2018 Beekeeping Aims.

madasafish · Dec 29, 2017

In 2017 I set out the following major aims:

1.Make bees more ready for the early Spring flows basically through earlier feeding

2. Start queen rearing on a modest scale.

I achieved 1. to an extent that my honey harvest went from 65lbs in a bad 2016 to 160 odd lbs in a better 2017 summer but in reality half my hives were inoperative due to size/illness so pretty poor beekeeping.
In 2. I did better and raised 17 queens mated.. despite weather after May being very variable. Four being overwintered in mini nucs...

So my 2018 aims are:

1.Make more hives more ready for Spring through adding brood from nucs and early feeding.
2. Expand queen rearing.
3. Overwinter more queens

I would add that nasty aggressive colonies will be ruthlessly requeened as I like quiet peaceful bees and so does our family as bees are in the garden.

Millet · Dec 29, 2017

My aim for the next coming season depending on funds is to double if not treble the amount of hives i have, i have enough equipment to double minus frames so that will be ok as long as the Queens and bees behave themselves.
My reason for wanting to expand is i have had access to the Yorkshire Heather moors for the past five years and this year near to my spot the Game keepers burnt the hell out of it, so that can only be a good thing.
So my plan is trying to expand during the spring flow at a loss so i have enough strong colonies with new Queens to move to the Heather.
We will see.. :spy:

Curly green fingers · Dec 29, 2017

2018 I plan to finish my bee shed which is going to be in a horse shoe shape I've got 15 sq m to play with . Ive brought two new hives ready to do a split or two. Ive already started to make 2 bait hives from spare equipment .as there's no other apiary within 3 miles of me I might catch a swarm or to fingers crossed . probably not as complicated a next 12 months as some but I don't want to run before I can walk :sunning:

Mark

Wingy · Dec 29, 2017

First looking to get my nuc through winter my first bees.
2018, I've built a dedicated area for 5-6 hives so early year my nuc will be moved there (10'). I've ordered another nuc so looking forward to that and getting them both into full hives. Depending on progress / swarm control / observing and learning I could end up with 4 hives? That the most I want. As for now it will be about hands on and learning. Got a 2 day beginners class / course in March with practical assessments later in the year.
All in all learn and enjoy, if there's a bit of honey in it for me, bonus.

Millet · Dec 29, 2017

Curly green fingers said:
2018 I plan to finish my bee shed which is going to be in a horse shoe shape I've got 15 sq m to play with . Ive brought two new hives ready to do a split or two. Ive already started to make 2 bait hives from spare equipment .as there's no other apiary within 3 miles of me I might catch a swarm or to fingers crossed . probably not as complicated a next 12 months as some but I don't want to run before I can walk

Mark

The first year is easy.. it gets a lot trickier from now on..

Erichalfbee · Dec 29, 2017

I want to get two or three nucs through winter to give me spare queens. I tried this year but somehow those three nucs are full size colonies which is not what I want

domino · Dec 29, 2017

I want to raise 30 queens. This year I finally cracked the queen rearing lark now I want to see how many I can crack out in a season. 30 seems achievable.

Curly green fingers · Dec 29, 2017

Millet said:
My aim for the next coming season depending on funds is to double if not treble the amount of hives i have, i have enough equipment to double minus frames so that will be ok as long as the Queens and bees behave themselves.
My reason for wanting to expand is i have had access to the Yorkshire Heather moors for the past five years and this year near to my spot the Game keepers burnt the hell out of it, so that can only be a good thing.
So my plan is trying to expand during the spring flow at a loss so i have enough strong colonies with new Queens to move to the Heather.
We will see..

Hi millet we have heather 2 miles away but I think its to far for my girls to fly ive spoke to the farmer about bringing a couple of hives up and he's agreed . he's never had anyone ask him perhaps because he's a funny one. How long before the heather flowers do u need to move your hives to the heather .

madasafish · Dec 29, 2017

Curly green fingers said:
Hi millet we have heather 2 miles away but I think its to far for my girls to fly ive spoke to the farmer about bringing a couple of hives up and he's agreed . he's never had anyone ask him perhaps because he's a funny one. How long before the heather flowers do u need to move your hives to the heather .

If planning to go to the heather, Into The Lions Den has some posts on this forum on preparation and his blog on http://tinyurl.com/yb9ds622 is worth reading.

jenkinsbrynmair · Dec 29, 2017

Curly green fingers said:
we have heather 2 miles away but I think its to far for my girls to fly

Don't bet on it - the home apiary is 1.9 miles away from the nearest heather and most years they pile it in. Have another apiary over four miles from the heather and they don't do badly either.

Millet · Dec 29, 2017

Curly green fingers said:
Hi millet we have heather 2 miles away but I think its to far for my girls to fly ive spoke to the farmer about bringing a couple of hives up and he's agreed . he's never had anyone ask him perhaps because he's a funny one. How long before the heather flowers do u need to move your hives to the heather .

If i do go for it... it will probably be the back end of July weather dependent yet again, however bees need to be close to heather to make it beneficial mine will be plonked within 50yrd's of the moor if i decide to do it.. 2 mile seems a long way as the bees really have to work there arses off on the Heather. lets see how it pans out..

SDM · Dec 29, 2017

Erichalfbee said:
I want to get two or three nucs through winter to give me spare queens. I tried this year but somehow those three nucs are full size colonies which is not what I want

When in the season do you make them up?

Curly green fingers · Dec 30, 2017

jenkinsbrynmair said:
Don't bet on it - the home apiary is 1.9 miles away from the nearest heather and most years they pile it in. Have another apiary over four miles from the heather and they don't do badly either.

The distance my girls have got to travel its all up hill the farm is right on top of the hill so it would be very hard for them to reach it unless my bee's are a bit lazy . I plan to put the hives right on the edge of the heather there's stone walls up there so ive Pict a spot next to the wall out of the prevailing winds. Good plan? There use to be heather behind my home on the bank 50 metres away but the farmer turned it into grazing for the Shep. Ive collected wild Heather seeds in November to try and germinate in the spring ive also walked round by me spreading the heather seed on the hill . have any of you done this ?

Mark

Beefriendly · Dec 30, 2017

Curly green fingers said:
I plan to put the hives right on the edge of the heather

You would be better advised to take them 2/3 miles into the moors if possible. A lot depends on other available forage, but given a choice they will preferentially use other nectar sources. They don't like to work heather it's really hard work on them....And if lots of other forage you often end up with moorland honey that is not pure enough to be called heather. As I say depends what other forage is around off the moors. I prefer to give them no choice, although I have site on the edge of the moors in a desolate valley with no other forage and this routinely returns 95%+ pure heather honey as assessed by counting heather pollen in it.

jenkinsbrynmair · Dec 30, 2017

Curly green fingers said:
The distance my girls have got to travel its all up hill

Bees don't seem to have an issue with flying uphill - the heather moors with me tend to be at a slightly higher altitude than where I live

Curly green fingers · Dec 30, 2017

Beefriendly said:
You would be better advised to take them 2/3 miles into the moors if possible. A lot depends on other available forage, but given a choice they will preferentially use other nectar sources. They don't like to work heather it's really hard work on them....And if lots of other forage you often end up with moorland honey that is not pure enough to be called heather. As I say depends what other forage is around off the moors. I prefer to give them no choice, although I have site on the edge of the moors in a desolate valley with no other forage and this routinely returns 95%+ pure heather honey as assessed by counting heather pollen in it.

On this basis then it wouldn't be 100% heather as there's brambles in abundance lots of gorse thankfully he hasn't got much of a garden and there's no other property with in 1.5 miles . how much would u charge per jar of moorland honey . my local bakers are very keen they have a supplier but its only osr mixed honey they pay 4.50 a jar 454g s and its not even really of the hill . there supply only last until the end of the spring. :ot:

Beefriendly · Dec 30, 2017

I don't have any moorland honey sites so I don't know what I would charge, probably less than heather as a guide.
Pure heather honey I sell at £5 for 8 ounces.
It sounds as though the forage is good where you are and very similar to where I live. The moorland starts 600 feet higher and less than a bee mile away, but with so much other available forage, bramble/HB in the vicinity they simply won't work it....or if they do it's minuscule amounts.

For want of a better word · Dec 30, 2017

domino said:
I want to raise 30 queens. This year I finally cracked the queen rearing lark now I want to see how many I can crack out in a season. 30 seems achievable.

With 10 good colonies you should be able to meet your 2018 aims

I found this book "Queen Raising the Jenkins Way" an original 1984 British Isles Bee breeders Association publication, but I believe a reprint facsimile is obtainable from Northern Bee Books.
Describes a method of getting strong starter and q raising colonies... maybe old hat to some... but seems to be overlooked by many!

I am looking at raising 100 queens next season... office is full of new Keilers awaiting my attention!

AND DO NOT FORGET TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS FOR
https://bibba.com/event-list/

Keep Buzzing
Percy

TooBee... · Dec 30, 2017

icanhopit said:
With 10 good colonies you should be able to meet your 2018 aims

I found this book "Queen Raising the Jenkins Way" an original 1984 British Isles Bee breeders Association publication, but I believe a reprint facsimile is obtainable from Northern Bee Books.

I am looking at raising 100 queens next season... office is full of new Keilers awaiting my attention!

Percy

May I ask why you both want to raise so many Queens, are they for spares or to re-Queen with, or to Queen new hives, ie: through splits or nucs?

Oh, and here's a Link (I think) for the book that you referenced,
http://www.ebooksdownloads.xyz/load/read.php?id=KOBFAAAAYAAJ
hope it helps any members interested.

Finman · Dec 30, 2017

-
I look first in April, what is the condition of colonies before I start to make "plans".

Queen rearing is not the first thing what I start to do.

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