!
Thanks
 
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Reactions: Grant
37
41
UK
Experience
International
Ted Hoopers "Giude to Bees and Honey" is a UK book, but widely resspected; don't know if it's commonly used in NZ?
 
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Reactions: Grant

Alastair

Founder Member
Platinum
8,753
9,966
Auckland
Experience
Semi Commercial
Use mainstream mite treatments for the first 2 years, I would recommend Apivar because it is pretty much "set and forget", this will stop mites killing your bees and enable you to learn all the other aspects of beekeeping.

Treat your bees for mites spring and autumn, wether you see any mites, or not.
 
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Grant

Staff member
Founder Member
Platinum
10,498
4,941
Use a different treatment in spring to the treatment you use in autumn. Once you have settled down with the expectations and how look after bees, consider the option to diversify into other practices only after you have a good grasp the basics
 
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Reactions: Josh
1,030
748
Christchurch
Experience
Hobbyist
Start with two hives. The comparison is invaluable when you don’t know what your looking for.

Eg “first hive - ohh looks at all the bees, and honey! Second hive - hang’on, this one has way more bees, and brood… why?
 
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Reactions: Sputnik and Grant
37
41
UK
Experience
International
One view I was given about having two hives is so you have one to get honey and one to mess about with! :)

Some new beekeepers have a desire to "save the bees" and go (varroa) treatment free. There was one like that near me and needed bees every spring as he allowed them to swarm repeatedly and didn't treat for varroa or feed them. My advice for a new beekeeper is to learn to manage them and treat them and only after 2 or 3 years decide to go treatment free if that's your thing as by then you'll know what to look out for.
 


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