Bee farming advice wanted

[Finman]

Very very hard work though, especially when I can buy them in bulk ready made and assembled and treated for €30. Moving to poly this year due to the weight of the hive.

If you have seen, Paradise Honey sells polyhives to Australia. They tell that polyhive gets 30% more honey, because colony does not need to transfer heat so much from hive. Story or fact, I do not know.

Heat record in Finland is 33C, so not much. Roger white has written that poly nucs gives advantage in cold nights in Cyprus.

 

[For want of a better word]

Best of luck with it, good accounts and registering for VAT is a must if your doing honey

That is what SWMBO does.... pay your VAT monthly and that keeps your books straight.

For most taking account of the cost of the 10 hive set up for the more serious "hobbyist" would make you consider another career move... multiply that by X 10 and then selling any honey produced at a massive loss making £5.00 a lb jar could bring you into the real world!
A good pension payment helps!
I should have dug a carp pond when I had the chance!!

Yeghes da

 

[BrianO]

Best of luck with it, good accounts and registering for VAT is a must if your doing honey

That is what SWMBO does.... pay your VAT monthly and that keeps your books straight.

For most taking account of the cost of the 10 hive set up for the more serious "hobbyist" would make you consider another career move... multiply that by X 10 and then selling any honey produced at a massive loss making £5.00 a lb jar could bring you into the real world!
A good pension payment helps!
I should have dug a carp pond when I had the chance!!

Yeghes da

Yeah, its not a route to the " Forbes Rich List ", but wouldn't want to be on it anyway.

 

[For want of a better word]

Yeah, its not a route to the " Forbes Rich List ", but wouldn't want to be on it anyway.

When Grandad got the Jackpot on Vernon's Pools he asked me what he should do about the begging letters?


I said keep sending them out anyway!

Yeghes da

 

[mazzamazda]

If you have seen, Paradise Honey sells polyhives to Australia. They tell that polyhive gets 30% more honey, because colony does not need to transfer heat so much from hive. Story or fact, I do not know.

Heat record in Finland is 33C, so not much. Roger white has written that poly nucs gives advantage in cold nights in Cyprus.

Ive actually got a paradise hive and nuc, I'm going to try them this year. Really strong poly, much stronger than Paynes if you are familiar with those.

Heat gets to around max 45o in Portugal, more often 30's. My bees are really suffering in -2 temps, I added insulation this year for the first time, I was laughed at by a local beekeeper. The end frames of brood were chilled so I think it must help.

 

[Finman]

My bees are really suffering in -2 temps, I added insulation this year for the first time, I was laughed at by a local beekeeper. The end frames of brood were chilled so I think it must help.

You will learn, what size of space bees can keep warm. Brood needs constant 36C.

At night bees make a tight cluster around the brood. You can see it in early morning. Later they spread again around the hive.

In spring we put next box under the brood, that heat do not escape to empty space. When I saw, that expanding up may kill 1/3 of brood, I started expand down. Now that expanding style is regular in my country. But an individual beekeeper can do what ever.

 

[wightbees]

How do you mean ( expand down ?)

 

[mazzamazda]

You will learn, what size of space bees can keep warm. Brood needs constant 36C.

At night bees make a tight cluster around the brood. You can see it in early morning. Later they spread again around the hive.

In spring we put next box under the brood, that heat do not escape to empty space. When I saw, that expanding up may kill 1/3 of brood, I started expand down. Now that expanding style is regular in my country. But an individual beekeeper can do what ever.

Problem is they are on a flow with Eucalyptus so brood nests are huge for December/January. Thanks I'll try expanding down.

 

[Finman]

Problem is they are on a flow with Eucalyptus so brood nests are huge for December/January. Thanks I'll try expanding down.

At least you may keep one buffer box under the brood box, that cold does not hit directly to brood from outdoors.

I do not know your conditions.

 

[mazzamazda]

How do you mean ( expand down ?)

Put a brood box or super under the main brood nest instead of above

 

[wightbees]

I have tried that, but the bees didn't seem to like it.

 

[sipa]

Seanight
In all honesty, concentrate on your medical career first and foremost. Keep a few hives as a hobby and enjoy them.

If you try to take on too much, you'll end up in a right pickle and struggle with everything you are trying to achieve in your life.

That's the best advice I can give you.

 

[seaknight]

Seanight
In all honesty, concentrate on your medical career first and foremost. Keep a few hives as a hobby and enjoy them.

If you try to take on too much, you'll end up in a right pickle and struggle with everything you are trying to achieve in your life.

That's the best advice I can give you.

Yes good advice, thanks - it wouldn't do justice to either.

 

[Chris B]

A bit late to this discussion, but I no longer try to prevent swarming (impossible), I just try to minimize it (very achievable) in a cost effective and simple way. For me that means:

• 
  Breeding from best performers (and also buying quality queens from the likes of BHP mentioned earlier in the thread).
  Overwintering as many good young queens as possible (including minhives).
  Clipping queens.
  Making nucs or packages in April with minihive queens.
  Fortnightly inspections - if swarm cells found then destroy them and steal all bees from supers to make 5lb packages with newly mated queens. This isn't failsafe but it is simple and quick and more often than not both parent colony and package go on to give a half decent crop. A word of caution here, I doubt this would work with manic swarmers which mine aren't.

 

[simoncav]

Yes good advice, thanks - it wouldn't do justice to either.

I'd also suggest reading a couple of books on Bee farming before you get in too deep. Honey by the ton by Oliver Field is good and his son Rob is an excellent bee farmer that supplies us occasionally. Although it's old, Honey Farming by R.O.B Manley is also full of great tips for potential bee farmers and available free here.
http://www.leevonk.com/information/Animal Care/Honey Farming.pdf

 

[BrianO]

I'd also suggest reading a couple of books on Bee farming before you get in too deep. Honey by the ton by Oliver Field is good and his son Rob is an excellent bee farmer that supplies us occasionally. Although it's old, Honey Farming by R.O.B Manley is also full of great tips for potential bee farmers and available free here.
http://www.leevonk.com/information/Animal Care/Honey Farming.pdf

Good advice, and Good reads, have read Honey By The Ton , excellent and half wat through Manley's tome presently, also excellent. Also look up Mike Palmers ( posts here ) You Tube videos , are an excellent resource.

Finally , choose one or other, no chance to do both !