Peterjay
New Bee
- Joined
- May 30, 2024
- Messages
- 29
- Reaction score
- 31
- Location
- Scotland
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 7
Hello to everyone who is out there. I forgot to introduce myself when I joined last week.
I'm on the north-east coast of Scotland and this is my fifth season of beekeeping (despite the title of the thread).
I'm averaging seven hives over two apiaries which is more than enough for me.
I'm close to retirement, and uncertain whether to step up the pace or reduce numbers so that I have more time for other hobbys. (When you're a beekeeper, are other hobbys allowed?)
I find that my bees produce more than enough surplus honey for my needs, so I don't feel any urgency to manipulate them too much.
Contradicting the above, Demaree is my favourite and a very successful swarm-control method for me.
I used to dip ino the Forum when I first started beekeeping and I'm grateful for the information that I gained from reading other peoples' posts.
With so many experienced contributors here, who offer their advice so freely, I am not likely to be able to add anything novel.
I am quite open-minded in my beekeeping, and I like to experiment with techniques and equipment.
Overall, I think that I veer slightly towards the "local bee" "syndrome" (want of a better word). Since my first, bought queens died...one very quickly after purchase, for reasons that I later came too understand, and the other becoming drone-laying after three years, I have decided not to buy bees again (disaster precluding).
I look forward to more enjoyment with this Forum.
I'm on the north-east coast of Scotland and this is my fifth season of beekeeping (despite the title of the thread).
I'm averaging seven hives over two apiaries which is more than enough for me.
I'm close to retirement, and uncertain whether to step up the pace or reduce numbers so that I have more time for other hobbys. (When you're a beekeeper, are other hobbys allowed?)
I find that my bees produce more than enough surplus honey for my needs, so I don't feel any urgency to manipulate them too much.
Contradicting the above, Demaree is my favourite and a very successful swarm-control method for me.
I used to dip ino the Forum when I first started beekeeping and I'm grateful for the information that I gained from reading other peoples' posts.
With so many experienced contributors here, who offer their advice so freely, I am not likely to be able to add anything novel.
I am quite open-minded in my beekeeping, and I like to experiment with techniques and equipment.
Overall, I think that I veer slightly towards the "local bee" "syndrome" (want of a better word). Since my first, bought queens died...one very quickly after purchase, for reasons that I later came too understand, and the other becoming drone-laying after three years, I have decided not to buy bees again (disaster precluding).
I look forward to more enjoyment with this Forum.
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