Honey ....what Honey!

[sean-a]

It is a bit depressing seeing all of the glee about at the bumper harvests...
My bees have struggled this year, having overwintered they were in rude health in April and May. They then swarmed and I was queenless for a (long) while....finally replaced the queen only to be beseiged by wasps.
I have moved them out to a new location.

Never mind the honey, I just hope that the queen manages to rebuild the brood in time for next spring.


I am sure that there are plenty of mistakes to make next year....but I have excelled at them this year.

Ho hum!

 

[Jimmy]

Are they closer to Felix Dennis' (RIP) woodland? The forage there looks very promising, woodland glades full of clover surrounded by bramble. The village itself should be excellent with so many gardens and lime.

 

[La Folie]

Sean, we are in a similar situation. 2 hives, number 1 swarmed and ended up queenless like yours. The intro went well but they have been slow to build up so no honey. Number 2 was a captured swarm with virgin queen who have settled brilliantly and are producing picture-perfect brood frames with stores around the brood. However, nothing to speak of in the super so no honey.
I am telling everyone we do it help the bees (which we do) not for the honey!!

 

[enrico]

No honey happens! Especially in your first year. I have several hives. Some bring in hardly any and some bring in over 100lbs. All from the same apiary. Some make wax, some don't, some swarm some don't, etc etc
Be patient and just keep at it! Eventually you will get a hive and queen that ..... Makes everything go right.
Keep smiling. It is good of you to put this post up. There will be others that will be in the same position as you but too embarrassed to say anything!
Good luck for next year!
E

 

[Jimy Dee]

Sean - you are not alone. I was into bees over 20 years ago (pre varroa days). Life got a bit too busy and the bees went by the side. I only got back into them again around 4 to 5 years ago, and started this year with 3 fine strong hives. Anyway due to a simple mistake of putting on apiguard too late in the season I killed one hive and the other took months and months to rebuild. I killed the queen in another hive - saw her on the grass after an inspection and quickly put her back into the hive- the incorrect frigging hive !!! I was fit to be tied.
My goal this year was to build numbers and I have ended up with 7 hives and very little honey, but I really do not mind - I see it as if my 2015 season started this year. Next year I will hopefully build to 10 hives (10 in spring - 20 after AS and 10 again in the autumn) and will have honey to give to family and friends.
So don't look back - be positive - your learned loads and look forward to 2015 and have a plan - mine was to build numbers.

 

[Nige.Coll]

I must have been lucky. Went into winter with 2 came out with 2. Bought a third in april they all swarmed on thursdays and i inspect on saturdays.
All remained queenright or had a queen cell either from a test frame added or they had already made them.
Overall this year has been manic but good.
If next year is the same i'm looking for a more relaxing hobby.


i got my first bees august 2013

 

[sean-a]

Are they closer to Felix Dennis' (RIP) woodland? The forage there looks very promising, woodland glades full of clover surrounded by bramble. The village itself should be excellent with so many gardens and lime.

Yes - I am not too far from Felix's woodland or from the river, so plenty of forage for the little blighters. I am looking forward to a more productive year next year. Hopefully with calm and contented bees too!

 

[Firefly]

At the risk of sounding like Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner ("I've...seen things you people wouldn't believe..."):

This year I have

- had a hive in full swarm mode on 17 Apr - the same colony recently swarmed again
- lost at least 6 swarms (not bad, as I only started the season with 3 hives!) - caught some of them, and some from other apiaries!
- mistakenly combined 2 colonies that both turned out to be Q+, so lost a lot of bees and both queens in the ensuing carnage
- allowed 2 nucs to become overcrowded (hence 2 of the swarms) despite constant removal of brood frames
- found 2 hives with brood in the supers, due to my incompetent handling
- seen a queen die on the comb in my hands and fall off on to the floor, stone dead
- had a mature established queen migrate from a strong hive into an adjacent nuc and take over from the virgin in the nuc (I am NOT making this up)
- let OSR honey granulate in the comb
- had to deal with my first really aggressive colony: stung on the back, hands, arms...
- tried to move a national to a new apiary in the gathering gloom; caught hold of the wrong part of the hive and the hive floor fell off at my feet
- had several queens from surplus queen cells hatching out on my hand as I watched them
- collected a swarm, left them till evening, went back to find the swarm where I first saw it - on a branch

Despite all this incompetence, I have still managed 50lb of OSR and I hope a similar quantity still to come

There really have been times this summer when I've thrown up my hands in "I've no idea what is going on" exasperation. The honesty of the Beeks in the local BKA about their own tribulations has been a big help. I always come home feeling I'm not that much worse than what I've heard

 

[YorkshireBees]

It took me a couple of seasons before I had any real harvest at all. Experience and good beekeeping takes time to learn.

Since then my harvest has increased year upon year!

It can depend of many factors,

• Type of bees you keep
• How you manage the bees
• Weather
• Local forage
• Bit of luck

I spoke yesterday to another local beekeeper who had just extracted 2 Supers and had 30lbs+ of his own lovely honey which he says he will keep for himself and his family. I on the other hand extracted considerably more than that which I hope to sell to subsidise my beekeeping!

 

[milkermel]

This is my first year of having what I would call a bumper crop, and I have been at it for 5 years. enjoy it for what it is, don't judge yours by what others have done, I have 8 colonies now, and 3 are massive (2 after swarming tried to swarm again) so good year for them forage wise, next year will wait and see. just try and enjoy!

 

[Glenviewbee]

I am also looking at a no honey harvest from my colonies and this is my 2nd proper summer season (2012 doesn't count as had nucs at end of June and beg. Sept.)
This year started with 2 good looking colonies - but went away for a long weekend at a critical time and lost a swarm - resulting wait for VQ to get mated and start laying seemed to go on for ages
The other colony was going great guns until I messed up by mistakenly relocating HMQ
Was then left with HMQ in a nuc without enough bees to look after much brood for a month or so which put a major slowdown on colony build up stakes. The remains of the colony then had a month bringing on QC(s) resulting in a swarm (duh) which I did catch and then another loooooong wait while the left over section waited for VQ to get going - which eventually came to nothing so managed a unite 2 weeks ago.
The long and short of it is I think I have 3 pretty good colonies to continue to build for the winter, but no honey harvest this year.
Here's to next year

 

[Dogged]

Oh Firefly you have made my day. Laughed so much I have had to make a cup of tea!!

 

[Firefly]

Oh Firefly you have made my day. Laughed so much I have had to make a cup of tea!!

I left out the most comical episode. My hives are sheltered by an overgrown blackthorn thicket. That means constant suckers coming up among the hives, which I never get around to trimming soon enough so they become quite tough. As many on here will know, blackthorn is tough enough to puncture tractor tyres! The inevitable happened - moving around carrying a frame during an inspection; stumbled on a sucker; stuck out a foot; hard down on another sucker; thorn through the sole of the wellington; straight into the ball of my foot

So now I'm

• in pain
• on one foot; can't put the other down, it hurts too much - the thorn still protruding into the base
• surrounded by disconcerted bees wanting their hive put back together please
• carrying a frame
• fully suited and gloved
• on my own
• 30 yards from car or bee shed - a journey that involves clambering over sheep netting

As people keep saying: This one is not in the books - except the bit about often needing to use your initiative




Northumberland's nice. I'm an occasional visitor to both Wylam and Thropton, and have slept afloat in Amble marina

 

[King Scavenger]

Well!! How do I start!

First swarm caught in April ( First one for me)
No Problems all year
No swarms
No queen cells
Hive now very strong with lots of honey
I am going to take 3 frames of honey out, at the end of August and leave the rest for the bees.

I am using Rose hives and I think the bees like it best.

 

[kazmcc]

Takes me back to when I had my colony, some great tales here, probably didn't feel like much fun at the time but at least you can look back on it and laugh. Takes a certain type of character that does. I wish you all better luck next year

 

[bontbee]

- the thorn still protruding into the base

if the thorn is still in your foot, please get it seen to. In my experience, blackthorn that is allowed to fester is notorious for going septic and causing long lasting swelling and pain...

 

[Swarm]

make sure it's well cleaned out.