what are the main problems or challenges faced in beekeeping?

[tunisian beekeeper]

Hello, I'm a new beekeeper and I often read reviews and articles showing number of troubles faced by beekeepers like: profitability, beehive’s management, security, Honey branding, traceability .. which makes a little hard, right? what should I expect? thank you.

 

[For want of a better word]

Hello, I'm a new beekeeper and I often read reviews and articles showing number of troubles faced by beekeepers like: profitability, beehive’s management, security, Honey branding, traceability .. which makes a little hard, right? what should I expect? thank you.

Keep your expectations low... and pray a lot!
Chons da

 

[coffindodger]

Hello, I'm a new beekeeper and I often read reviews and articles showing number of troubles faced by beekeepers like: profitability, beehive’s management, security, Honey branding, traceability .. which makes a little hard, right? what should I expect? thank you.

Hi,
Being in Tunisia you need to try and find more local beekeepers who have knowledge of local problems and legal requirements. Conditions in the UK are very different as are costs, markets, legislation and opportunities.
That said, there are good blogs and forums which give sound scientific help with disease, management etc and , apart from this one, I'd suggest: scientificbeekeeping.com, HoneyBeeSuite.com, and Bee Life for Count all of which are good at answering questions.
Here's to your having a good, profitable and enjoyable life as a beekeeper.

 

[ASPIRERITE]

Expect to lose 50% of your hives each year minimum until you know how to properly keep them from dying out from a list of problems you need to research. If you do no research expect to lose them all and buy a few nucleus hives next year

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Expect to lose 50% of your hives each year minimum until you know how to properly keep them from dying out from a list of problems you need to research. If you do no research expect to lose them all and buy a few nucleus hives next year

That's possible but I suspect over pessimistic. Bees have survived without beekeepers for millennia. You're most likely going to have problems with temperature effects in your location. There was a discussion about hives in the middle East a while ago. If you search it out you might get some useful information.

 

[enrico]

It is all common sense. It's just that some people have none so others try and put it in to writing!!
E

 

[madasafish]

Like most things in life the harder you work the luckier you get if you work using knowledge..

So learn as much as you can ..

 

[Julie in Ash]

I spent a decade at least feeling totally overwhelmed by all the things I felt I needed to learn before getting bees. It stopped me from taking the plunge for way too long. I am ready to go now having realised I could never learn it all, but I could learn enough so as not to be a disaster zone. I have set myself a fewreasonable goals for my first year - avoid doing anything which might harm the wider local bee community, and try to bring one hive through the winter. I don’t know whether I will achieve this, but I‘ve found my local beekeepers to be very supportive. It’s in their interests as well as mine that my bees remain healthy, and I can do my bit to help them by making sure my bee stocks are populated with calm bees, as my drones will be mating with their virgin queens. So you see , there is a symbiotic thing. Beekeepers stick together ( or they should!). I haven’t even started to think about honey! But when the time comes I know where to find out. And I was very proud of myself yesterday at the association apiary. I was handed a frame and asked what I thought. I saw one or two patches of something not quick right. Turned out to be bald brood. So I can spot problems, which I wouldn’t have felt confident about a year ago. Hook up with your local club. They want you to be successful, they need the local area bee population healthy and safe. They want you in the grid!

 

[thibault]

English weather, so you are fine

Sent from my SM-J710F using Tapatalk

 

[BernardBlack]

I’m 3 years in. Other than your costs, some problems I’ve come across:

Extreme Weather
Swarming
Mice
Snails
Varroa
Queen not laying/not mated properly
Wasps
Ants
Mouldy comb
Losing hives
Nosema
Deformed Wing
Squashing Q cell (accidentally of course)
Smoker going out mid-inspection
Going near the hive without a beesuit
Damp

I’m sure most people have experienced similar

Once you experience something once you tend to remember it, then do It differently next time.

 

[Dariusz]

yeppp
agree about no bee suit by hive,naive?how many times those beautifully betrayed me ����
onother if you works without gloves ,be sure your sleeve are very tight in wrist bands,
last time i make this misteake they happily get in my sleeves from frames,was funny until just one(trigger)bee accidentally been squeezed,oooo man�������� domino effect

 

[Curly green fingers]

No bee suite is fine as long as you don't get in there flight path , maybe I'm getting a bit keen.although the last orientation flights I stood to the left of one hive and had bees landing on me then taking off no stings .
The only time I've been stung not wearing a suite was being stood next to a Q- hive he says with confidence come the weekend that might be different.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

My main problem was stopping bees taking up my thought processes all my waking hours and worrying about them in my sleep.
Also trying to work out how any old bits of trash, that should be chucked out, could be useful in beekeeping....

 

[ASPIRERITE]

That's possible but I suspect over pessimistic. Bees have survived without beekeepers for millennia. You're most likely going to have problems with temperature effects in your location. There was a discussion about hives in the middle East a while ago. If you search it out you might get some useful information.

Depends on how many hives he has and the problems he gets. losing 100% of two hives is highly probable

 

[BernardBlack]

Also trying to work out how any old bits of trash, that should be chucked out, could be useful in beekeeping....

Can you give us any examples? Could come in handy

 

[BernardBlack]

I’m 3 years in. Other than your costs, some problems I’ve come across:

Extreme Weather
Swarming
Mice
Snails
Varroa
Queen not laying/not mated properly
Wasps
Ants
Mouldy comb
Losing hives
Nosema
Deformed Wing
Squashing Q cell (accidentally of course)
Smoker going out mid-inspection
Going near the hive without a beesuit
Damp

I’m sure most people have experienced similar

Once you experience something once you tend to remember it, then do It differently next time.

I need to add “going near the hive without gloves”. Donned the beesuit, thought I’d be ok without gloves.

That’d be a ‘no’.

Forever learning at this game.

 

[ShinySideUp]

Hello, I'm a new beekeeper and I often read reviews and articles showing number of troubles faced by beekeepers like: profitability, beehive’s management, security, Honey branding, traceability .. which makes a little hard, right? what should I expect? thank you.

These are your concerns? Oh dear, you have so much to learn.