Package's vs overwintered nucs.

[GuyNir]

What queens did you buy?

AMM’s. Installed early May to a nuc on 2 frames of brood. They’re filling the 1st super now.

 

[Boston Bees]

Swarm collection is for those without a set schedule.

If one day you have a target to get through 30 colonies and a swarm call comes in, which do you choose and where is the greater gain?

I understand what you say. But I suspect even busy beekeepers could fit it in if they wanted to.

Beekeepers who don't collect swarms are equivalent to dog owners who let their dogs **** on their neighbours lawn and don't go round to pick it up. Worse, in fact, as I would rather have dog **** on my lawn than someone's swarm in my chimney.

 

[GuyNir]

I understand what you say. But I suspect even busy beekeepers could fit it in if they wanted to.

Beekeepers who don't collect swarms are equivalent to dog owners who let their dogs **** on their neighbours lawn and don't go round to pick it up. Worse, in fact, as I would rather have dog **** on my lawn than someone's swarm in my chimney.

What if it’s not his dog?

 

[Boston Bees]

What if it’s not his dog?

With bees, you collect it anyway, as you know that there have been situations where it has been your dog and you haven't known. It's about being responsible for the impact of your hobby on other people

 

[GuyNir]

With bees, you collect it anyway, as you know that there have been situations where it has been your dog and you haven't known. It's about being responsible for the impact of your hobby on other people

With respect, disagree. Time is a big consideration especially when doing it for a living.

 

[Boston Bees]

With respect, disagree. Time is a big consideration especially when doing it for a living.

Sorry, but can you think of another hobby/business where the business owner can cause significant financial distress to other people (cut-outs can cost over a thousand pounds), and then turn round and say "sorry, I could have prevented that, but I'm just really busy. Byeee!"

Beekeepers get away with it because swarms are anonymous. But any experienced beekeeper that refuses to collect swarms should have their "license" to keep bees removed.

 

[user 20297]

With respect, disagree. Time is a big consideration especially when doing it for a living.

Your time is irrelevant to those who are inconvenienced. For a comparison, a farmer who scrapes their tractor mud off the road is effectively wasting their time; but it's something they must build into their work plan out of safety, courtesy and good relations with the community.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Your time is irrelevant to those who are inconvenienced. For a comparison, a farmer who scrapes their tractor mud off the road is effectively wasting their time; but it's something they must build into their work plan out of safety, courtesy and good relations with the community.

How many times have you seen them scraping the road off? and when they do they use a huge bucket on the loader and half the road ends up in the ditch.
Can't really compare a farmer who should know what he's doing and an insect that does what it wants.

 

[user 20297]

How many times have you seen them scraping the road off? and when they do they use a huge bucket on the loader and half the road ends up in the ditch.
Can't really compare a farmer who should know what he's doing and an insect that does what it wants.

You're reaffirming my point; you're obviously not chuffed at some farmers' behaviour. So why just shrug your shoulders and say, that's what bees will do.

 

[mbc]

Morning, Im already thinking of next year and what are your opinions on packages vs nucs in early spring?
Thanks.
Mark.

Packages go in fits and starts, immediately they're set up they go flat out to establish a nest, if it's 1.5kg of healthy young bees then it can be a pretty uninterrupted progression to a full nest, fewer and they pause once the required number of cells have been prepared for the queen to lay in comparative to the bees available to look after the brood. As the first brood gets capped it's almost in the bank as it needs no further care other than general warmth so another little uplift in work occurs which continues in a declining fashion (as the older bees die off from the exertion of setting up the nest and gathering resources ) until the first brood hatches, there's then a little lag until crossover happens when the hatching bees outpace the dying bees then assuming all is healthy the colony has reached balance and its onwards and upwards.
Even as a lover of our native bees I've looked at the option of buying queenless packages to add my own overwintered queens to. An inexpensive and effective way of filling equipment early doors, if a frame of brood can be added to each package on establishment then they can get to that all important balance that much earlier too. I haven't gone for it yet but if for some reason I have a disastrous winter in the future then it is an option worth considering to stay afloat .

 

[0bee-1]

AMM’s. Installed early May to a nuc on 2 frames of brood. They’re filling the 1st super now.

thanks

 

[sipa]

I have a folder full of Q suppliers.

Last I looked:
Becky's Bees
BS
Sipa
Yorkshire Honey
and loads more.

But changes regularly

But who of those only offer UK bred queens.. ? I know of one certainly

 

[madasafish]

But who of those only offer UK bred queens.. ? I know of one certainly

Sipa (of course)