What are your Beekeeping plans for this year.

[BKF Admin]

As things will soon be getting busy what are your plans for this year.

Do you plan to expand? by how many hives?
Have you started to build new frames or hives?

I am just finishing 5 hives I have built from reclaimed timber(cedar and douglas fir).

I still have a few frames to build(I dont like to say how many as its a lot)still I should be a radio 4 expert by the time i am finished.

Do you plan to use any bait hives this year?

 

[mikeyspikey]

That's a great thread Admin... getting your best ideas at Midnight!

We have plans to expand from 8 colonies to possibly 16 by the end of the season so we are busy buying stuff for new hives (mostly Nationals) obtaining
2nd hand and building nuc boxes. There are two of us so the load is split. I don't think I would contemplate any more without help because of the huge amount of work involved.

We have kept 6-8 for the past three years and suddenly doubling is really getting the brain cells going, but we are determined after two lousy honey years to actually prove to all our friends and relations that we can actually make some honey. Good luck to all who are expanding. Oh I forgot we are having a go at some queen rearing too!

 

[ballibeg]

I'm hoping to take our first harvest this year from our 2 hives. Thinking of going to 3 hives. Small steps......

Dave

PS just need to clip the queens in a few weeks.

 

[BKF Admin]

I am a bit of a night owl as many members who log in between midnight and 3am will of noticed.

It comes from writing computer programmes at night and speaking to code guys in America with a 7 hour time difference.

 

[jimbeekeeper]

As things will soon be getting busy what are your plans for this year.

I plan to breed a super race of bees to take over the world!
(mental note - do not tell others!)

But I might also just enjoy the hobby I have, get a few jars of honey off, and maybe make up a few nucs for sale.

I have 100 national brood fames and wax to make up, but will give them to my old man to make up as he is retired.

 

[VEG]

I have 4 hives in my garage waiting to go. I am buying 2 nucs locally march/april these i hope to split later on if they build up quick enough. So with the 1 hive i have already ihope to be up to 5 going into winter. Just got those loads of frames to put together now

 

[Chris B]

We're in the process of fitting out a bigger honey house. The bees had better make a stack more honey this year! All being well we might even have time to throw an opening party.

My other plan is to get our 2 teenagers to earn their keep by helping out more. I'll force them to do BBKA exams if they don't pull their weight.

Everything else is top secret. I can't have Mike nicking all my ideas.

 

[hedgerow pete]

Now that the bee shed is almost finished i am going to raise up the one hive brood box to two and buy in three queens so i can split it four ways plus i have already ordered two nucs for my two nubies, i have 3 nationals to build 2 wbc complete with three supers and have to build 12 supers for my replacements plus i want to fit out my new to queen raising area so thats 6 telegraph poles to collect and bury 12 nuc boxs to build and another two nationals plus stand to knock up, in total thats two wbc's complete with supers and bee's and five nationals plus supers and a small and tidy apiary to aquire and tidy

 

[mikeyspikey]

Hey Chris... when's the party. I like parties.

 

[VEG]

so thats 6 telegraph poles to collect and bury

Why are you burying telegraph poles?

 

[BKF Admin]

Why are you burying telegraph poles?

Maybe to sit the Nucs on?

 

[VEG]

Lol they be a bit hard to reach up there

 

[Chris B]

Hey Chris... when's the party. I like parties.

Hi Mikey

mid-May if all goes to plan. You'll be more than welcome. Watch this space.

Chris

 

[hedgerow pete]

the main reason is cause i have five 6 foot lengths i can use , but thinking about it 25 foot up would stop the light fingered ones, would they not get vertigo uo there swaying in the wind though