Warnings, from beginners to beginners

[maddydog]

I use them in honey supers and think them excellent. However an abomination in brood boxes, where I use runners and Hoffman frames, which allow you to move frame sideways, away from next comb, before lifting, so that you do not roll bees.

 

[Uncle Betty]

Don't leave your note-taking until you get back indoors, or until later at all. Do it there and then. When you close up, a puff of smoke to the next one along. While it's taking effect, you can get plenty jotted down.

Don't open the hive next time until you've checked those notes first.

Don't open the hive without a purpose, just to peek.

Don't procrastinate.

Get some basic woodworking skills if you don't have them.

Don't get carried away by success, or despondent by failure. Just learn from it all, just enjoy it. It's supposed to be fun.

 

[MartinL]

. . . . walked off waving my arms and smoking myself to shoo the bees away. One followed me almost to the car...

Probably the waving of arms that made them follow so far!

. . . . It doesn't matter how many years of experience you have, you will still make mistakes. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar!

Experience is what "Experienced" people call their mistakes!

 

[Fatbee]

Don't try and persevere with aggressive bees. Just not worth it - although with local open mating easier said than done!

 

[Sadders]

Read, read, read - Unfortunately your bees won't have read the same material as you and will make their own mind up as what to do.

 

[mintmoth]

If grass or weeds have grown up against the hive entrance, check first before grabbing a handful and pulling it off. There may be bees walking up those stalks who will let you know how much they don't appreciate being squeezed....

 

[Nige.Coll]

Always have your spare kit ready, bees won't wait.

Bees without a queen won't swarm.

Records, records, records. They are worth their weight in gold.

Don't put foundation in 9 or 10 frame supers unless you like brace comb.

If you wait for OSR honey to be fully capped your too late forget it.

If you want to warm jars of honey the dishwasher works fine. Just don't label them first.

Bees don't give a monkeys what YOUR plans are.

 

[Eyeman]

Always have your spare kit ready, bees won't wait.

Bees without a queen won't swarm.

Records, records, records. They are worth their weight in gold.

Don't put foundation in 9 or 10 frame supers unless you like brace comb.

If you wait for OSR honey to be fully capped your too late forget it.

If you want to warm jars of honey the dishwasher works fine. Just don't label them first.

Bees don't give a monkeys what YOUR plans are.

Bees without a queen won't swarm.

What about cast swarms!

 

[Nige.Coll]

Bees without a queen won't swarm.

What about cast swarms!

Do you want to think about that for a while ?

 

[Millet]

Bees without a queen won't swarm.



Do you want to think about that for a while ?

That is where i go wrong at times when i do not read things properly

 

[Nige.Coll]

That is where i go wrong at times when i do not read things properly

We've all done it

 

[enrico]

Bees without a queen won't swarm.



Do you want to think about that for a while ?

 

[Zante]

Never go to the apiary with a lighter.
Always take at least two. Eventually one will fail and you'll have the other(s), but always test them, or even better use them in turns, or you might find yourself with two that fail!
Also, when one does fail, replace it immediately, don't "I'll get one tomorrow evening when I take the missus out" or something like that, or chances are you won't.

 

[B+.]

Always take at least two.

Something tells me your lighter failed.

It's always the painful lessons that we remember most. That makes me question the whole premise of the beginners forum (or, at least, this thread). If you have to "feel the pain" to learn the lesson, are beginners actually learning from these comments, or, are we wasting our time?

 

[Zante]

Fortunately not. I just needed to open the top and check whether the top super had been filled. It hadn't, so I closed the hive again and took the new supers back to the shed. Even without the smoker I had only about three bees that followed me only halfway to the shed.

Had I needed to do anything less quick or more invasive I would have driven home to get a working lighter.

I just thought I'd bring it up since it's a mistake I made that can be avoided quite simply. I took a calculated risk, but I surely won't do that again.

 

[PapaLazarou]

What a great thread!

Lots of great stuff here for a newbie...

 

[enrico]

As you've reserected this one, don't forget all you first year beekeepers that next year will be different. All those beautiful flat combs will be wavy and have holes through them, they will be turning black and covered in propolis. They will be packed full of more bees than you thought possible and if you didn't see queen cells this year you sure as hell will next year!
Don't be too quick to make your first inspection. Just leave them alone till then.
Oh.... And we'll done form getting through your first year
Last thing, don't leave your gloves in the shed, the mice will eat the ends of the fingers out, they did with mine!
E

 

[madasafish]

Last thing, don't leave your gloves in the shed, the mice will eat the ends of the fingers out, they did with mine!
E

Solve that by going gloveless.. you will soon build up an immunity to bee venom...which is very useful when you are stung 20 times at once---(it does happen)

 

[enrico]

Solve that by going gloveless.. you will soon build up an immunity to bee venom...which is very useful when you are stung 20 times at once---(it does happen)

Correction... Don't put your hands down in the shed or the mice will bite your fingers!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last thing, don't leave your gloves in the shed, the mice will eat the ends of the fingers out, they did with mine!
E

Or your suit