# I'm at the fun part



## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Well I'm at the fun part of my new adventure....planning how to start. I sold all of my hives 2 house moves ago(last year). So I am starting from scratch. I'll be buying all new equipment. I learned my lesson with used equipment a long time ago. 

I'm going to be raising bees to sell. That will be the focus of my entire apiary. What honey I get will be a bonus as I'm not focusing on honey production.

It will be just me with maybe an occasional helper. I have over 300 acres of amazing bee habitat and access to several other farms of over 100 acres if I want to use them. 

I will naturally be expanding my hives for myself for a while before I start advertising bees for sale. If you were me....how many hives would you start out with? I have an idea, but I want to see what y'alls opinions are. I'm about to contact an apiary to place an order for packages, so I need to decide on the number to order. I also need to go ahead and order hives and frames and get started making bottom boards and tops.


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## Txpipecarver (Nov 17, 2013)

I'm just in the research part of this lifestyle... I plan to start with 2 hives and have a third hive available... Just case one of them swarms or has some infestation that it would need to be sanitized. No experience here just in the planning stages


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

That's a good plan for just getting started with bees. I hope that you've been able to find a beekeeper in your area that is willing to work with you and let you work their hives with them. Good luck on your new adventure!

I had a friend suggest an absolutely brilliant idea. She suggested to order 3 pound packages of bees and an extra queen or 2 per package and then split the bees into 2 or 3 hives when they arrive. So essentially use a pound or a pound and a half of bees to start a hive with rather than using all 3 pounds in one hive. Especially if you feed the new hives, as I'm pretty sure all of us end up doing, I don't see any reason that splitting the package would significantly slow down progress towards the bees getting set up.


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## Txpipecarver (Nov 17, 2013)

I actually work with a beekeeper that is going to split her hives this spring and I offered to help out so I can learn.


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