- Joined
- Feb 17, 2021
- Messages
- 342
- Reaction score
- 439
- Location
- East Mids
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 150
Not sure why people equate non-prolific with easy to manage. Some of the easiest bees to manage that I have either kept myself or worked commercially have been the most prolific. They have have been placid, non-swarmy and build up in response to the environment/flow,. On the flip side some of the worst bees I have come across have been non-prolific, moody, swarmed when the brood box is half full and generally hard to predict. I know which I would recommend to a beginner.
I also don't get why some people get fixated on being single box, double brood etc. Bees are dynamic and build up and contract in response to whats going on around them. I have colonies at the moment with brood in 3 boxes, they will contract going into the autumn and overwinter on single boxes. Working 2 or 3 boxes of a nice placid, predictable colony is quicker than dealing with a single box of grumpy, unpredictable bees that seem to be swarming/superseding or doing somthing else other making honey.
I also don't get why some people get fixated on being single box, double brood etc. Bees are dynamic and build up and contract in response to whats going on around them. I have colonies at the moment with brood in 3 boxes, they will contract going into the autumn and overwinter on single boxes. Working 2 or 3 boxes of a nice placid, predictable colony is quicker than dealing with a single box of grumpy, unpredictable bees that seem to be swarming/superseding or doing somthing else other making honey.