> Opinions anyone?  I have some thoughts, but I'd like to hear what others
> think before I tip my hand.

Another vote on local swarms. I catch them, and add a queen cell from my mentor. Sure a new beekeeper is likely not set up to do this, but we help them.

In our club, we have new beekeepers add their name on a list to get bees when they become available. We have swarm catchers (having matches on who catches the most... 44 was one persons last year) who don't really have any place to put these bees, and so we suit up new beekeepers with them. Yes, free.

I suited up a new beekeeper with a cut-out we did together. Rubber-banded up 7 frames of brood, and 4 lbs. of bees. Had a second deep on it over a week (with 5 drawn frames from foundation) and then split it the following week. So, two new colonies for a new beekeeper, and we're just now hitting our spring flow.

The new beekeepers just need to have their equipment ready and they usually do as we talk names and talk about the plans over our winter meetings. Just throwing that out there. 

Jason 
SE Indiana
 		 	   		   		 	   		  
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