A big day

[Essexgary]

Today was, most probably, one of the best days of my life... Second year of beekeeping and have had one 'learning experience' after another...resigning myself to the fact that year 2 would not yield any honey. Swarms, queen less twice, new queen killed, the list is endless...

Today i decided to remove the one super I had on (for just-in-case purposes) and feed... To encourage the new queen to lay. One of the super frames had a small amount of honey so I decided to extract it. To most of you this may not seem a big deal...but I got about half a pound. I cannot describe the moment when I dug my finger in the comb and tasted it. All the stress and anxiety was worth it for that second in time.

I have now filled up my tiny honey pot that I was saving especially for today and it is sitting proudly in the kitchen. Full (well, half way) to the top with my very own honey.

Thanks to all of you that have helped me out over the past 18 months.. Especially RAB. (RAB, I DID IT!)

Gary

 

[RosieMc]

I felt just the same. What a happy moment it is when you finally get to extract your first frame of honey

So, how much has this half jar cost you? I would guess last year mine cost me about £20 plus a jar. And have I got any honey this year? NO!

 

[oliver90owner]

RosieMc'

Gary has a beehaus. That in itself means you could likely double any reasonable blindfolded guess!

RAB

 

[huntsman666]

Try some with cold Greek style yoghurt.

 

[Essexgary]

RosieMc'

Gary has a beehaus. That in itself means you could likely double any reasonable blindfolded guess!

RAB

I reckon that little jar has cost me many (many) hundreds. But worth every penny in what I have learned about wildlife and about myself along the way.

Well, that's what I'm telling myself anyway.

 

[kighill]

Well done, good luck for next year and I hope you get much more.

It is now time to have a little

 

[beehive1234]

Wow! I hope to one day have that experience.

A couple of weeks ago I recieved a small swarm from a member of the BKA, and today I inspected the hive to find a small cantaloupe melon sized ball of bees in my warre hive. It was a little disapointing a I thought I would add a super today. I hope I am not doing something wrong.

Well done you!

 

[oliver90owner]

It was a little disapointing a I thought I would add a super today.

A few pointers.

One 'nadirs' a Warre. 'Supers' are not used with this system of keeping bees.

Your swarm may well have been a 'cast' and the queen may well not have started laying yet.

Some (probably most) set up the hive just the once for the season, so it will not make any difference if you add an extra box now or later - the bees will just have to go that much further to the entrance/exit. That may well be a problem with a weak colony - what with the wasp season getting in full swing.

Dependent on flow, they may need some assistance (feed) to become a viable colony for the winter. Not sure how you would go about that but there will doubtless be some Warre users around to give the normal(?) methods of feeding colonies in such beetainers.

Personally, I am thinking the time of year is against this type of hive, unless starting with a stronger initial colony, but I wish you the best of luck with your new hobby.

RAB

 

[beehive1234]

Thank you. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I have put on a feeder today. There are bees going in and out now, some with pollen. Do you think a stone or two to restrict the entrance might help them keep wasps at bay?

 

[oliver90owner]

a stone or two to restrict the entrance

Sorry, but I have no idea how big your entrance might be. Small colony , so 20mm x 30mm is likely more than enough. I often leave my entrances less than half width of the hive for a full colony, but mine all have OMFs.

Regards, RAB

 

[RosieMc]

Try some with cold Greek style yoghurt.

I am only in my third year of beekeeping, so knowledge and experience is limited. Why would cold Greek style yoghurt help? Put it in the feeder?

 

[huntsman666]

<I am only in my third year of beekeeping, so knowledge and experience is limited. Why would cold Greek style yoghurt help? Put it in the feeder?>

Seems your culinary experience is also limited.

 

[beehive1234]

Stones working very well, JTLYK.

 

[MuswellMetro]

I am only in my third year of beekeeping, so knowledge and experience is limited. Why would cold Greek style yoghurt help? Put it in the feeder?

H666 is trying to be funny, he is suggesting you eat the honey with a good dollop of Greek yoghurt

Must be his Irish sense of humour