Hello Bloomville,
My husband and I are new to beekeeping too. We're in NW Pennsylvania. I'm not so sure where you're at, but I did notice that Dadant had a supplier in Waverly, NY. (Southern NY) Maybe far enough from you for a nice roadtrip?
Jackie

good luck, and happy beekeeping.
"organic methods" is the key word. Just be prepared to loose more bees than using non organic methods. It can be costly to replace bees each season.
I salute your effort. I just want you to go into this with correct expectations. Unless you have a beeyard with no railroads, highways, non organic farms etc...within 2 miles (bee forage distance) of your location your honey will not be able to be "certified organic".

Check your state apiary program for the chemicals (organic or not) that are registered for use in a bee hive.
Anything that is not registered for use in a beehive (organic or not) is illegal, and can result in loss of the privilage to keep bees.

Hi all,
I wasn't looking to be certified organic, just to make use of minimally invasive methods. I will be using top bar hives (not Langstroth)--so we will see how things go! Looking forward to staying in touch with you local folks as spring/summer arrives--we can exchange notes, perhaps, on how we're all doing.

Jackie--I noticed that about Dadant, too! :) I'm getting my bees from a local apiarist near Oneonta. Are you getting your bees from Dadant?

We lost one hive so far this winter. We think it was the damp and cold. But are looking into the Colony Collapse disorder posted earlier on this forum. We have another hive resting right next to the "lost" one and it seems OK. My husband even kind of peeked inside and said he heard some buzzing. So we're assuming that theyre doing good. THe lost hive has some dead bees out in front of it, that is what alerted us to its loss. The super on top still has honey in it so we're certain that they didn't starve.

Now that we see Dadant is in Waverly, we might make a trip up there to collect some nukes, or we'll check out a place in Monaca, Pa. (near Pittsburgh). Its just a bit closer.
Last year was our first year beekeeping with 5 hives. This year we hope to expand a bit to 8-10 hives.

All of our bees have been ordered from local apiasts and one from a fellow beekeeper who collected a wild swarm and graciously gave it to us. It would be interesting to start bees from a major supplier and see the differences.

Oh, and if you are going to get into beekeeping in your state, look into having a bee inspector visit you after you get going. He (she) will be a very valuable source of information on keeping your hives healthy. Have fun!

Jackie

I am not a beekeeper but there is an active club in the Windham area in Greene county. If you can get a copy of the Windham Journal there is a weekly column. They have regular meetings and community activities.

Jackie, Even though you had honey in the super it's possible that your bees may have starved. When it's continually cold like it was this winter, the bees may not be able to break cluster and move on the frame and can starve even though there is plenty of honey one frame away.
Bloomville, below is a link you should find helpful. good luck, Tony

Here is a link that might be useful: http://beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214974

Hi,

Im not a beekeeper but live in the Oneonta area. You probably already know this but there is a bee keeper in the area and he has a place called Mc Coy's where he sells honey and supplies as well.

Aleksandra