New Year Plans and Ideas

[Tremyfro]

It's the time for making plans....
Last year I wanted to try my hand at making an increase to my beehives. I had thought that 6 would be a lovely number to have in my Bee Yard.
My hopes were more than realised and I ended up with 7 colonies and an over wintering Nuc....and also sold 2 nucs as well.
I have to admit that my queen rearing didn't go quite as planned.....and in the end the bees took over and produced a bunch of queen cells to delight any beekeeper!
The colony selected for this had been prepared as a queen rearing hive....so my new queen cells got fed really well. I made up my nucs and waited for mating to occur. Sadly the weather didn't play its part and one queen didn't get mated...although she was huge. So that colony had a slow start...eventually it got a queen and all was well. In one nuc...the queen didn't emerge...so their numbers helped out another nuc.
I bought a Buckfast queen and she romped away after being introduced to one of my homemade nucs.
And so the summer went on...some plans came true ...others failed and the summer which was no summer ended. I fed my bees to help them build up some reserves for the winter.
Now what do I plan for this year?
I have acquired quite a few long hives...Beehaus and Dartingtons.
I still have some work to do to paint and refurbish one Dartington ...and pimp up an old Beehaus...luckily all the parts can still be ordered from Omlet.
I plan to move some of my colonies into them. I'm not sure when the best time to transfer them will be...I am hoping someone has some good advice on that.
I have yet to get OH...HWMO...to lay more flagstones..arthritic grumbling issues from his armchair.....but failing that...I will add a bit more gravel to level them up.
What are the plans of other forumites?

 

[Brian Bush]

I must crack this queen rearing this year. I have always messed up by being too busy or unavailable at crucial times. Now I am ofically a coffin dodger I have all the time in the world!!! (This will depend on the swarming season - I am area swarm officer again this year)
I am also taking part in the local association efforts to breed desirable Buck's Mongrels!!!

 

[Tremyfro]

I wish you lots of luck BB. Looking back....my bees must have been having a right old laugh at my attempts ....then they decided to take matters into their own hands. I found writing down each stage was really important...to get the timings right.....and sitting on my hands and waiting was soooo difficult!

 

[Martley]

New Year new plans

Well like you I started the year with plans to increase to 6. I had moved from the garden into a new apiary, and had built up spare kit, decided on my AS plans and planned a modest 1st attempt at queen rearing.

The long damp spring was disappointing then staffing issues at work coupled with the weather caused me to miss my 2 best hives swarming!

I was pleased to collect a local swarm, and split the remaining bees into nucs to raise new queens, but it all went horribly wrong with more wet weather and failed matings. In the end I had to combine back to just 2 hives. Had a very meagre crop and had to work hard to get them ready for winter.

So I am back where I was before I started planning to increase - so not gonna tempt fate this time round!

 

[Tremyfro]

That is such a disappointment. The weather caused so many problems last year. I don't think you could afford to take your eye off the ball at all! I had make a nuc from a swarm cell the year before...which stopped a colony from swarming....I think...but it may just have made them because I had rehived them...I don't know...it was all a blur of learning and trying to keep up in my first year of bees!
I think I was a bit lucky really. I think if I wanted to make increase again I would do it the same way...make a strong nurse colony and use superceedure queen cells.
This year might be a good year...be a shame to miss out...you could try again in better circumstances.

 

[Millet]

Bee yard is that not Americanized, i would have thought bee garden sounds better, I was planning on a Demeree this year but i am now tinkering with a artificial swarm if need be, but to be honest i don't know what i am going to do until the shite hits the fan in my bee Garden/Apiary/Allotment or the simple corner of a field.

 

[Tremyfro]

Bee yard is that not Americanized, i would have thought bee garden sounds better, I was planning on a Demeree this year but i am now tinkering with a artificial swarm if need be, but to be honest i don't know what i am going to do until the shite hits the fan in my bee Garden/Apiary/Allotment or the simple corner of a field.

Ha ha ...you do crack me up!...yes Bee Yard is an American description of an apiary. I lived in Georgia, USA for some time. A little nostalgic too. Good luck with your demarree. It is a lot of lifting...which I can't do. In a long hive you can do the same but horizontally...although I have not yet tried this. I expect someone on the forum has.

 

[Millet]

,,

 

[Michael Palmer]

What are the plans of other forumites?

To spend every hour of every day, as far as possible, with my bees, and to have more fun doing so than I've ever had before.

 

[Tremyfro]

To spend every hour of every day, as far as possible, with my bees, and to have more fun doing so than I've ever had before.

A great plan...and WOW looky at the number of hives you have....makes mine seem a very small Bee Yard!...Every colony is precious.

 

[Michael Palmer]

....makes mine seem a very small Bee Yard!

Errr...Apiary

 

[Finman]

.
I have planned to keep my car on road.

In these days ways have been very slippy.

.

 

[Cussword]

As it's only my second year with my own bees, (first Winter) I hope to bring my three hives through Winter and build them into strong colonies.
Trying to keep it simple until I have more experience.

 

[Cazza]

My plan is the same as last year.To stop spending money on Beekeeping aside from wax and frames. This year I think I only need wax as I seem to have bought more seconds in the sales last Christmas than I will need for years to come.
Cazza

 

[Tremyfro]

My plan is the same as last year.To stop spending money on Beekeeping aside from wax and frames. This year I think I only need wax as I seem to have bought more seconds in the sales last Christmas than I will need for years to come.
Cazza

...I feel your pain!

 

[Millet]

Errr...Apiary

Good man that sounds a lot better..

 

[Plenty of honey]

Increase my apiaries and bees as much as i can, learn to do it when they give me their lead and learn to be more patient!!
Visit as many apiarists as I can, share as much as I can and read as many books as i can keep my eyes open for! Its going to be a very busy, exciting time this year.

 

[BrianO]

Increase my apiaries and bees as much as i can, learn to do it when they give me their lead and learn to be more patient!!
Visit as many apiarists as I can, share as much as I can and read as many books as i can keep my eyes open for! Its going to be a very busy, exciting time this year.

Good man Noel ... Sounds like a plan !

Likewise re the Apiary visits and reading, also in my case to increase hive no's to approx 18-20. Learn more about the craft , all aspects.

Going into year 3 and so much yet to learn, but Goddamit I love it !

Doing OK though doubled hives and yield year on year and no winter losses.... Yet ...

Also plan to keep going at taking every opportunity to plant on my land or others good Bee forage plants, and want to get an observation hive and get a slot booked to go to my girls school to give a bit of a talk, kids urgently need to connect more with the environment.

Oh yeah and I want to bring about world peace and end the refugee crisis by Easter !

 

[Plenty of honey]

want to get an observation hive and get a slot booked to go to my girls school to give a bit of a talk, kids urgently need to connect more with the environment.

Yes they do indeed. Every beekeeper who isn't already, should do their bit in their own way, where they can!! Good luck!!

 

[Saffabee]

I just want to keep my 4 hives going, don't want to increase so that is my challenge ! And spend as much time as the OH will allow down at the apiary as possible tidying it up this year needs clearing round the hives and levelling.


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