Bee keeping here in Alaska is an expensive but fun hobby. We are paying $215 for a package of bees this year. Wintering bees here just doesn't work so we fresh start every spring.We do get a lot of product though because of the 24 hours of day light, the bees are going nonstop.

That’s the ticket....along with catching swarms.

The key to beekeeping is splitting and growing hives. If you can so this, its a sustainable venture. If not, its a never ending money pit.

It at all possible I encourage people to start with several hives. makes a world of difference to see one that looks different form the others. Best beekeeping info I've seen BY FAR, is blogs and posts by Ian Steppler. Guy runs his hives with a systems approach. Very, very good beekeeper. I wish I was half the beekeeper he is.

+1 on mediums for everything.

Antelope, I'm not a bee keeper, but If you get down in southern SD, I believe it is hwy 18, same hwy as the town of Bonesteel is on, there is a guy on the South side of the hwy that has a mountain of old hives. The stack is long and wide. Don't know if they are in any shape to use, but just a thought!

Hey you might want to consider creating some nukes and overwintering a small nucleus Colony so they're ready to go for the spring there's a guy in Vermont that is a big proponent of that. Worth a try

Got it all today. Supers on back order.
Neighbor kids assembled, i ran the stapler.

Prime and paint in a.m.

Looks good.

My wife had wanted to get into bees for years I knew the benefits but lacking time and don't like getting stung made it clear it would ne her thing not mine.

We moved to the farm went to some bee keeping meetings learned of the price to get started and how many keepers have over 50% losses at times..

The president of the club lives 150 yards down the road so there are plenty of bees around for pollinating. So we backed off the idea. Its the price of getting started and potential of hive failure.

So my neighbor asked if I would be interested in putting swarm traps and planting some clover on the farm last year i said sure. We caught him 2 swarms and I planted 6 acres in the field nearest his house.
He also runs a bee keeping supply business so when we went to go get the swarms he gave me a bee jacket and gloves.

This year he gave me enough stuff for two complete hives out of used stuff he got from a friend that had to reduce hives from 25 to 4 due to time limits since his wife has cancer. I'm cleaning them up and getting ready to paint them now. We also have swarm traps out now to catch bees to fill them.

So it looks like I'm getting into bees at nearly zero cost to start and I'm really excited about it. The cost will go up when I buy smokers and bee suits for the kids but for now I can get my feet wet for the cost of a little time and a quart of paint. I hope I can build two strong hives and come out of the winter going strong next spring.

Edit:
I'm going to use two large for the base. Then med or small for the honey boxes. The smaller boxes will get filled more evenly and dry better I'm being told? If so and they are easier to handle sounds like a win win.

Bees seem to be doing well.
I am feeding sugar syrup and they are starting to build out some of the New Foundation in the bottom box which is good I had a couple Combs that A friend gave me just to give them a head start it just needs to warm up a little here although the last few days have been in the 70s and 80s for prior to that it was cool.

I'm with you. Those deeps are too heavy! I use all 6 5/8ths. Heck of a lot easier to extract too.

about a week ago the dandelions started running out here. by 5 days ago they were 90% to seed. still a few stragglers around now but hardly any to speak of. prior to that bees were in full blown overdrive. since then things have reversed course a little. they were robbing off the truck today while standing in middle of 50 acres of apples in full bloom. dont think there's a bit of nectar in them after the big freeze.

I have cut my 10 frame boxes down to 8 frame, run two deeps on bottom and med supers, They are quite a bit lighter to handle. I have been using 2 frame nucs to raise queens,, check out barnyard bees on u tube . Then move up to 5 frame as they expand.. Have about 10 nucs going, , queens are hatching. .. I enjoy raising them, they are a lot lighter than honey boxes and you always have a replacement queen , for splits or if you lose one. I also make my own boxes. Check around construction sites , for plywood and cut offs. Go to the local dump, they always have paint. Just take a jar of honey with you. , to trade. Good hobby. old 243