Second Year Summary

[Beagle23]

With my second year as a beekeeper coming to an end I thought a brief summary may be of interest (it may not be however, in which case you have my apologies)

My bees made it through the winter with my first queen looking good and laying well in March.
In the Spring I failed to spot a number of queen cells (because they were on the underside of the frames) and the bees swarmed three times a primary and two cast swarms, all of which I caught and handed over to the local beekeeping association.
In the summer I was relieved to find that the new queen had mated successfully and was laying really well, so much so that I added a second brood box, also as her daughters emerged I found that my 'new' bees were much less aggressive than the old queen's, clearly the drone that my new queen mated with was a pretty chilled out guy and managed to get some hippie DNA into the mix.

In the Autumn I had three supers full of honey. The honey from the first and oldest super I discarded as it was bitter and barely edible, I think as a result of Apivar tabs I had left in the box for too long. The honey from the other supers however was fantastic and I'm now the proud owner of 40 jars of the good stuff.
I carried out my first varroa inspection of the season yesterday and my bees seem to be mite free, which is great.

So in summary, it's been a really good year, the bees are healthy, better tempered and producing lots of honey - and they're still bringing in lots of stores. And I learned a great deal about beekeeping, from better handling skills, to reading the bees moods more effectively, catching swarms. I'm very pleased.

Also, I want to thank the kind people on this forum who have offered sound advice throughout my first two years. I didn't go to any beekeeping classes and this forum was really the handholder I needed as a beginner. Thank you

 

[madasafish]

With my second year as a beekeeper coming to an end I thought a brief summary may be of interest (it may not be however, in which case you have my apologies)

My bees made it through the winter with my first queen looking good and laying well in March.
In the Spring I failed to spot a number of queen cells (because they were on the underside of the frames) and the bees swarmed three times a primary and two cast swarms, all of which I caught and handed over to the local beekeeping association.
In the summer I was relieved to find that the new queen had mated successfully and was laying really well, so much so that I added a second brood box, also as her daughters emerged I found that my 'new' bees were much less aggressive than the old queen's, clearly the drone that my new queen mated with was a pretty chilled out guy and managed to get some hippie DNA into the mix.

In the Autumn I had three supers full of honey. The honey from the first and oldest super I discarded as it was bitter and barely edible, I think as a result of Apivar tabs I had left in the box for too long. The honey from the other supers however was fantastic and I'm now the proud owner of 40 jars of the good stuff.
I carried out my first varroa inspection of the season yesterday and my bees seem to be mite free, which is great.

So in summary, it's been a really good year, the bees are healthy, better tempered and producing lots of honey - and they're still bringing in lots of stores. And I learned a great deal about beekeeping, from better handling skills, to reading the bees moods more effectively, catching swarms. I'm very pleased.

Also, I want to thank the kind people on this forum who have offered sound advice throughout my first two years. I didn't go to any beekeeping classes and this forum was really the handholder I needed as a beginner. Thank you

Well done. A tribute to learning your craft..

Just a point " my bees seem to be mite free"
The only mite free bees in the UK are in remotest Scotland. Every hive has them and they can multiply very quickly..You need to keep a close watch if you don't treat..

 

[PapaLazarou]

Excellent stuff! It sounds like a successful year. As a wannabe newbee I'm encouraged when I read things like this - it gives me the confidence to go for it.

Cheers!

Patrick.

 

[enrico]

Well done, the third year teaches the art of swapping old frames for new foundation. And learning how to combine hives to stop you having millions!
E

 

[Millet]

Brilliant you still have your bees and you have got some honey from them so that can only be a positive thing, like you i have gone it alone and this forum has saved my sanity on many occasions, not without many ups and down and i have had a rough old ride this year which is my third season with the little devils, now everything has fell into place as planned and what a good feeling of achievement it is when that happens, i like you will no doubt hit a few more hurdles next year and maybe even through this winter, just put your head down and conquer them and good luck for the next season.

 

[Levitt53]

End of second season for me too. I've had 34lb of honey this year. Going into the winter with 3 colonies instead of two. Planning to increase to 5 next year and have already written my shopping list for the sales. My season 3 resolution will be to find my queens early and get them marked as my inability to find them has caused me complications this year. Fun isn't it.

 

[tonel]

The only mite free bees in the UK are in remotest Scotland.

And the Isle of Man

 

[madasafish]

Originally Posted by madasafish
The only mite free bees in the UK are in remotest Scotland.

And the Isle of Man

As the Isle of Man is not part of the UK......

 

[sbisme]

Well done, the third year teaches the art of swapping old frames for new foundation. And learning how to combine hives to stop you having millions!
E

I will agree with that enrico and we'll done Beagle23

 

[tonel]

Originally Posted by madasafish
The only mite free bees in the UK are in remotest Scotland.
As the Isle of Man is not part of the UK......

You're right..caught me out there! That'll teach me to be pedantic

 

[Beagle23]

Well done. A tribute to learning your craft..

Just a point " my bees seem to be mite free"
The only mite free bees in the UK are in remotest Scotland. Every hive has them and they can multiply very quickly..You need to keep a close watch if you don't treat..

You're right, I should have written that they have a very low mite count. I'll certainly be treating them again but with a bit more care this time.

Excellent stuff! It sounds like a successful year. As a wannabe newbee I'm encouraged when I read things like this - it gives me the confidence to go for it.

Cheers!

Patrick.

It seems that most of us newbies have a rough time at first, I was surprised just how much there was to beekeeping, I started out thinking that we just put some bees in a box and hey-presto here's some honey.
Absolutely the best advice I had from these boards was this. Get the best suit that you can and one that allows you to feel confident around the bees, this then allows you time to think through what you're doing at the hive, which in turn allowed me to be more measured and gentle with my bees.

Brilliant you still have your bees and you have got some honey from them so that can only be a positive thing, like you i have gone it alone and this forum has saved my sanity on many occasions, not without many ups and down and i have had a rough old ride this year which is my third season with the little devils, now everything has fell into place as planned and what a good feeling of achievement it is when that happens, i like you will no doubt hit a few more hurdles next year and maybe even through this winter, just put your head down and conquer them and good luck for the next season.

Good luck to you too, we're getting there.

 

[PapaLazarou]

Get the best suit that you can and one that allows you to feel confident around the bees, this then allows you time to think through what you're doing at the hive, which in turn allowed me to be more measured and gentle with my bees.

That's a good point... I'll be having a good look at what's being used when I'm out and about... Last weekend a few of the association guys were in BJ Sherriff stuff which while dear sure looked more secure than the hats/veils and decorators paper overalls we were in...

Potential Christmas pressie I think

 

[tonel]

Good suits are a bit more expensive but well worth it. One thing I also found when I started was that bees really weren't keen on leather gloves, switched to marigolds and it made a big difference during inspections. Still too scared to inspect without gloves though

 

[Poly Hive]

There is nothing important in using or not using gloves. Forget that one.

Beagle your queens will mate with many more than one drone. Usually 15+ so many subsets of workers in the hive.

Good combs make checking for queen cells easier but the little loves delight in tucking them away in obscure crannies so it pays to be through and with time you will come to realise not all combs have to be checked.

My newbies this year all said why are you starting three in not on the first. I said well the first three are all stores I think so to save time I pull the first I think is brood and look at the face of the previous one to check there is no brood and thus save messing with three that will not hae cells on them.

The worst thing about the web is now people seeing a couple of vids and thinking yeah that's like the proverbial log.... NOPE.


PH

 

[Swarm]

That's a good point... I'll be having a good look at what's being used when I'm out and about... Last weekend a few of the association guys were in BJ Sherriff stuff which while dear sure looked more secure than the hats/veils and decorators paper overalls we were in...

Potential Christmas pressie I think

As long as you remember good suits are ones with good, reliable zips and well made, that's all. Bees can still sting through them.

 

[Beefriendly]

Money back if you get stung through the Ozarmour suits (although not the veil!). Heavier than your BB/Sherriff but not noticeable when wearing them and fully ventilated. I've been impressed, although as the weather is cooling, may go back to something a bit warmer now.

 

[Swarm]

I think I'm going to have to lay out for one of those, fed up of the drowned rat look after every inspection.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think I'm going to have to lay out for one of those, fed up of the drowned rat look after every inspection.

Yes don't you just hate that drip into your eyes that you just can't reach

 

[theeggman]

Yes don't you just hate that drip into your eyes that you just can't reach

Are there any other 'spec's' wearers out there who can't see begger all after 5 mins in the "summer".

 

[Millet]

Money back if you get stung through the Ozarmour suits (although not the veil!). Heavier than your BB/Sherriff but not noticeable when wearing them and fully ventilated. I've been impressed, although as the weather is cooling, may go back to something a bit warmer now.

I need to have a chat about those i wear a cheap one at the moment and i am yet to get stung while wearing it but dear lord my skin leaks on a large scale when messing about, i do not care for the odd sting so i would prefare the jacket type if they do a good one and also how to work out the correct size.