For second year beeks

[enrico]

Hi, I put a similar post on to this last year but it is worth repeating.. For second year beekeepers this is the year when you begin to find out the truth! Your pristine comb of last year will have changed, it will be a darker colour, it will have holes and extra bits added.. Don't worry this is normal, also your nice nuc of bees that seemed so easy to handle will also change. This year if all goes well they will increase to a full hive and the number of bees can be quite disturbing. Once again, don't worry ( in fact be grateful!) try to concentrate on what you are doing and not on the amount of bees buzzing in front of your face! You can also bet your bottom dollar that whatever you do the little creatures will swarm. So be prepared. Have a box ready to put them in. Always be a brood and a super ahead of your bees so that you don't need to panic when it all goes wrong!
Remember that even the oldest bee keepers on this site have been in your shoes (although we often forget it) so don't be afraid to keep asking the questions and badgering your mentor! Finally, my own opinion.... The most important thing is to be patient, if there are no eggs don't panic, if you can't find HM it doesn't mean she isn't there and lastly - be calm and enjoy your bees. That is the whole point (and honey too of course!) . I am sure others will add words of encouragement ....
Good luck.... Enrico

 

[Luminos]

Thanks for posting this Enrico.
I've copied and pasted it into my "Don't Panic" folder !

 

[parkranger]

What a reassuring post!

Thanks

 

[madasafish]

You can also bet your bottom dollar that whatever you do the little creatures will swarm



Now in my third year : three swarms last year.. or was it four?

How time flies...

 

[enrico]

So you have four or is it five hives now????

 

[Dave /Oscroft]

You can also bet your bottom dollar that whatever you do the little creatures will swarm



Now in my third year : three swarms last year.. or was it four?

How time flies...

Madasafish and all, I had ten swarms from my carnies last year, I couldnt keep up with them they were popping out every five mins some swarmed twice/three times in the same year, so its a requeening session this year, thats assuming they dont (or havn't already) done a runner!

Dave W

 

[REDWOOD]

Believe me I would not have got through my second year with out these guys, even if it is just reading other peoples posts and answers

 

[keithgrimes]

my second year, all four of my colonies swarmed, one of them twice.

 

[Erichalfbee]

We had our summer in April and crap weather thereafter with anxious waits for queen mating.
One of my colonies swarmed once.
Another swarmed twice and was on its way a third time.
I made my third queenless by rubbing out a supercedure cell.
Beware your second year

 

[poshpikey]

My second season and loving it! Collected two swarms last year. The earliest swarm is going great guns and has more than half filled a super. The other is just starting up into the super. Both have seven frames of brood.

 

[Rosti]

Cup half full ......
a swarm means you got them through winter in the first place and they have built to a critical mass, that's a result, I can think of worse problems to have

 

[MuswellMetro]

my second year, all four of my colonies swarmed, one of them twice.

second year!!, my first bees made queen cells just before i took them out of the Nuc in the first week, but agree second year is the steep learning curve

and the third is the danger year...seen it ,done it, know it all..then the bees tell you what you dont know

 

[rae]

Best advice I got to grips with last year was "you don't need to find the queen". As soon as you find vertical eggs, you know the queen is there, or was there less than 24 hours ago. Unless you are looking for swarm cells, stop rummaging around in the hive, and let the bees get on with life. There are two operations you need to find the queen for:

- marking the queen
- most methods of artificial swarming

For pretty much all other inspections, the presence of eggs will do.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

and the third is the danger year...seen it ,done it, know it all..then the bees tell you what you dont know

Uh-oh. Just congratulating myself over getting over the second year. Bet someone comes up next year with "ah well, the 2nd and 3rd years are tricky, but the worst is the fourth!"

 

[madasafish]

So you have four or is it five hives now????

Lets see:
1 warre occupied.
1 TBH with 2 colonies
3 TBH occupied.

So 5 occupied hives with 6 colonies.

I'll have to split one of the double ones and merge the remainder..

After last years swarming I plan to convert to Buckfast cross (1 hive already).

I have one empty warre and one empty 4' TBH # plus one TBH nuc for this year's swarms...

# insulated top and sides for an experiment...

 

[enrico]

Now that's what you call a steep learning curve, well done madasafish. If they all swarm this year as much as they did last year for you you are going to have your work cut out! Bring on the buckfasts I say!
Good luck
E

 

[madasafish]

Now that's what you call a steep learning curve, well done madasafish. If they all swarm this year as much as they did last year for you you are going to have your work cut out! Bring on the buckfasts I say!
Good luck
E

Thanks.

Yes those carnies are really swarmy. Pity as they are very docile..I have opened them up without veil and just jeans and T shirt on a nice warm summer's day with no issues at all.. (not a practise I recommend or continue I would add.)

 

[drstitson]

"Uh-oh. Just congratulating myself over getting over the second year. Bet someone comes up next year with "ah well, the 2nd and 3rd years are tricky, but the worst is the fourth!""

and so on and so on.

not so much in terms of bee husbandry but every year will get harder from an OH POV as your colonies increase exponentially with corresponding need for gear from the sales, bigger extractor etc etc.

 

[Cazza]

" an OH POV "

Sorry?
Please translate for Mrs ThickyMcThick.
Cazza

An other half point of view?
Outhouse POV?
Oh help?

 

[Chris58]

OH POV - presume, 'Other halfs' point of view'!
Down to increasing costs mounting up when you say - 'what we really could do with is a ......'!