Things the books have wrong

[jd101k2000]

I have been bee keeping for just over a year now. I am still a noob, but seem to be finding lots of stuff that the books don't exactly have wrong, but it's not entirely true either. In other words a rule of thumb rather than an article of faith. Here is my provisional list so far:

1) Bees don't go out in the rain.

2) A cast swarm is headed by ONE virgin queen

3) Bees don't go out below 15 degrees Celsius

4) Swarming begins in April

5) Only virgin queens 'pipe'. (I've had a well-mated queen do this. Actually, after this year I have just decided that queens like singing to me. I'm either going to enter them for the local Eisteddfod or Eurovision.)

6) For each hive with a colony you need one an empty one for the swarm. (Just one!)

What have you found to be a half-truth?

 

[enrico]

Another one ....There is such a thing as swarm control!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Newly hived nucs and first year queens don't swarm.

 

[oliver90owner]

You really must read a better quality of book! Those 'facts', without any qualification, are abysmal claims. Not even 'half-truths'. You sure you've not read them on the forum?

 

[Little John]

If by a 'prime swarm' what is meant is "the first swarm of the season headed by the old queen" - then think again - I captured 2 'prime swarms' in late April, both headed by virgins. One got to mate successfully, the other didn't.

The cause, I think, is the clipping of the queen's wings in the erroneous belief that this will stop swarming.

LJ

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

- I captured 2 'prime swarms' in late April, both headed by virgins. LJ

not a prime swarm then?

 

[Finman]

.
Bees are not exact animals.
If you know swarm control system, you may still loose 30%out of your swarms, but not 60% or 100%.

Bees are wild animals and you must know first their natural habits that you understand what are they going to do next. When you are mad on excluders, you will never know, what bees instincts lead them to do.

To understand books via practical work takes years. Years are different and results are various.

However, books are much more usefull than forum writings.

I started with reading book "Modern Beekeeping" printed in 1961
Soon I noticed that it was very old fashion. Those hive types are not in usage in Finland any more.

 

[Finman]

.
Thanks to nature, bees tolerate many kind of beekeepers.

Like beeks use to say: works for me

 

[Finman]

Another one ....There is such a thing as swarm control!

And then very swarmy bees and less swarmy bees, and those which are out of control. 100 stings and control comes into your mind but goes as quickly away.

 

[jd101k2000]

You really must read a better quality of book! Those 'facts', without any qualification, are abysmal claims. Not even 'half-truths'. You sure you've not read them on the forum?

I think you are right - I need to read better books. If I just amalgamated things on this forum I would know that the only way to keep bees is to completely leave them alone, with 30cm of insulation, re-queen every week, douse them with oxalic acid, peppermint oil and icing sugar, feng shui the hive, have matchsticks under the cover boards while singing to them and reading out the obituary column, with one hand in a leather glove and the other one bare. (And bitching about swarm calls to bumble bees.)

I think I was trying to get ideas from people of ideas that they had taken as hard and fast 'rules' that had been softened by their experience with real bees.

The only 'rule' I have found to be true is that the more time I spend with bees the more fascinating they become.

Part of the enjoyment of this forum is finding information from experienced bee keepers - things that go beyond books. One of the challenges is sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Which is the best bee book you have read?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Actually a prime, by definition, is headed by a mated queen.
Afterswarms are casts, whatever their size, from the same hive and have unmated queens
A cast can be big....surely? if they come from a stonking great hive like Finny's.

 

[ijcooper]

If I just amalgamated things on this forum I would know that the only way to keep bees is to completely leave them alone, with 30cm of insulation, re-queen every week, douse them with oxalic acid, peppermint oil and icing sugar, feng shui the hive, have matchsticks under the cover boards while singing to them and reading out the obituary column, with one hand in a leather glove and the other one bare. (And bitching about swarm calls to bumble bees.)

And put your hives on ley lines.

 

[Finman]

.
If the queen wing is cut, prime swarm cannot leave. Then colony wait that new virgins are ready. Actually such swarm has prime & cast bees.

 

[pargyle]

.

However, books are much more usefull than forum writings.

I started with reading book "Modern Beekeeping" printed in 1961
Soon I noticed that it was very old fashion.

I'm not altogether sure about that Finnie ... there has been a vast amount of excellent information and advice found on this forum.... of course, like all sources of information, you have to know enough to start with to weed out the good stuff from the carp ?

And there's some really good 'Old books' and I would never discourage anyone from reading EVERYTHING they can lay their hands on to do with beekeeping - yes, some things change and are no longer relevant, but there's still a good tune played on some old fiddles ? Often better understanding comes from knowing what happened in the past ...

 

[Finman]

I'm not altogether sure about that Finnie ... there has been a vast amount of excellent information and advice found on this forum.... of course, like all sources of information, you have to know enough to start with to weed out the good stuff from the carp ?

And there's some really good 'Old books' and I would never discourage anyone from reading EVERYTHING they can lay their hands on to do with beekeeping - yes, some things change and are no longer relevant, but there's still a good tune played on some old fiddles ? Often better understanding comes from knowing what happened in the past ...

Still I keep my opinion. I m very selective in my readings.

 

[pargyle]

Still I keep my opinion. I m very selective in my readings.

That's a very moderate post ... so what bee book do you recommend ?

 

[Finman]

That's a very moderate post ... so what bee book do you recommend ?

Under 10 years old.

 

[pargyle]

Under 10 years old.

Actually ... there are some VERY BAD bee books that are under ten years old ... I can give you one to start with Beekeeping - A Practical Guide by Roger Patterson published in 2012.

So ... what book specifically under 10 years old floats your boat ?

 

[Finman]

Actually ... there are some VERY BAD bee books that are under ten years old ... I can give you one to start with Beekeeping - A Practical Guide by Roger Patterson published in 2012.

So ... what book specifically under 10 years old floats your boat ?

If they are bad, don't read them. That is what I do.

Last 10 years I have tried to find from internet new reseaches. It depends what is my information need.
i do not need beekeeping books any more.

 

[dpearce4]

this is a good book. Honey by the ton by oliver field

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6aohl6ek47v67e/20130328080714.pdf

enjoy the read, if you have more than one hive .