Equipment
There are a number of pieces of essential equipment needed to provide bees with a home. Opinions abound, and those with an opinion can keep theirs. I'm just here to tell you about the Langstroth hive equipment I've chosen to use.
Nucs
Nuc is an abbreviation coined by beekeepers an referring to a nucleus colony. It is essentially a five frame hive of bees, and is frequently used as a method to keep increase hives on hand in the event a hive is lost. For my purposes it refers to a split created by a local apiary and containing 3 frames of brood and 2 frames of honey/pollen.
Follow the link to watch as we install four nucs at the Flagstone Hollow Apiary.
Tending Bees
If ever there was a misnomer...the bees tend themselves. They seem quite intent on leaving me out of it and are happy to deliver encouragement to that end. A bit of old beekeeper humility is the phrase, "In spite of my best efforts, the bees are doing well".
Learning is the ultimate journey...
Travel is great, and it's nice to see new places, but learning will always be the greatest opportunity for discovery. Take the time to learn something and you will always carry with you something extra. Knowledge is never spent, and never runs out no matter how often or much you share.