starting off

[jonnybeegood]

Its funny how you don't find out how much equipment you need until your first year is over, no books tell you what you will end up needing, it just seems to take off, so for anyone thinking of starting off next year, take note- I started in May with 2 packages of bees, I now have 3 full hives doing well with 4 spare supers for each, I have one spare hive with 4 supers. I also have 3 nucs doing well with bees, with 4 spare nucs, including all the frames for each as well as loads of spare frames & spare foundation. On top of this theres all the other equipment, suit, smoker, extractor, Beekeeping books, tools e.t.c. fondant, syrup, as well as needing room to store all this. I dread to think how much I have spent this year! All worth it though, I am loving it! but I wish someone had told me this before I started, not because I wouldn't have started, but because I have spent lots on postage delivery, because I have bought in dribs & drabs. If you are going to start, work out what you need & buy most of it in one go once you know it is right for you.

 

[MikeT]

I was in the same position this year, but I did have some equipment from my last time in bees, extractor, honey tanks, jars and other processing stuff, only one hive, in which I put a nuc. Since then I have bought 2 further hives, 2 colonies and a nuc box. But I have not enough supers and need to buy frames and wax.

I will be making at least 10 supers, a couple of BBs and some more nucs.

I have spent in the region of £500 this year, which I consider cheap for 3 colonies 2 extra hives including frames and foundation and a nuc box.

Not so expensive as my Highland cow enterprise!!

 

[enrico]

I have been keeping bees for many years. This year was exceptional in my experience. I ran out of all the kit I had. I ended up buying loads more in despite all the gear I already had! Please don't expect it to be like that every year! I have sold more honey this year than in the last 25 put together!
Write about this year in your beekeeping diary and look back on it in ' bad' years!
Keep smiling
E

 

[Arfermo]

I have been keeping bees for many years. This year was exceptional in my experience. I ran out of all the kit I had. I ended up buying loads more in despite all the gear I already had! Please don't expect it to be like that every year! I have sold more honey this year than in the last 25 put together!
Write about this year in your beekeeping diary and look back on it in ' bad' years!
Keep smiling
E

As Beecraft noted this month, many beekeepers had a poor year due to swarminess and supercedure tendencies I was one such (75lb from 5 hives). Worst ever. Sorry for us poor sods yet?

 

[Davelin]

As Beecraft noted this month, many beekeepers had a poor year due to swarminess and supercedure tendencies I was one such (75lb from 5 hives). Worst ever. Sorry for us poor sods yet?

Our hearts bleed!!

My best year by far just to rub it in.

 

[Hivemaker.]

As Beecraft noted this month, many beekeepers had a poor year due to swarminess and supercedure tendencies

If these were the only problems then they are easily sorted.

 

[REDWOOD]

Supercedure should not have affected honey production! Swarming bees it their own fault, who writes this stuff

 

[jonnybeegood]

I guess I missed the best year ever then with just starting off in it, at least my bees have had a good start & my hives are well stocked for winter as I didn't take any. heres hoping next year is as good!

 

[MikeT]

My only intention this year was to build up a strong colony for next year. I missed the OSR and bean flows, but I had the good fortue of having a late October flow of mustard and radish within 100 yds of the hive. I took off one super of rather strong fast setting honey. They drew out and filled another super in a week. I should have taken this as the foundation was drone and I left it on the hive which has caused me problems. See my Post "Have I made a mistake".

 

[itma]

... I started in May with 2 packages of bees, I now have 3 full hives doing well with 4 spare supers for each, ... I also have 3 nucs doing well with bees, …

I'm going to suggest that you need to be practising recombining after (artificial swarm) dividing!

For which you need to keep a spare brood box …

 

[REDWOOD]

All sustainable beekeeping includes nucs, you might loose one or two hives over winter and your nucs will keep your stock numbers up, nucs are also what they call bee bombs, colonies struggling are given a frame or two of brood to increase nurse bees and the hive just takes off.
A standard brood box can be split into two nucs with a dividing board, an extra strip on your crown board and a modified floor with the two entrances facing in opposite directions to stop drifting. The advantage of this is the two colonies heat each other (something like terraced houses), you can also do this with mini nucs with four together or stack them vertically or put them on top of your normal hives.
If you go down the road of uniting you can take a nuc off the unit and keep the queen you were going to dispose of for insurance purposes

Just a few options to consider for the future