Happy New year fellow beekeepers. What are your aspirations?

[Curly green finger's]

What's tch equipment?

Always worry when I hear of money being ploughed into equipment..

Edit: if you can do without it for the time being you may well find it much cheaper in an auction in a couple of years.

Titterstone clee honey .

I could do with finding an auction this year if you hear of someone down sizing and it’s national equipment let me know .

I’ve already started to source of cuts and scrap wood to make wooden nucs and floors roofs etc.

 

[rolande]

could do with finding an auction this year if you hear of someone down sizing and it’s national equipment let me know .

If rumours have any validity there may be some! Time will tell.

 

[Nannysbees]

Titterstone clee honey .

I could do with finding an auction this year if you hear of someone down sizing and it’s national equipment let me know .

I’ve already started to source of cuts and scrap wood to make wooden nucs and floors roofs etc.

After you thinking of expanding?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This year I'm going to concentrate on reduction.......

Mostly reducing the number of bottles of malt I seem to find tucked away in every corner (and finally realising that at my age the default Christmas gift has evolved from socks to whisky and port)
Main aspiration is not waking up in the mornings feeling as if I've been run over by a bus.

 

[Curly green finger's]

After you thinking of expanding?

I have been slowly expanding but for me to keep supplying our shops and for me to concentrate on my own small business I need to increase colony numbers

 

[peterbees]

Getting rid of all my Swienty Broods, replacing with Abelo .....treated myself to two pinks ones for Christmas
Looking around for new blood. I've vowed to be more ruthless and keep only the good colonies rather than pampering the duds....something I still do after 15 years keeping bees.
Do a little more for the local BKA

I use all Abelo National brood boxes, with everything else timber. It works well.

 

[Moobee]

Titterstone clee honey .

I could do with finding an auction this year if you hear of someone down sizing and it’s national equipment let me know .

I’ve already started to source of cuts and scrap wood to make wooden nucs and floors roofs etc.

The Sussex auction is usually pretty good.

 

[pargyle]

I have been slowly expanding but for me to keep supplying our shops and for me to concentrate on my own small business I need to increase colony numbers

How are you going to reconcile that with your employers... do they not mind competition from you ?

 

[Curly green finger's]

The Sussex auction is usually pretty good.

A bit to far to travel from south Shropshire but maybe still worth a looksy do you have a link or contact details pls?

 

[Curly green finger's]

How are you going to reconcile that with your employers... do they not mind competition from you ?

They wanted to buy tch of me Philip, I’m selling there honey along side my own only because I wanted to .
Hopefully by 2025/6 I will be out on my own souly I will probably still look after there stock but this last year has seen a really good year for my own products and I want to put all my energy into that

About time I would say

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

so did a lot of microscope stuff and passed my assessment last month.

Well done, Elaine

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

There’s a lot of ruthlessness going on this year…..

Plenty ruth for me when I lost some swarms last year. I'll be very gruntled this year if my plans for proactive swarm control go well.

 

[elainemary]

Plenty ruth for me when I lost some swarms last year. I'll be very gruntled this year if my plans for proactive swarm control go well.

Do you clip your queens Archie? Best decision I ever made re swarm prevention (to a point of course). Clip mine every spring now.

Often think if all beekeepers clipped their queens, swarming issues would be a minor problem. Very few beekeepers (hobbyists) agree with me on this one though, don’t know anyone in my association who does it.

 

[The Poot]

They wanted to buy tch of me Philip, I’m selling there honey along side my own only because I wanted to .
Hopefully by 2025/6 I will be out on my own souly I will probably still look after there stock but this last year has seen a really good year for my own products and I want to put all my energy into that

About time I would say

You’re a man on a mission, Curly. Well done.

 

[Curly green finger's]

You’re a man on a mission, Curly. Well done.

I might not be after I’ve cleaned all my equipment I started going through frames today.
happy new year mate hope you had a good Christmas.

 

[madasafish]

world shortage of ruths?

am married to one. No ruthlessness here .

 

[Erichalfbee]

They wanted to buy tch of me Philip,

If I were you I would stay well out of that option. What would they be buying anyway? Just hand in your notice but have a really good look at your contract first.

 

[The Poot]

I might not be after I’ve cleaned all my equipment I started going through frames today.
happy new year mate hope you had a good Christmas.

And a Happy New Year to you too, Curly. I don‘t envy you the frame cleaning and sorting you will be up against, that’s for sure.
Today two granddaughters tried their hand at making brood frames - and did very well. Each one went through “quality control“ and were signed on the top bar, identified to the child. They are looking forward to seeing them in use, in the hives later this year.
It was a very happy time

 

[Swarm]

Took advantage of the fine weather to share my sorrow with the bees and clear my mind. It was a great comfort watching their activity, also taking advantage of the weather. The hives feel good to the heft.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And a Happy New Year to you too, Curly. I don‘t envy you the frame cleaning and sorting you will be up against, that’s for sure.
Today two granddaughters tried their hand at making brood frames - and did very well. Each one went through “quality control“ and were signed on the top bar, identified to the child. They are looking forward to seeing them in use, in the hives later this year.
It was a very happy time

always warms the cockles
A bit of free child labour