Another beekeeping blunder

[tonyofarr]

Over the years I have probably made every beekeeping mistake possible, or so I thought, until I lost a newly mated queen in the kitchen.

I had been waiting for a queen to get mated in hive up the garden and found eggs, and a very large black queen that was on the lively side. I thought it would be safer to take her into the kitchen to mark and clip her, until she escaped from my hand and disappeared into a very small gap between the worktop and fridge. There is no way of getting the fitted fridge out easily, so my lovely big fat queen is spider food.

So confession time, what unexpected beekeeping mistakes have you made?

 

[Erichalfbee]

My mistakes have been expected and due to ineptitude. So I'll start you off with Doug's who sadly doesn't post any more
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/extraction-disaster.25971/#post-357245

 

[Patrick1]

Marking the queen before I had seen any eggs

 

[Patrick1]

Leaving the tab in place on an introduction cage………..in my defence I did leave it two weeks before going back to check on her
I could monopolies this section I think, its been a strange year

 

[Curly green finger's]

Sat in the car at one apiary trying to put mated queen's into intro cages from mini nucs as it was raining alot, opened up the first mini nuc usually the queen stays on the frames on this occasion, I picked the first one up and dropped her on the floor which I then stood on in panic.
On another occasion I had three newly emerged virgins which I had in haircurler cages, I obviously didn't push the end down on one because as I drove of as they were on the passenger seat my window was open the virgin went out the window.
So now I put them in a carry bag and make sure they are sealed properly.
Another time caging another mated queen in a mini nuc she must of got out the cage,( they can be so quick) thought I'd lost her but I didn't see her fly of.
Went home which takes minutes from lineside and as I was taking my bee suite of in the hall there she was I had taken my vail of and she had travelled on the top part of my back under the vail she must of landed on me.
How many of use have had hitch hikers?? Its happens with workers sometimes.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Leaving the tab in place on an introduction cage………..in my defence I did leave it two weeks before going back to check on her
I could monopolies this section I think, its been a strange year

Was she still alive?
Maybe strange but bloody brilliant at the same time here's to 2022
I've not stopped this season.
Not really looking forward to making 4000/5000 frames over winter for next season not nice having to make frames up when you need them.

 

[spiderplantman]

I literally just discovered a blunder about 10 minutes ago. A week or so ago it started raining mid inspection so aborted and chucked everything into the bee shed, which is a small old outside toilet (the old wooden seat is still in there and everything). 'Everything' included a couple of really old dark frames I swapped out. Of course, they must have had a bit of stores still in them because I've just gone to the shed to find it more full of bees than the hives they came from. Gah. Just had to suit up to get all the old frames out and bag them up. There's now a foot-sized heap of cappings on the floor where they've gone at the old stores like crazy. So much for not encouraging robbing.

 

[Wilco]

Was gifted a nuc in a poly box with extension (so 12 frames, cracking colony). Put it in the shade thinking it's on the vent setting with a mesh floor. They overheated. I saved what I could but it was a disaster. Never let your guard down with a closed poly nuc!

 

[enrico]

Apart from knocking all my hives over in one go, ...... this year I put a bee escape on and a super of honey on top. Couldn't for the life of me understand why it wouldn't clear until I realised I had put the bee escape on top of the crown board which was on the ground and when I picked them up they were stuck together and I didn't realise!!!!!we all make mistakes!

 

[Ian123]

Stabbing a queen with a crown of Thornes whilst trying to mark her. This year had a mating nuc that when introducing cells found I had made 1 up with laying queen! Forgetting to pull the sponge on a couple of Nucs for a week, surprisingly they survived. List is endless

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not really looking forward to making 4000/5000 frames over winter for next season

Well if you double your 60 colonies and expect four supers on each I guess you will need them

 

[Curly green finger's]

Stabbing a queen with a crown of Thornes whilst trying to mark her. This year had a mating nuc that when introducing cells found I had made 1 up with laying queen! Forgetting to pull the sponge on a couple of Nucs for a week, surprisingly they survived.

I've never stabbed a queen but workers.
Also same for me on a removed queen to a nuc they were left in for 8 days and in the sun but they were OK.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Well if you double your 60 colonies and expect four supers on each I guess you will need them

Work hives to dani, we are going to buy a bulk order, work will be starting with 40 colonys next spring.
The plan is to try and double up our amounts for the next 3 seasons.

 

[Patrick1]

Was she still alive?
Maybe strange but bloody brilliant at the same time here's to 2022
I've not stopped this season.
Not really looking forward to making 4000/5000 frames over winter for next season not nice having to make frames up when you need them.

She was still alive, just opened the cage and let her go, she went straight down into the hive with no problems

 

[BitterleyBee]

My dad (40 yrs beekeeping) tells how he caught a queen once. used a marker pen , gentle press down. No colour on queen, must need to press slightly harder, no colour but squashed queen. The marker pen had run dry.
i has similar to others leaving a super of honey covered I thought outside back door middle of day awaiting space and time that evening to extract. Mrs wasn’t happy with the very large amount of bees that appeared. Had to go out to move them across the garden and try to brush off each comb to rescue the situation. Of course they’d told all their friends and the back door was like a swarm. had to fetch in the washing in my bee suit. They came back for several days. I was blessed much by the wife for that.

 

[gmoore01]

Three weeks ago I dropped a full frame of brood and bees from a nuc onto the ground, damaged the comb, and really stressed out an already smallish colony. Left them alone since to recover, inspected last weekend for the first time, and guess what I did again? Yep.
In my defence the nuc box is really hard to get frames out of so I end up holding them in fingertips. Swore at myself lots, though.

 

[pargyle]

Was she still alive?
Maybe strange but bloody brilliant at the same time here's to 2022
I've not stopped this season.
Not really looking forward to making 4000/5000 frames over winter for next season not nice having to make frames up when you need them.

Wow ... 5000 Brood frames ? That's a pretty phenomenal expansion ... only a few UK Beefarmers with more than 500 colonies - will really put you in the big league. You won't manage that many on your own will you ?

Missed Dani's post and your reply ... so just 120 to manage next year ? Walk in the park ..

 

[spiderplantman]

My dad (40 yrs beekeeping) tells how he caught a queen once. used a marker pen , gentle press down. No colour on queen, must need to press slightly harder, no colour but squashed queen. The marker pen had run dry.

This is my favourite.

 

[elainemary]

Apart from knocking all my hives over in one go, ...... this year I put a bee escape on and a super of honey on top. Couldn't for the life of me understand why it wouldn't clear until I realised I had put the bee escape on top of the crown board which was on the ground and when I picked them up they were stuck together and I didn't realise!!!!!we all make mistakes!

Did the same this season. The rhomboid board I’d used as an inspection board, got stuck on propolis under the brood box, so when I inspected this double brood colony a week later, swarm cells everywhere from compression. Bees could get up into the brood box from the one below but couldn’t get out! Amazed they’d survived not getting out!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Wow ... 5000 Brood frames ? That's a pretty phenomenal expansion ... only a few UK Beefarmers with more than 500 colonies - will really put you in the big league. You won't manage that many on your own will you ?

Missed Dani's post and your reply ... so just 120 to manage next year ? Walk in the park ..

Mixed frames, come spring a combo of both 100 to start the season, expansion for the next three years and employing someone else, namely my boy who has helped me this season.
Possible amalgamation of my own business and calling it just one business as all our bees are on and around the South Shropshire hills.
Labels have been designed.

Once the Heather comes off there's lots to get organised ready for next year.
Beefarming isn't easy it's hard work 100 colonys won't be a walk in the park the more preparation I can do for next season the better, because I just want to be able to consentrate on the girls and what I want to achieve,
1.not having to build equipment is one of them
2. Inspection times and faffing being another. ( although the faffing has saved queen's and stock)
3. Picking out better routes to get to each site, one thing that takes such a long time out of my day.
4. Using specific manipulations to maximise yeild and efficiency.

More of a list but some to start with.