- Joined
- Sep 23, 2010
- Messages
- 4,804
- Reaction score
- 4,947
- Location
- North London, West Essex and Surrey
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 70
I fall asleep on the sofa and wake up with a cat on me at 2am.I write up the notes in the evening
I fall asleep on the sofa and wake up with a cat on me at 2am.I write up the notes in the evening
I've only just started making notes as my memory is getting pretty bad. I'm currently writing on the roofs with chalk pen. Seems to be ok a the moment with few hives in one apiary. I think I'd need a diary letting me know which apiaries I'd need to visit If I had more apiaries and hives and then read the roofs when I get there
Just found an app which seems to do the trick. Live Transcribe (app) is ready installed on many android phones but on free download also. Simple speech to text (with good accuracy considering my northern accent).Only variables from afunction colony are essential: I make no record of colonies with BIAS, stores, space, without QCs and that are of good temper, and can recall in an apiary of 12 those which perform well, those that are trouble (SW), and those not worth the time (REQ).
Date of splits (SPL), virgin out (VOUT), bad temper or poor Q (REQ) or disease (DIS) and varroa treatment dates (V12.9.24) are useful. Those queenright (Q+) get a brick in line of flight, Q- a brick across; undetermined have a brick at 45.
I agree, but the principle remains sound if pruned ruthessly.
I was already getting confused which hive was which and what condition they were in the week before with just 5 hive hives. I can't imagine it with 100s. Hopefully, this time next year I'll have 8 to 10 and further increases year after year so needed a system. I'm not sure if I have the correct system yet. Even taking notes, you need an organised mind to do them properly so that you can understand them when you read them a week later. I've already caught myself out not understanding what I meant in the notes .This is exactly the system I now use, bathing in my own chaos was OK but when I've got people I'm paying phoning me asking what I did last visit, which is costing us, something had to change.
We've a large upright freezer for storing cut comb in the office which is used as a whiteboard for the weekly inspection plan, alongside notes in roofs removed the need for phoning me so much.
I've another whiteboard next to the incubator with the dates cell's were added & their position, this helps with my sanity a lot.
I was already getting confused which hive was which and what condition they were in the week before with just 5 hive hives. I can't imagine it with 100s. Hopefully, this time next year I'll have 8 to 10 and further increases year after year so needed a system. I'm not sure if I have the correct system yet. Even taking notes, you need an organised mind to do them properly so that you can understand them when you read them a week later. I've already caught myself out not understanding what I meant in the notes .
I was given a tip by a young Czech bee farmer whose family ran 400: don't see them as individual colonies, but as apiaries. If you get the queens right and balance colony strengths, it will reduce thinking because if a flow is on, they'll all need a box, and if swarming...confused which hive was which
Develop a code for variables only, write on or in the roof; send yourself a WhatsApp.Even taking notes, you need an organised mind
Even taking notes, you need an organised mind to do them properly so that you can understand them when you read them a week later
Easy: don't write notes.not understanding what I meant in the notes
Maybe I should try that. I need any recorder I use to record me more clearly for audio to text to be intelligible and a mic might do that. Or maybe I'm a hopeless case, with my accent. Of course I could just listen to the recordings at home but it all takes time.a simple setup with a Bluetooth mic worked well.
No, don't encourage the bot thing!Maybe I should try that
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