Have you achieved your goals this season?

[jeff33]

I know the season is not over yet but wanted to see if you had goals for the season and how you did.

I started with 1 hive left after winter losses and my aim was just to build numbers again with no honey crop planned. I have build back up to 5 colonies (2 prime swarms, 1 nuc bought and 1 made up in June). I also made another nuc last week with a bought in queen. I have also managed some honey which is a bonus . The swarms have given me 2 supers each and last years hive a bb.

Going into the autumn, I may sacrifice a queen and unite to ensure all my hives are strong for wintering.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

very similar

i had 1 hive left after losing one during winter

i now have 3. original, a bought nuc and a colony from two small swarms which is now strong

probably 4 supers full in total, one more than last year

overall chuffed though would have liked another couple and would have liked two of these on double bb

 

[Wingy]

Similar here had 1 Nuc from a late cast swarm managed to over winter and built up well. Plan was for 4 hives this year and not bothered about any honey. Made splits and now have 3 hive, 1 on double brood. Would have had the 4 but messed up & lost a swarm.
Got a 10 litre bucket of honey and still have 6 supers between the 3 hives. Fingers crossed looking good so far

 

[Finman]

.
No. This 30C summer without rains was not in my plans.

 

[Curly green fingers]

A little bit crazy for me I'll write it all down one day... Started with one single brood which swarmed. I now have 1 double 3 brood half, two new buckfast collony in singles . And three nucs which are going in to singles uniting maybe . Honey crop has been 5 supers of honey so far . Ive got three sites and a possible fourth next year . Lessons always take more equipment than you need I got caught out with a swarm hanging in a tree . Cheers mark

 

[jeff33]

Sounds like you could write a book CGF!!
Finman, surely it must feel like an all inclusive in the Caribbean for your bees!! The local flora isn't copping?

 

[Millet]

I have went beyond my expectations.. i went into winter last year with three strong colonies all of which survived the beast from the east..
In between making splits in June which give me four new colonies i have took 140+lb of honey of the three colonies upto now..i give one of the colonies to a fellow member which has left me with six..among those six colonies i have around eleven supers to take of,,i would have been more than happy with one full super per colony from past experiences and going into winter with five hives, but i can't grumble, next year might be a bad year..

 

[beeno]

Now inspecting in nitrile.

 

[Millet]

Now inspecting in nitrile.

Me too, i started of by doubling them up but i quickly realized one pair was enough and at £4.95 per one hundred i can replace them regularly.

 

[enrico]

Nope, started spring well with three strong hives, had great hopes of splitting into six in my second year living in Somerset but my bees were having none of it. Three went queenless at the same time. For the first time ever I bought three queens in. Out of those three I have one original left. The other two have gone missing. No swarms. With a bit of manipulation I am now into August with two strong hives and one which has again got rid of a queen. I am hoping that I have a recently mated queen in there now. So...... Basically, no honey yet but three supers on each hive and an acre of borage down the road. Will be extracting in late August. As long as I have 50lbs of honey for myself I will be happy. Sales would be surprising and an unexpected boost. Two years now with no increase so hopefully the third year will be luckier. Aiming for six hives
Ee

 

[Beagle23]

Not a bad year, started poorly but improved.

My single hive swarmed twice, on each occasion the swarms were caught and given to another beekeeper. I also found a queen egg faily late so carried out a split and successfully saw that through to a mated/laying queen.
I was concerned that the impact of losing three batches of bees from the hive would mean the honey production for the year would be hard hit, but late June through to now has seen a really strong recovery and I have 4 full supers.

I've also just taken on a new hive from a work colleague who's moving overseas.

All in all, happy.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

8 hives coming out of winter
Extracted 567lb so far with 430lb sold
Now have 16 full colonies and 6 double brood nucs
40 supers on with all filling out well
Well ahead of expectations

 

[Erichalfbee]

Seven hives in and out of winter.
Even the colony dropping thousands of mites last year pulled through
Five hives split for swarm control four reactively and one proactively as I lost my nerve and didn’t want to lose the queen.
The idea was to re unite after swarming but that has become difficult as all are now full sized colonies so I’m having to wait till they shrink a bit.
I tried three types of swarm control. Nuc the queen, Pagden and Demarree.
Although the Demarree was hard work leaving me with a monster hive still they have given me the most honey.
There was no difference between the Pagden and the nuc method as far as queen mating or honey was concerned.
I discovered that not all Carnica colonies swarm at the drop of a hat Thank you B+ For a couple of excellent queens

I gave an amm queen a go but the bees threw her out preferring to make a new queen of their own from the eggs she laid in the push-in cage.

I am going to stop putting bait hives up. Every swarm I have caught is bad tempered.

I have more honey than I ever thought I might get
I have too many bees
I am scratching around desperately to work out how to get them all down to six boxes

 

[jeff33]

Well done all, weather has certainly helped the girls.

I have been lucky with the swarms, the 2 are well tempered with hardly any smoke needed. The 2 queens lay like clappers.... The test will be as the flow now ends and weather changes, I hope they are not bipolar.

 

[iann41]

3 hives going into winter
2 small, weakish hives coming out of winter

now have 8, 14x12 hives (only 1 a little weak at the moment)
3 poly nucs growing nicely
sold 5 nucs

raised and introduced 6 queens (5 successfully)
bought and introduced 10 queens (9 successfully)

estimate about 70lb of honey on deep supers still on hives (most of this years nectar has gone to draw wax for next years nucs)

a lot of work but well worth it, pppppp as our lass would say.

 

[Dutchman]

Amazing year, started with 8 colonies, took 2 splits each from my 2 stongest hives early in May ad all these 4 are now building up nicely for autumn, one even filled a super. I have taken off 60kg of honey so far and most hives have 6-7 full supers on, just waiting for it to get capped, they were so busy that they were slow to cap anything. Now I am going on holiday for 3 weeks, if they dont eat too much of it I could have the best harvest ever.

 

[Zante]

Nope. My bees came out of winter very badly or not at all for one of the two colonies and lost the queen in the other. One the hive I had left had a laying queen, I waited a bit for them to get strong enough, then split them to get back to two.

Missed all of the acacia and most of the chestnut. Will still have plenty for my own use though.

 

[Angry_Mob]

Goal was to make increases this year, wasn't expecting honey.

Started with one strong hive which made early swarm preps, this got me another. Have done various splits and buying in four queens and raising one of my own I now have three hives and three nucs.

Would have liked to catch a swarm but no luck. Have gotten one super of honey so far and I hope I'll get another two yet.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

My Goal was to produce a tonne from rape and increase to at least 100 colony's into winter, so far on track. Next year two tonne and increase to at least 175 production colony's.

 

[deemann1]

Came out of winter with one colony bought 2 nucs, swarms and splits now have 7 nationals and 4 nucs , 220lb honey and 3 supers still to come off . Its been a big learning curve this summer. I never thought beekeeping took up so much time .i stiil love it though ....