What are your objectives for next year?

[Zante]

This is addressed mainly to people who have three or fewer seasons of beekeeping under their belt, but anyone feel free to respond. Just curious to hear from newbies like me what they are planning to do.

Personally I'm planning no weird manipulation, split, increase or anything else. I just want to get through a season without too much hassle. I will have to do swarm control of course, and medicating for varroa, but apart from that I plan on interfering the least possible with my hives.

It would be nice to get some acacia and some chestnut honey next year. Lime might yield something if the trees have recovered from their drastic pruning, but they're not exactly close, and my bees might look elsewhere. Enough any honey for personal use will be just fine though. Too much faff with red tape to consider selling any for the moment.

This provided they come out of winter ok. If I have issues with overwintering I will have to deal with those.

 

[BeeSpace]

Well, I've had my bees for a grand total of 28 days for the first colony and 14 days for the second, so I guess I'm part of the target audience for this! I've been learning at the association apiary since June 2017, but this is my first season with 'my own' bees.

My objectives are...

1) Come out of this winter with the same number of colonies as I go into it
2) Go into next winter with 4 colonies
3) Keep them healthy in between
4) Have fun; learn the ropes, watch the bees, watch my 4 and 6 year olds continue their interest and enjoyment of the bees and help them learn
5) If I get the chance to make some splits and give them to folk on our association beginner's course, that would be the icing on the cake.

 

[Hachi]

Honey

 

[Beefriendly]

Worry about the possibility of paying tax on honey sales.....

 

[Angry_Mob]

This year I've made increases and got more supers drawn so next year I should have four Buckfast 14x12 colonies and two AMM national colonies so long as they overwinter.

The 14x12 colonies I want to focus on honey production.

I'd like too try my hand at queen rearing next year and raise some of my own queens which I will raise from the AMM and make splits.

 

[mike99]

Well, I've had my bees for a grand total of 28 days for the first colony and 14 days for the second, so I guess I'm part of the target audience for this! I've been learning at the association apiary since June 2017, but this is my first season with 'my own' bees.

My objectives are...

1) Come out of this winter with the same number of colonies as I go into it
2) Go into next winter with 4 colonies
3) Keep them healthy in between
4) Have fun; learn the ropes, watch the bees, watch my 4 and 6 year olds continue their interest and enjoyment of the bees and help them learn
5) If I get the chance to make some splits and give them to folk on our association beginner's course, that would be the icing on the cake.

I have also had my my first colony of bees for 28 days too. I have similar objectives:
1) have a strong colony to endure a north east winter.
2) go into the next winter with at least 2 colonies
3) continue to enjoy watching the bees in action.
4) learn to deal with the development of the colonies. That is the hardest one as they zig and zag at random and you have to rely on people here to steer you in the right direction.
5) ultimate goal: extracted jars of local honey from my girls!

 

[SteveG]

2nd year and loving every minute. managed 2 hives through last winter with help from local mentor. purchased 3 Nucs this year and Pagden method one hive with blue queen, gave so many queens cells I split into a further Nuc. total 7 hives going into winter. busy time.

More good advice from Mentor, local BKA and 100% worth a look,
https://www.norfolk-honey.co.uk/videos.

Not forgetting this forum of course...

 

[Levitt53]

Well I went into last winter with three hives and my intention was to have 5 for this winter. I have 2 possibly 3 now so I’ll have the same objective I think. I have sussed finding queens and done a successful snelgrove split so although it hadn’t gone as planned I’ve learned loads. I’ve also identified where to put a bait hive next spring, just need to find someone who lives around the area.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

got 3

1 overwintered from last year (strong)
2nd bought buckfast nuc (strong but bothered 2nd generation next year can be less calm)
3rd combination of two small swarms (strong)

4 supers of honey

hoping to double in colony numbers (or more) and in honey

 

[Erichalfbee]

got 3

2nd bought buckfast nuc (strong but bothered 2nd generation next year can be less calm)

I have had Buckfast for ten years. In my limited experience if you source your bees well they do not get aggressive. I have two colonies of great granddaughter Buckies which by now most would call mongrel. I have kept them because they have been calm and productive. They are being replaced this year though because they are no longer Buckfast and I would like some new blood

 

[Millet]

I have had Buckfast for ten years. In my limited experience if you source your bees well they do not get aggressive. I have two colonies of great granddaughter Buckies which by now most would call mongrel. I have kept them because they have been calm and productive. They are being replaced this year though because they are no longer Buckfast and I would like some new blood

I have a 2018 F3 Queen from Danish origin she is nearly black instead of the nice golden colour and there is a noticeable difference in temperament, i can get through the supers ok but as soon as the Queen excluder comes of they rev up a little and they are a lot quicker on the comb than all the other ***** cat colonies.. i would have Re Queened them this year but they are still filling the supers for fun..

 

[iann41]

get to 30 hives and find another out apiary. get 1/2 tonne honey

 

[Stedic]

Manage swarming a little better.

Mine all tried to go at the same time and while I managed to avoid losing any swarms my management definitely weakened the hives and reduced the honey crop. Just need to have a good think about what went awry. I tried a Snelgrove which didn't really stop one hive building cells, so they got a Wally, which did seem effective.

Others were handled by using nucs, but again were probably queenless a bit too long st just the wrong time.

 

[Beefriendly]

I tried a Snelgrove which didn't really stop one hive building cells, so they got a Wally, which did seem effective.

If your bees are annual swarmers then be preemptive and go for a snelgrove 1 (prevention) rather than Snelgrove method 2 (which is what I presume you did) and is usually done too late to be effective.
Most of my F1's that didn't swarm this year will probably do so next season and that is how I'll manage them as soon as I see drones appearing and the rape starting to flower. Keeps a decent workforce together so lots of honey, generates new queens and takes up no more horizontal space. Or Demaree, but I find the top brood box clogs up with honey, so I prefer the Snelgrove board barrier and the ability to direct foraging bees to the main work force.

 

[Stedic]

If your bees are annual swarmers then be preemptive and go for a snelgrove 1 (prevention) rather than Snelgrove method 2 (which is what I presume you did) and is usually done too late to be effective.
Most of my F1's that didn't swarm this year will probably do so next season and that is how I'll manage them as soon as I see drones appearing and the rape starting to flower. Keeps a decent workforce together so lots of honey, generates new queens and takes up no more horizontal space. Or Demaree, but I find the top brood box clogs up with honey, so I prefer the Snelgrove board barrier and the ability to direct foraging bees to the main work force.

First full season, so I'm not sure if my bees are annual swarmers or not.

When I started I opted for 14x12, as my mentor used brood and a half which I hated. My other thought, to be decided over the winter, is whether or not to switch to nationals. 14x12 was suddenly a pain in the ass when managing swarms vertically.

 

[Beefriendly]

14x12 was suddenly a pain in the ass when managing swarms vertically.

Yes, they would be.
But even ordinary nationals can create problems with height when you have 4 supers between them.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

I have had Buckfast for ten years. In my limited experience if you source your bees well they do not get aggressive. I have two colonies of great granddaughter Buckies which by now most would call mongrel. I have kept them because they have been calm and productive. They are being replaced this year though because they are no longer Buckfast and I would like some new blood

thanks...very useful to know