In for a penny...

[Curlyperson]

This forum is supposed to be for daft questions, so here goes nothing........

As yet I have a bee-free life, which will hopefully change sometime soon.
I made a list using a couple of websites of all the stuff I thought I'd need. Reading a sticky today I discover that a spare hive is a necessity.

Daft question:-

Why?

 

[Oscarmonster]

For carrying out an artificial swarm. For some methods such as a Demaree only a spare brood box is needed.

 

[Cazza]

For me, more than one spare hive would be needed. You will find life less stressful if you keep 2 hives so that if one becomes queenless (which happens) you can use the other to donate eggs to raise a new queen.

If you do this, then you need at least another 2 spare brood boxes for artificial swarms.

In reality, I find I never have enough equipment!

Cazza

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, you need double everything (hives) and three supers per hive.
There's a chap here who never has enough crown boards

 

[jd101k2000]

You start with one hive. Then the bees bring in lots of honey. Your hive came with two supers. You find out that in a good year you need 4, 5, 8?


In your second year they swarm. You need a nucleus (small hive) to put them in, and a hive to grow them into... Which need supers. Then you need all the frames perhaps 11 for each brood box and super... And foundation for each frame. Then you need a hive tool, borrow extraction kit. Honey buckets. That's before you get on to the nice to haves. Next year both your hives will want to swarm!

 

[enrico]

Well explained jd....
E

 

[Dishmop]

and you dont get called a one hive keeper.

 

[curry756]

You start with one hive. Then the bees bring in lots of honey. Your hive came with two supers. You find out that in a good year you need 4, 5, 8?


In your second year they swarm. You need a nucleus (small hive) to put them in, and a hive to grow them into... Which need supers. Then you need all the frames perhaps 11 for each brood box and super... And foundation for each frame. Then you need a hive tool, borrow extraction kit. Honey buckets. That's before you get on to the nice to haves. Next year both your hives will want to swarm!

love the explanation. All true!

 

[Curlyperson]

OK..................

I knew about extra supers for honey and so on.
I understand about the need for a spare hive (or two) for repopulation.(Do any of you live in normal sized houses?)

Supplemental stupid question:-
Bees seem to multiply like rabbits but as they aren't as edible (PC?) how do you limit their number?

 

[Davelin]

Not really like rabbits..

The population of one hive can go from 10,000 to 50,000 or 60,000 in a couple of months, but falls back again in the autumn.

There natural tendency is to swarm and thus increase the number of colonies.

You can control this by carrying out an artificial swarm which will temporarily produce two colonies. If you want to you can keep both colonies, or you can recombine back to your original one.

As already posted it is better to have two hives, but you can keep it at this number in the main, you will need two spare hives to do your artificial swarm.

 

[yeogi75]

You start with one hive. Then the bees bring in lots of honey. Your hive came with two supers. You find out that in a good year you need 4, 5, 8?


In your second year they swarm. You need a nucleus (small hive) to put them in, and a hive to grow them into... Which need supers. Then you need all the frames perhaps 11 for each brood box and super... And foundation for each frame. Then you need a hive tool, borrow extraction kit. Honey buckets. That's before you get on to the nice to haves. Next year both your hives will want to swarm!

and in five years you become a bee farmer
it does get additive thou its like any hobby you get that engrossed into it before you know it your got sheds full of kit and multi hives

 

[jd101k2000]

I'm beginning to think it is like being a heroin addict. You don't care if the house burns down, as long as the bees are OK.

 

[Dishmop]

A very important thing to remember is to destroy all receipts and credit card transaction evidence relating to purchases of beekeeping equipment..

Compile a list of excuses..............well.......lies.

It will save money in the long run.

It worked out cheaper to buy 6.

These are better than the other ones.

I bought this one so I can sell it next year for a profit.

They've made a mistake.....I didnt order all this...

Its cheaper than gym membership where I would only go three times..

 

[Dishmop]

I'm beginning to think it is like being a heroin addict. You don't care if the house burns down, as long as the bees are OK.

Oh..... so thats where you keep the stash!!!

 

[yellowrage 53]

how true !!!

 

[Curlyperson]

Being a dreadful but aspiring musician I am well familiar with all types of excuses for the multiplication of gear. In certain circles this is referred to as GAS - gear aquisition syndrome - and has the following formula to calculate the maximum nuber of instruments you can own.

N=x+1 and
Z=x-1

where N is the number of instruments you need, x is the number of instruments you own, and Z is the number of instruments causing your missus to decamp.

Worked for 35 years so far.

 

[Curlyperson]

Perspiring but persevering....

Not really like rabbits..

The population of one hive can go from 10,000 to 50,000 or 60,000 in a couple of months, but falls back again in the autumn.

There natural tendency is to swarm and thus increase the number of colonies.

You can control this by carrying out an artificial swarm which will temporarily produce two colonies. If you want to you can keep both colonies, or you can recombine back to your original one.

As already posted it is better to have two hives, but you can keep it at this number in the main, you will need two spare hives to do your artificial swarm.

So one hive for the new swarm, and one as a generic spare?

 

[Dishmop]

So one hive for the new swarm, and one as a generic spare?

"Just in case"
You may be asked to collect a swarm which you will be able to sell next year which will part pay for some of what you have already bought, and if you hadnt collected the swarm the land/house owner was going to kill it..

Use the £5 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) you got paid for collecting the swarm for a bunch of flowers........

 

[Davelin]

Firstly an apology to fellow pedants: I have just noticed that i wrote "there natural tendency..." instead of "their natural tendency...."

Now to the question:

If you start off this year with a nucleus it will be unlikely, but not impossible, for it to try to swarm this summer.

In the winter sales (which the main companies in UK have, don't know if you'll be buying stuff in France) get at least one spare hive.
This will enable you to do an artificial swarm next summer when needed and it would be best to keep both colonies (two colonies gives you room to recover if one dies out).
With two colonies you will need two more spare hives which you can get the following winter.
Now as already discussed, in theory this could expand exponentially, but in reality you can remain at two colonies by recombining after artificially swarming your colonies.
However as you seem to be aware there is always the danger that you get totally sucked in and continue to expand your beekeeping enterprise!

 

[Edwardking]

As a small help, try the second-hand market - there's a sales section on this forum, and there are other well known sites. There's always stuff people are unloading, some great bargains. It'll cut your costs greatly and enhance the speed with which you can break-even as you develop the business side of honey production.