Lets look ahead.

[mbc]

My plans are the same as for the last few seasons :
cull the duds and breed from the best
Stock improvement at its simplest without having to have a vast intelect

 

[cheshirehives]

My plans are the same as for the last few seasons :
cull the duds and breed from the best
Stock improvement at its simplest without having to have a vast intelect

Good call.

 

[fatshark]

The best laid plans etc ... but here are mine:

1. Use what I learnt this year to control swarming a little better next year.
2. Raise a nuc. or two for association members starting up.
3. Move two colonies to poly hives.
4. Learn to graft to raise queens in a controlled manner, rather than the chaos I enjoyed this year.
5. Explore Neopoll use early in the season to get them ready for OSR.
6. Enjoy using the Dadant smoker that Santa is bringing me ;-)

Cheers
D.

 

[Mickby]

1. Split one of my colonies into 3 or 4 nucs- 1 or 2 to give to new starters.
2. Build up other colony so we get to taste our own honey at last.
3. Catch a swarm.

 

[Skyhook]

The nitty gritty

In Aug I posted:

I will overwinter my one colony perfectly. In March, weather permitting, I will start stimulative feeding and brood spreading to build the colony as big and fast as possible, getting onto double brood. I then put supers between the boxes and arrange the frames as per Ted Hooper to induce queen cells in the top box. I then split the boxes to make 2 colonies. If my 2008 queen is still in residence I take her out and bank her in a nuc for insurance. I then have 2 lovely strong hives.

Both of these will be 14 x 12's. My ambitions have now increased to requeening the nuc with one of Nortons Buckfast types. If they turn out to be the pussycats I'm hoping for, they can come back to the garden, while the others stay at the apiary.

I'm now starting to get into the detail. I realise that the above plan involves each QC becoming a mated queen and leaves no room from accidents, swallows etc. Also, I would like one hive to still be capable of producing a crop.

My thinking is therefore to leave the old queen temporarily in the bottom box to avoid an interregnum, and to split the top box into 2, each with a queen cell- but to put any spare QC's into mini-nucs. If these succeed, then one can be used to replace the old queen, while any others provide back-up for the 2 new colonies. I guess the alternative might be to split to a number of 2- frame nucs, then recombine as required.

What are the opinions of those who already have the teeshirt?

 

[Black Comb]

I'm now starting to get into the detail. I realise that the above plan involves each QC becoming a mated queen and leaves no room from accidents, swallows etc. Also, I would like one hive to still be capable of producing a crop.

My thinking is therefore to leave the old queen temporarily in the bottom box to avoid an interregnum, and to split the top box into 2, each with a queen cell- but to put any spare QC's into mini-nucs. If these succeed, then one can be used to replace the old queen, while any others provide back-up for the 2 new colonies. I guess the alternative might be to split to a number of 2- frame nucs, then recombine as required.

What are the opinions of those who already have the teeshirt?

What about using a snelgrove board?
I'm going to try this this coming year.

 

[PaleoPerson]

1. Requeen ASBO colonies
2. Take basic
3. setup new out apiary 4 & 5
4. Trial plastic frames.
5. Trial a shook swarm on one colony
6. Find out what the bees plans are

 

[Poly Hive]

If you want to achieve two mated queens I would suggest you start with at least 6 cells. From them select the four best, and make up four nucs.

From them with luck you will get at least two mated queens, and on you go.

However possibly this is where an investment in say four mini nucs would come in handy? Because you reduce your expense in bees to four mug fulls. Lot less costly than 8 frames of brood and bees. Remember when you make up a two frame nuc you do not just put in the bees on the frames you are adding in but at good shake of bees from at least another frame... adds up so it does...

PH

 

[Skyhook]

If you want to achieve two mated queens I would suggest you start with at least 6 cells. From them select the four best, and make up four nucs.

From them with luck you will get at least two mated queens, and on you go.

However possibly this is where an investment in say four mini nucs would come in handy? Because you reduce your expense in bees to four mug fulls. Lot less costly than 8 frames of brood and bees. Remember when you make up a two frame nuc you do not just put in the bees on the frames you are adding in but at good shake of bees from at least another frame... adds up so it does...

PH

Thanks PH- that last point had escaped me. In other words, to split one box into 2 frame nucs, I would have to rob the 2nd box pretty hard.

 

[Haughton Honey]

1. Agree terms on two new out apiaries
2. Hopefully go from 30+ to 60+ colonies
3. Play with a poly National hive or a handful
4. Keep made-up supers at the ready ABOVE the crown board and a wire-framed QX early in the season so that I'm not taken by surprise with a nectar flow again!
5. Re-Queen colonies that require it during late April, when they are still small enough to be managed easily and so that they can be managed in the same fashion throughout the season.
6. Focus on building and maintaining colony strength between May and mid-June, ahead of the main flow
7. Take more swarms and use them primarily to draw foundation ahead of being united with resident colonies (after having their health thoroughly vetted).

 

[Mike a]

Skyhook

5 frame nuc - all the bees on these frames + an extra 1-2 frames worth of bees.

1 good frame of mostly honey stores
(this is important as most of the foraging bees will return to the parent hive so you need to ensure they have plenty of stores to see them through the next few weeks)
1 good frame of pollen
3 good frames of eggs, larvae and sealed brood

 

[Poly Hive]

Like all niche bits of kit the Snelgrove board has its adherents of which I am not one.

It takes a relatively simple operation (AS) and turns it into a bee fiddlers dream. Open this shut that, oh yes licence to mess whith the bees again.

I have never even mentioned it in lectures for fear of encouraging the innocent down what they perceive as a simple answer.

If it is sold as dead simple and you believe it you have never attempted DIY LOL

PH

 

[Black Comb]

Some very experienced beeks I know swear by it (or Horsley board)

That's the thing about beekeeping, so many ways to do things.

 

[Poly Hive]

As I said every bit of kit has it's adherents.

It's not for me. Nor would I recommend it.

PH