Seeking Mentor - Yorkshire

[YHB]

Hi all,

Seeking a mentor in the South Yorkshire / Yorkshire area.

I only started beekeeping in June.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Hi all,

Seeking a mentor in the South Yorkshire / Yorkshire area.

I only started beekeeping in June.

That's a bloody big area. It would help if you narrow it down to the nearest town

 

[YHB]

I live in Doncaster, but not worried about the mentor being in my Town.

Ideally looking for someone who can advise for the general area

 

[masterBK]

Have you considered contacting Doncaster BKA. They run classes and should be able to find you a mentor in your part of Donnie. Contact can be made via [email protected] alternatively the secretary Chris can be contacted via
[email protected]

 

[YHB]

Hi thanks,

I am a member of Doncaster BKA. But sadly at the moment no mentors are available. I have a Bee buddy, but really looking for a mentor.

 

[buzz lightyear]

Hi YBH, I'm the Chair of Doncaster BKA. One to One support is very difficult at the moment, as you will understand. This is why we have been holding virtual get together's via zoom, to offer support. When we can meet up again things will change and closer mentorship should be possib;e. in the meantime, if i can be of any help PM me or send a message via Doncasterbees@outlook,com and our sec will pass your details on to me,
Dave

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I live in Doncaster, but not worried about the mentor being in my Town.

Ideally looking for someone who can advise for the general area

I mentor a friend who is located in Sykehouse not a million miles from you. She's a member of Selby bka but currently they are under covid restrictions. There's nothing you could usefully gain from a mentor for a few weeks so best advice at the moment is try to join in zoom sessions as the Doncaster members have mentioned and let's hope the restrictions are relaxed in time for first inspections in the spring at least sufficient to permit masked/social distance tutoring .
You mentioned starting beekeeping in June, what equipment/bees have you amassed so far?

 

[YHB]

Hi,

Sounds good, I do attend the zoom meetings on a regular basis.

Really looking for someone I can meet at the hive to help me move forward, by showing me how to catch and Mark queens, check for disease, show me how to graft etc.

So far I have three hives, I started with a swarm, then bought a Nuc from a local breeder and finally bought a Nuc from a local beekeeper late in the season.

Currently looking to follow Ian Steppler’s process this year and have been reading articles by Randy Oliver that explains the build up and decline of the colony over a year.

 

[Boston Bees]

Really looking for someone I can meet at the hive to help me move forward, by showing me how to catch and Mark queens, check for disease, show me how to graft etc.

So far I have three hives, I started with a swarm, then bought a Nuc from a local breeder and finally bought a Nuc from a local beekeeper late in the season.

Currently looking to follow Ian Steppler’s process this year and have been reading articles by Randy Oliver that explains the build up and decline of the colony over a year.

Re grafting etc, slooooooow down. You are in year one of beekeeping. The only things you need to learn in the first three years are:

a) "How do I not kill my bees by doing something stupid" and
b) "How do I stop my bees from swarming themselves to oblivion".

After that, you can start to play around with grafting etc. I don't mean this as discouragement, just want to set your expectations.

 

[YHB]

Totally agree, my plan is to understand grafting this year and the timelines etc.

Don’t start to plan grafting myself until 2022.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Some of us never graft although I confess to budding the occasional Pear tree.

 

[Boston Bees]

Some of us never graft although I confess to budding the occasional Pear tree.

Indeed. I never have and never will I suspect.

 

[Walter]

Agree with the grafting comment, knowledge and experience are both great tools but both are best used wisely.

I'm in the local area, feel free to message me and we can talk: [email protected]

 

[ericbeaumont]

Currently looking to follow Ian Steppler’s process this year and have been reading articles by Randy Oliver

Have you a copy of the Haynes Bee Manual? Best beginner book for your first three years.
Sign up to The Apiarist blog, use the Dave Cushman A-Z for info. and the Norfolk Honey Company for practical videos.

Boston Bees gave sound advice: beekeeping is a long game, so digest it slowly and get the basics right: understand swarming and have a plan, understand varroa and learn to overwinter with success.

Your best mentors will be the mistakes you make and the bees you manage, so by all means take on board human advice which means well and may be sound, but use your experiences and observations to make your own decisions. In this way you will learn quicker and with greater satisfaction and confidence than if you follow the methods of another.

 

[YHB]

Thanks, I do have the Haynes manual. I got it for Christmas. So far I’ve read the BBKA book, beekeeping for dummies and some of the Rob Manley book.

I will try the apiarist blog.

So far I follow the Norfolk Honey Company, No nonsense Beekeeping, Gwenyn Gruffydd, IN Steppler, Richard Noel, Bob Binnie and Jeff Horchoff.

Pretty much been binge watching beekeeping videos since last May.

I have written my integrated pest management plan for 2021. I plan to undertake both passive varroa count using the corex sticky boards and undertake active count with an alcohol wash. I have also planned to replace one of my brood frames with a super to allow me to undertake drone uncapping and removal.

Also just recently replaced my GASVAP with a sublimox as I didn’t think was working properly. The GASVAP was either to cold or to hot.

Also planning to use thymovar for my poly hive instead of three OA Sub treatments.

I have decided to use the Bob Binnie double screen board method for my swarm control abs vertical splits this year.

This is my first winter and hoping I will be fine, my two wooden Nationals are on a brood and a half with my poly on a single brood box. I treated them on Friday and they’ve hardly touched the fondant I placed out on the 5/12.

I have a glass quilt on one and it seems they still have a lot of stores in the super.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Have you a copy of the Haynes Bee Manual? Best beginner book for your first three years.
Sign up to The Apiarist blog, use the Dave Cushman A-Z for info. and the Norfolk Honey Company for practical videos.

Boston Bees gave sound advice: beekeeping is a long game, so digest it slowly and get the basics right: understand swarming and have a plan, understand varroa and learn to overwinter with success.

Your best mentors will be the mistakes you make and the bees you manage, so by all means take on board human advice which means well and may be sound, but use your experiences and observations to make your own decisions. In this way you will learn quicker and with greater satisfaction and confidence than if you follow the methods of another.

I'd add that you may (nay WILL) be given conflicting advice by different Beekeepers. The trick to successful learning is to use logic and scientific rigour to separate the wheat from the chaff. Once you find a competent mentor try not to be swayed down the dark paths by well meaning ignorance.

 

[YHB]

Thanks,

I'd add that you may (nay WILL) be given conflicting advice by different Beekeepers. The trick to successful learning is to use logic and scientific rigour to separate the wheat from the chaff. Once you find a competent mentor try not to be swayed down the dark paths by well meaning ignorance.

Thanks, I always try to take in multiple sources for the same thing.

I prefer to make my own decision in the end, that way I can’t be mad at anyone but myself.

 

[hemo]

Drone uncapping kills off vital mating drones, if they come from a colorny with good traits then there loss may be more detrimental.
For the alcohol wash consider a different tack and carry out a sugar roll on the cup of bees instead, that way they can return to the colony alive.
Sometimes one can do to much reading early on and to understand or take in the good from the not so good.

 

[Boston Bees]

Thanks, I do have the Haynes manual. I got it for Christmas. So far I’ve read the BBKA book, beekeeping for dummies and some of the Rob Manley book.

I will try the apiarist blog.

So far I follow the Norfolk Honey Company, No nonsense Beekeeping, Gwenyn Gruffydd, IN Steppler, Richard Noel, Bob Binnie and Jeff Horchoff.

Pretty much been binge watching beekeeping videos since last May.

I have written my integrated pest management plan for 2021. I plan to undertake both passive varroa count using the corex sticky boards and undertake active count with an alcohol wash. I have also planned to replace one of my brood frames with a super to allow me to undertake drone uncapping and removal.

Also just recently replaced my GASVAP with a sublimox as I didn’t think was working properly. The GASVAP was either to cold or to hot.

Also planning to use thymovar for my poly hive instead of three OA Sub treatments.

I have decided to use the Bob Binnie double screen board method for my swarm control abs vertical splits this year.

This is my first winter and hoping I will be fine, my two wooden Nationals are on a brood and a half with my poly on a single brood box. I treated them on Friday and they’ve hardly touched the fondant I placed out on the 5/12.

I have a glass quilt on one and it seems they still have a lot of stores in the super.

Ahh, beekeeping in the age of YouTube

It's good you have a plan for IPM, splitting etc.

In reality, none of these things will work out how you currently think they will, and in 12 months you will have dumped those approaches and tried 2 or 3 others, but that's the joy of beekeeping.

Welcome to the madhouse

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So far I’ve read the BBKA book,

Try and forget as much of that as possible - stick with Haynes, ROB Manley's books are great, a bit dated now but gives a good insight on how things used to be done

So far I’ve read the BBKA book,
I have written my integrated pest management plan for 2021. I have also planned to replace one of my brood frames with a super to allow me to undertake drone uncapping and removal.

Forget drone culling, as Hemo says - detrimental as it affects the healthy drone population which is essential for the continuation of a good and varied genetic mix, it also has very little effect on the mite population, maybe having a beneficial effect lasting as much as ten minutes.