so what's your secret to successful beekeeping

[newportbuzz]

still have to build the bird box/table tho dont you.

 

[Ely]

still have to build the bird box/table tho dont you.

No. You don't have to. Can do certainly.

 

[Walrus]

If you produce the right number of bees of the right age and in the right condition, and are in the right place at the right time, you will be successful

(Dr Hachiro Shimanuki)

 

[Goran]

If you produce the right number of bees of the right age and in the right condition, and are in the right place at the right time, you will be successful

(Dr Hachiro Shimanuki)

This sounds like giving advice without advice. Like: if You get lot of money You will be rich

For me preparations for the current season start in August of previous year. I think there is no great wisdom, there are lot of literature of beekeeping which should be read with understanding and then implement in practice. Like in all: theory and practice. Combinations/variations of implementing theory in practice are numerous due to many factors which determine certain situation and it is your responsibility or joy to decide right way of action. This will be with greater result as You grow as beekeeper ( knowledge and practice), I know that I will never learn all about beekeeping but I don't mind..

 

[davidchevell]

Always consider why you are going into a hive and when there never do anything until you are happy you have covered all the possibilities

 

[beeno]

If you produce the right number of bees of the right age and in the right condition, and are in the right place at the right time, you will be successful

(Dr Hachiro Shimanuki)

Therein lies the mastery!

 

[newportbuzz]

preperation i think is the key for me.
i was framing up at xmas. painting boxes in october and assembeling boxes as the varroa treatments were on.

and an understanding wife.

i find it helps to be unafraid to expand and then combine later on.

also a fairly deep pocket helps at the beginning from then its about prioritizing what you want to buy with your honey/nuc money

 

[lukestew]

You need a better gene pool obviously your own queens are not the best by the sound of things. When a colony dies do you investigate the root of the cause


I have tried to suss out what happened and ive not come up with anything conclusive. possibly varroa related or could be Nosema. personally i think its just bad luck?

 

[lukestew]

interesting

So get some productive well bred bees.... thats easier said than done. My lovely productive gentle bees have all died. So what i have left is grumpy swarmy bees (but they must at least be somewhat resistant to varroa disease etc). Do i keep going with those or what about buying queens and starting afresh. Is Buckfast a good starting point? ive had italians and carnolians and not been too impressed

 

[dpearce4]

So get some productive well bred bees.... thats easier said than done. My lovely productive gentle bees have all died. So what i have left is grumpy swarmy bees (but they must at least be somewhat resistant to varroa disease etc). Do i keep going with those or what about buying queens and starting afresh. Is Buckfast a good starting point? ive had italians and carnolians and not been too impressed

don't just buy queens willy-nilly, make an informed judgement, where u keep your bees, how you keep them also makes a huge impact on them and you and other beekeepers.

having read your first post I think u need to decide on your priorities. You need to look after your bees, you need to spend time with them, if you don't have the time then have less until you have the time for more, don't just waste money buying bees and then let them keep dying.

 

[Eyeman]

Hi Lukestew
I made a similar post a few years ago. I think it went can you still enjoy your summer holidays and still keep bees?
I sympathise with your situation. At least you have insight into you dilemma of juggling day to day life with the hobby of beekeeping. My fundamentally important manipulations each year which I feel result in healthy, calm and productive bees are (in no particular order):
1. Take supers off end of Aug and treat with apiguard. When I have delayed treatment because of a good late balsam flow the bees have not come through winter well
2. A winter and early spring feed of thymolated syrup. Perhaps not needed after the apiguard in winter but no fermented stores, ? Improved varroa control and ??? No nosema. They have done well over 7/8 years so who knows if it works
3. Clipping & marking all queens in spring. Early AS at first signs of QC's with larvae. I carry with me a number of 6 frame nucs to out-apiaries so that I can get the queen out early and not worry about having extra equipment at hand. My main problem with AS in past was finding queen so having her marked and getting her out at first signs of swarm prep makes it easier. My view is the longer you leave the queen in the hive making swarm prep the more she shrinks and more elusive she gets.
4. Oxalic wash when no brood (all newly prepared nucs, swarms) and around new year in all colonies. I don't routinely check for varroa- what a confession!!
5. All brood boxes have a reduced size frame ( ie super frame in national or national frame in 14x12) for monthly drone culling from April till Aug. This is a simple way to try and keep varroa numbers down.
6. Like you, I breed my own queens from colonies that have the usual ideal characteristics. I also leave the drone culling comb un-culled in a colony which it's mother was ideal. I see a lot of apiary vicinity mating around my colonies so I think my drones are equally important. - basic record keeping is the key to choosing the right colonies.
7. Get rid of old brood comb. I'm not very good at doing this.

So most of the above is pretty easy to do but like you it's frightening how day to day life can distract you.
Things I don't do:
1. Open a colony up without a reason. I stop swarm inspections around mid July and only top up supers.
2. Worry about doing an AS. I'm alway prepared with a few nucs to get the queen out if I'm at an out apiary, then go back within a couple of days with an empty brood box. I can't store any equipment at my out apiaries.
3. Count varroa mites. My floors are all basic home made jobbies which don't allow mite drop counting.
4. Use icing sugar dusting . I used to do this in the past but feel oxalic acid to all newly formed nuc when brood emerged and new queen's brood hasn't been capped is the best.
5. Change my practice unless I'm certain it's going to make a difference.
6. Let beekeeping interfere with having a full life. Beekeeping can exist alongside other pastimes, holidays etc etc.
Alec

 

[BeeJayBee]

having read your first post I think u need to decide on your priorities. You need to look after your bees, you need to spend time with them, if you don't have the time then have less until you have the time for more, don't just waste money buying bees and then let them keep dying.

I'm tempted to agree with dpearce. I think you probably do too, otherwise you wouldn't have asked the question. You've been a successful beekeeper in the past, so you actually know what they need. I think you're trying to work out what's the minimum, because you've said, "i dont really give the bees the time they need".

There are 'hands off' beekeepers, who put bees in a box of some sort and that's it. All they do is look at the front from time to time, and say to themselves, "I've got bees." It doesn't make them a beekeeper, because they aren't monitoring their livestock's health - if somebody did that for sheep, cattle, a cat or a dog they'd be called irresponsible - but you're not like that because you're asking for advice.

Bees need to have a warm dry home that's big enough for the type of bee - some are prolific, do best in big hives, are prone to swarming - but you already know that.

Your bees need to be kept healthy by whatever means you choose - free of disease and as free from varroa as possible. (If your bees are within reach of heather then August varroa treatment might be too early if you want the crop, especially if you're near the south coast.)

Unless you live in the middle of nowhere you need to have some sort of swarm control system, otherwise your neighbours will lose patience. You'll need to either sell, give away, or re-combine excess colonies.

The beekeeper needs some sort of satisfaction from keeping bees - this might simply be keeping a colony alive from one year to the next; it might be having enough honey crop to be able to sell some. If it's a chore, then it isn't fun.

Work out how much time you can give and limit your colony numbers to what you can look after with without too much stress. Keep all your spare equipment, because you'll be back to higher numbers of colonies before you know it and prices won't come down!

Failing all that you could stop keeping bees altogether for a while, maybe keep your hand in by helping new beekeepers at the local BKA, and get back to it when you've got more time.

 

[Chris Luck]

I leave them alone as much as possible, rarely need to interfere and can make most judgements by external observation, maybe a peep in the BB without removing frames and only then if required a closer look.

I never ever use any treatments either artificial or so called natural.

Basically I don't play with them.

Being able to do something doesn't mean you have to.

My problem is always having too many bees to the point where I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of the lot if I could find a buyer but there aren't many people wanting to buy bees anymore, over supply.

Chris

 

[lukestew]

don't just buy queens willy-nilly, make an informed judgement, where u keep your bees, how you keep them also makes a huge impact on them and you and other beekeepers.


i thought thats what i was trying to do ? im asking for some advice from people who have experience of different kinds of bees

having read your first post I think u need to decide on your priorities. You need to look after your bees, you need to spend time with them, if you don't have the time then have less until you have the time for more, don't just waste money buying bees and then let them keep dying.

ok thanks

 

[lukestew]

Hi Lukestew
I made a similar post a few years ago. I think it went can you still enjoy your summer holidays and still keep bees?
I sympathise with your situation. At least you have insight into you dilemma of juggling day to day life with the hobby of beekeeping. My fundamentally important manipulations each year which I feel result in healthy, calm and productive bees are (in no particular order):
1. Take supers off end of Aug and treat with apiguard. When I have delayed treatment because of a good late balsam flow the bees have not come through winter well
2. A winter and early spring feed of thymolated syrup. Perhaps not needed after the apiguard in winter but no fermented stores, ? Improved varroa control and ??? No nosema. They have done well over 7/8 years so who knows if it works
3. Clipping & marking all queens in spring. Early AS at first signs of QC's with larvae. I carry with me a number of 6 frame nucs to out-apiaries so that I can get the queen out early and not worry about having extra equipment at hand. My main problem with AS in past was finding queen so having her marked and getting her out at first signs of swarm prep makes it easier. My view is the longer you leave the queen in the hive making swarm prep the more she shrinks and more elusive she gets.
4. Oxalic wash when no brood (all newly prepared nucs, swarms) and around new year in all colonies. I don't routinely check for varroa- what a confession!!
5. All brood boxes have a reduced size frame ( ie super frame in national or national frame in 14x12) for monthly drone culling from April till Aug. This is a simple way to try and keep varroa numbers down.
6. Like you, I breed my own queens from colonies that have the usual ideal characteristics. I also leave the drone culling comb un-culled in a colony which it's mother was ideal. I see a lot of apiary vicinity mating around my colonies so I think my drones are equally important. - basic record keeping is the key to choosing the right colonies.
7. Get rid of old brood comb. I'm not very good at doing this.

So most of the above is pretty easy to do but like you it's frightening how day to day life can distract you.
Things I don't do:
1. Open a colony up without a reason. I stop swarm inspections around mid July and only top up supers.
2. Worry about doing an AS. I'm alway prepared with a few nucs to get the queen out if I'm at an out apiary, then go back within a couple of days with an empty brood box. I can't store any equipment at my out apiaries.
3. Count varroa mites. My floors are all basic home made jobbies which don't allow mite drop counting.
4. Use icing sugar dusting . I used to do this in the past but feel oxalic acid to all newly formed nuc when brood emerged and new queen's brood hasn't been capped is the best.
5. Change my practice unless I'm certain it's going to make a difference.
6. Let beekeeping interfere with having a full life. Beekeeping can exist alongside other pastimes, holidays etc etc.
Alec

this is great thanks ...some good ideas. cheers L

 

[lukestew]

I'm tempted to agree with dpearce. I think you probably do too, otherwise you wouldn't have asked the question. You've been a successful beekeeper in the past, so you actually know what they need. I think you're trying to work out what's the minimum, because you've said, "i dont really give the bees the time they need".




There are 'hands off' beekeepers, who put bees in a box of some sort and that's it. All they do is look at the front from time to time, and say to themselves, "I've got bees." It doesn't make them a beekeeper, because they aren't monitoring their livestock's health - if somebody did that for sheep, cattle, a cat or a dog they'd be called irresponsible - but you're not like that because you're asking for advice.

Bees need to have a warm dry home that's big enough for the type of bee - some are prolific, do best in big hives, are prone to swarming - but you already know that.

Your bees need to be kept healthy by whatever means you choose - free of disease and as free from varroa as possible. (If your bees are within reach of heather then August varroa treatment might be too early if you want the crop, especially if you're near the south coast.)

Unless you live in the middle of nowhere you need to have some sort of swarm control system, otherwise your neighbours will lose patience. You'll need to either sell, give away, or re-combine excess colonies.

The beekeeper needs some sort of satisfaction from keeping bees - this might simply be keeping a colony alive from one year to the next; it might be having enough honey crop to be able to sell some. If it's a chore, then it isn't fun.

Work out how much time you can give and limit your colony numbers to what you can look after with without too much stress. Keep all your spare equipment, because you'll be back to higher numbers of colonies before you know it and prices won't come down!

Failing all that you could stop keeping bees altogether for a while, maybe keep your hand in by helping new beekeepers at the local BKA, and get back to it when you've got more time.

I was really involved with the BKA (Worthing) who were great but cannot go very often.
this is great thanks ...some good ideas. cheers L

 

[lukestew]

I leave them alone as much as possible, rarely need to interfere and can make most judgements by external observation, maybe a peep in the BB without removing frames and only then if required a closer look.

I never ever use any treatments either artificial or so called natural.

Basically I don't play with them.

Being able to do something doesn't mean you have to.

My problem is always having too many bees to the point where I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of the lot if I could find a buyer but there aren't many people wanting to buy bees anymore, over supply.

Chris

not sure this is the case in the uk ....theres a massive demand for bees especially in the south where i am.

 

[Chris Luck]

Someone is missing a trick then because although rather stating the obvious creating colonies is a piece of piss or is this dependent on so many people killing them?

Chris

 

[Little John]

Someone is missing a trick then because although rather stating the obvious creating colonies is a piece of piss or is this dependent on so many people killing them?

Chris

From The Native Irish Honey Bee Society:

"Heavy Winter losses in England. June 13, 2013"

"Third of all honeybee colonies in England did not survive winter. British Beekeepers Association attributes worst losses since survey began to washout summer leading to long winter, exacerbated by late spring."

'Piece of piss" ? - try getting your queens mated with our British weather, other than in an exceptional year (like this one promises to be). I think you'll find that's why the demand exists, why prices are high, and why people keep importing queens.

Wasn't there a commercial bloke last year, somewhere in the UK, who had to import 100's of colonies from mainland Europe after sustaining mega-losses, 'cause there wasn't a UK supplier ?

 

[Little John]

In response to the original question, "what's the secret ?", I think the answer is that there is no secret: simply learn the craft, pay attention to detail, and so on ... and then gain experience.
But that's not exactly a secret.