I received my Wilbanks Apiaries flyer in the mail today. In my - TopicsExpress



          

I received my Wilbanks Apiaries flyer in the mail today. In my experience Wilbanks bees come without pests and do very well with little help for the first two years. Wilbanks provides a certificate of health certifying that the bees are free of disease, mites, and beetles. They are also protected against nosema. Compare that with the nucs or other bee suppliers you have considered. Having disease and pest free bees makes all the difference. Bees that come with diseases and pests are not worth the trouble or expense. Frankly - sickly bees will turn you off to beekeeping in a hurry. Wilbanks will accept call in orders beginning January 2, 8am-5pm, at 912-739-4820 for delivery beginning the first week of April. Dont delay in calling in your order or you will be out of luck for this season. A 2 lb. package with queen is $73. A 3 lb package is $83. A 4 lb. package is $93. Extra queens are $24. Queen clipping is $2.50. Queen marking is also $2.50. Payment is accepted by Mastercard, Visa, check, or money order. I recommend a 2 lb. package with the queen clipped and marked. Remember that the queen lays around 1500 eggs a day. Italian bees build up quickly in the spring. You should leave all the honey the bees gather to get through the first winter. You will also need to feed the bees the first summer. Note my postings on how to feed the bees (sugar recipe and feeding equipment). Your bees will store enough honey for you to gather in their second spring - plenty for you and all your friends. I give honey to our letter carrier and any time a worker comes to the house for any purpose (the plumber, the cable guys, my car mechanic, the chiropractor, the guy who services our air conditioner, the guy who cleans out our gutters.....). I even have a cable guy stop by whenever he is in the area whether we have called for service or not. The flyer states to call for shipping dates and rates. This means that shipping is in addition to the cost of the packages. You can pick up your bees in Claxton, GA - or pool your order with other beekeepers for a shipping savings. The flyer states that they will not ship to zone 5, but the flyer provides a list of dealers for those folks in zone 5. In general Zone 5 appears to include areas such as NY, MA, PA, OH, IN, CT, MI, NH, RI, VA, WV. But check the USPS zone charts at the following web address: postcalc.usps.gov/Zonecharts/ Wilbanks bee dealers in zone 5 include the following: In CT call Adam Fuller, 860-455-1296 or Greg Prusinowski, 860-225-8926. In MA call Nancy Mangion, 781-258-8118. In MI call Blanche Barber, 248-634-7017. In NH call Alden Marshall, 603-883-6764. In NY call Buy Hodges, 914-763-3211 or Betterbee, 800-632-3379. In PA (southeast) call Steve Conlon, 304-455-1728. In RI call Roger Robitaille, 401-732-6599. In VA call Dane Hannum, 703-525-6396 or Larry Kelley, 703-887-1204. In WV call Steve Conlon, 304-455-1728 or Bill Bullion, 304-452-8508. In Easter OH or Northeast KY call Steve Conlon, 304-455-1728. Have Fun! Let us know how the ordering process goes, the condition of the bees you receive, how installing the packages into your hives goes, and how the first year goes. Im sure that we would all like to hear about your success (and concerns). Beekeepers are a weird sort. We all like to help out each other. Dont forget to join your local beekeepers association. The education and support is invaluable. Yes Im a bit idealistic, but I bet if everyone kept bees we would all be more laid back and easy to get along with. Bees have a lot to teach us. I wonder if beekeeping could bring about world peace (or as I heard some where - whirled peas). :-)
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 05:31:47 +0000

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