I am a new beekeeper. I've wanted bees for as long as I can remember...but we lived in the city and thought beekeeping was totally out of the question. Then we moved to the mountains in northern California. I never dreamed life could be like this...sure there are chores and all, but the land is so beautiful with the pine trees and rivers and I get to have bees and a little farm. I am lucky in that I can stay at home and work on the land. I am also an apprentice beekeeper at a large apiary and we do almond pollination, breed queens, make nucs, etc. etc. I get to take the bees from the foulbrood colonies. I shake the bees onto foundation in a clean hive. I burn the old hives which is pretty sad. My first colony absconded...I think I looked at them too much. I got two more colonies and one was queenless so I combined them and boy, are they great bees! I can open up the hive and examine it without smoke or protective equipment unless it is in the evening and then I wear a veil. I give them terramycin to make sure the foulbrood is gone for good! I also feed them special pollen patties that I make to help give them protein for their brood raising. They also get sugar water and they go through about 10 lbs. of sugar a week...and I thought hummingbirds were "bad" with all the sugar they consume. LOL I want to get two more colonies this summer...which I will do this week. I plan on increasing my number to around 100 or so. I don't know how many I can handle on my own though (my husband isn't a beekeeper...but he is a woodworker so hopefully he will teach me how to make hives and such). I love making things with the "gifts from the hive" such as candles and I sell honey. I also like learning about queen breeding and want to try that. I have been enjoying hearing from all the other beekeepers here! Audrey Bowman northern California :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::