What have you learned in your first year?

[dn170221]

Don't wear black gloves (just because you have big hands and they are the best fit)

Haves loads of kit for performing an AS(already mentioned)

Don't expect to fail have loads of supers!!

You win some you lose some (swarms)

 

[einsteinagogo]

1. Always have a lit smoker.

2. Be prepared to have a secondary apiary site to move to.

3. Hives in public places although nice to have, may not be appropriate.

 

[BrianO]

Hives in public places although nice to have, may not be appropriate.

Hi

Interested to know what, or how public your areas were that I presume you experienced problems with ?

Thanks

 

[einsteinagogo]

Hi

Interested to know what, or how public your areas were that I presume you experienced problems with ?

Thanks

I experience no problems whatsoever or complaints, with my hives in what I consider to be public areas, my garden and allotment site (that has a special area for the apiary, not on an allotment plot!).

But I am mindful, that there could be, after failed swarming attempts, many bees in flight "when foraging"...... , courier deliveries getting to close to hives, when delivering items to me, and leaving them on the shed porch, which is close to the hive!

So it's now been my decision, to move them all to new secret apiary, that only I and the Landowner know off, which has no access to public.

I think it will be only a matter of time.....

 

[Tdod]

To make sure I look over the frames more closely for queen cups with eggs in as lost a swarm yesterday, so must of missed the queen cup with the egg in last week....

I inspect every Sat but if you miss an egg by the next sat they are swarming, going to do 5 day inspections from now on I think if time permits.

 

[REDWOOD]

Assumption is the mother of all mess ups
Assumption is the mother of not knowing
Assumption is the ruination of a beekeeper
So don't assume anything, close your hive think about it and return with a knowledgeable plan

 

[enigmatica]

I've started to keep a journal of what I find and see and when. Maybe next year I'll keep ahead of the little sods...

 

[MeatheadSnowman]

I am just heading into year 2! I think my main lessons have been;

There is no such thing as a "quick check!"
When you open a hive you enter some strange time warp thing where hours fly by!
Always have a lit smoker
When you get your first colony that is not "alot of bees." When said colony fills brood and a half and 3 supers on top, THAT is a lot of bees!
Your bees produce the best tasting honey ever!

 

[jd101k2000]

To make sure I look over the frames more closely for queen cups with eggs in as lost a swarm yesterday, so must of missed the queen cup with the egg in last week....

I inspect every Sat but if you miss an egg by the next sat they are swarming, going to do 5 day inspections from now on I think if time permits.

At our BKA, they suggest that queen clipping relieves some of that strain. Gives you 10 days instead of 7.

I know that frustration. Thought I had got every QC out of the hive bar one. After they swarmed, I discovered FIVE more. Became a lot more thorough after that.

 

[hedgehog66]

Do not put a nuc ontop of a fish tank as a stand
Bees go out of nuc into fish tank and die

I had an old tank outside waiting to be picked up and popped a swarm nuc on it as a temp stand
A few says later it had a layer of dead bees
Wont be doing that again

Also, dont put the lid on a rapid feeder unsidedown
Bees get in and drown by the millions - or so it seems

 

[fabindia]

Youtube is the font of all knowledge

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Youtube is the font of all knowledge

SOME. YouTube is knowledge but there's a lot of dangerous tripe there as well!
Knowing which to disregard is vital.

 

[Putnamsmif]

I learnt a lot in my first year don't get me wrong, but hindsight being a wonderful thing I've learnt that whatever you learnt in your first year is nothing to what you have to learn very quickly in your second.

 

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Today I learnt that whilst I might overheat in my full bee suit I had better wear it when inspecting with the hive with a swarm (they moved in without invite into an old hive dumped in the garden) in it. I wore my smock and they got me on the leg, through my jeans.

I have also learnt to expect the unexpected. After my mentor saying the queen in the swarm hive would be last years and if she was marked she would be a red queen........the queen is marked .....green which according to my books means she's a this years queen.

They have pulled out all the frames in the brood box so on my mentors instructions I have added a super and queen excluder.

My other hive has also picked up and the new queen has started laying.

 

[fabindia]

SOME. YouTube is knowledge but there's a lot of dangerous tripe there as well!
Knowing which to disregard is vital.

Totally agree. My comment was very much tongue in cheek.

 

[jd101k2000]

Latest thing to discover.

Wax from clover nectar is pure white (beautiful).

Also, after washing your plunger-type queen marking device make sure that the wooden plunger has not swollen. (If it has, it won't budge!)

 

[Glenviewbee]

You might have read loads of different bee books, used Google as a search engine extensively, spent hours pouring over Yoo toob videos - but YOUR bees are going to be doing something that makes sense to THEM.
This is my third summer with bees - and I am learning that patience is a must, maybe next year will be the year I get to take some honey from my bees!

 

[Pyritte]

What you have in mind, not expanding, staying with two hives, does not mean that your bees have the same plans (6 so far)!

Have the spare equipment that you think you need then triple it!

But loving every day seeing them flying around.

 

[ichbinpaul]

If you have a spare anything it wont be spare for long before you wished you had ten spares, and then 15 etc and eventually you ought to get things delivered to a friends house "if your married that is"

 

[YorkshireBees]

What you have in mind, not expanding, staying with two hives, does not mean that your bees have the same plans (6 so far)!

Have the spare equipment that you think you need then triple it!

But loving every day seeing them flying around.

When you have worked out how much equipment you need to order and double checked your calculations...

Double it and then order!!