Learning Fast.

[colinc]

Just found this forum had a look round and think I will stay ;-)
My wife did a bee intro course last year and sold me on the idea as we have a good sized garden. Bought a few books incl. Ted Hooper. Loved the idea and thought this will be fun and my wife's done a course...!
Any ways we ordered a nuc of Buckfasts they arrived early May and we have loved watching the population explosion.
Mistakes made....Mann Lake National Hybrids aren't Nationals....
Not splitting a hive quickly enough when QCs present
Not expecting the Cast after the Prime swarm.

But we can now deal with swarms and hive them, we will be quicker to split next time and we have got through most of our first year with no loss of bees so far. Our queen (Liz),who we are very fond of, is giving us good tempered bees and has given us a daughter (Anne) and we are currently waiting on colony 3....:-/ We should also get a crop of honey.

Absolutely love our hobby and once we get more comfortable we can move onto more complicated matters.....

Amazing the number of tips O have picked up on here to prepare us for the future in just 2 days......

Colin

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Hope you enjoy the hobby and don't be too worried if honey does not come immediately - I've been keeping bees for four years and this is the first year that I've had a crop.

I like you naming scheme but Zara Tindal needs to get a wriggle on or you'll have no names for the queens in 3 or 4 years after Elizabeth and Anne!

CVB

 

[BeeJayBee]

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your beekeeping.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Just found this forum had a look round and think I will stay ;-)
My wife did a bee intro course last year and sold me on the idea as we have a good sized garden. Bought a few books incl. Ted Hooper. Loved the idea and thought this will be fun and my wife's done a course...!
Any ways we ordered a nuc of Buckfasts they arrived early May and we have loved watching the population explosion.
Mistakes made....Mann Lake National Hybrids aren't Nationals....
Not splitting a hive quickly enough when QCs present
Not expecting the Cast after the Prime swarm.

But we can now deal with swarms and hive them, we will be quicker to split next time and we have got through most of our first year with no loss of bees so far. Our queen (Liz),who we are very fond of, is giving us good tempered bees and has given us a daughter (Anne) and we are currently waiting on colony 3....:-/ We should also get a crop of honey.

Absolutely love our hobby and once we get more comfortable we can move onto more complicated matters.....

Amazing the number of tips O have picked up on here to prepare us for the future in just 2 days......

Colin

Welcome. You will find a wealth of knowledge and experience in here but do beware of the blind who try to lead the blind or the mischievous who suggest using matchsticks.
I like Hoopers book even if it is a bit hard to read at times. You might also like to look at the original of Dave Cushmans website, presently maintained by Roger Patterson but some purists feel he has made additions which reflect his own opinions and detract from the original.
Look forward to a vertical learning curve

 

[oliver90owner]

Remember that bees are not that clever, brainpower-wise. They do make decisions which might baffle some beeks, but those decisions are always basically simple (so, obvious to the bees) - usually how to ensure the continuity of the colony (survival) and to spread their genes wider (reproduction). Simple as that.

Most of the rest of bee related problems arise from the way we humans try to control them and/or the surrounding environment (even habitat). That means beekeepers and agriculture, mainly.

RAB

 

[enrico]

Remember that bees are not that clever, brainpower-wise. They do make decisions which might baffle some beeks, but those decisions are always basically simple (so, obvious to the bees) - usually how to ensure the continuity of the colony (survival) and to spread their genes wider (reproduction). Simple as that.

Most of the rest of bee related problems arise from the way we humans try to control them and/or the surrounding environment (even habitat). That means beekeepers and agriculture, mainly.

RAB

Wise words as usual rab

 

[madasafish]

Being slightly mad helps when keeping bees.

 

[colinc]

Thanks for the welcome.

Thanks all for the encouragement. Just got caught out this year by how prolific my Buckfast was. Probably double brood needed next year. Will need to see how Anne performs. Currently considering merging a cast swarm back into one of the bigger colonies so should be fun.... I'm saving the Telegrapj and my matchsticks up....

 

[colinc]

We may have to come off the human linear accession soon. Our royalty seem to go for heir and a spare. The bees are definitely more pessimistic in how many spares they need.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Being slightly mad helps when keeping bees.

And even more so using this forum

 

[colinc]

And even more so using this forum

I've noticed that. Still waiting for the trolls to start trying to eat me....

 

[madasafish]

I've noticed that. Still waiting for the trolls to start trying to eat me....

If they try, bite their heads off.

 

[theeggman]

To the forum 'colinc'.

As has been typed elsewhere, pick and choose whose advice you follow because some will be written on stone tablets and not updated.

The learning 'curve' is vertical but great when you are still a beek afterwards, the little stinging b's get under your skin in many ways.

 

[colinc]

Checked the colony today. Our original queen still doing well laying well and the colony are bringing in plenty. The prime swarm from early July we lost and recovered (it's our first year) is mating laying. Well pattern is as good as the Buckfast mum. And the cast swarm from 6 days later (didn't expect and didn't have the kit to split, it arrived after the cast, has a queen. Found her today she is good and fat so hopefully will lay imminently. Need some increase to overwinter but they are really well provisioned for brood now.

Learning from mistakes I hope not to make again and all seems well.

We are happy beekeepers for now ;-)

 

[oliver90owner]

If you lost and recovered a prime swarm from your bees, the original queen should be in the swarmed part?

When your cast queen starts laying worker brood, just add some (amount depending on size of cast) emerging brood from one of the others. Then add more up to a full frame of emerging brood. It should romp away on its own once there are sufficient house bees.

 

[colinc]

If you lost and recovered a prime swarm from your bees, the original queen should be in the swarmed part?

When your cast queen starts laying worker brood, just add some (amount depending on size of cast) emerging brood from one of the others. Then add more up to a full frame of emerging brood. It should romp away on its own once there are sufficient house bees.

Thank you for this. I have already added some brood to stop the other hives obvious desire to swarm in July. I was running out of hives this being our first year to consider further splits. 3/4 weeks since cast but she isn't laying yet. When I check next weekend I may shake another frame of brood from the prime and add it. The original queen was marked so we know we got her back. She seems very fecund so stealing brood from her shouldn't be an issue.