What have you learned in your first year?

[Melbee]

I was told - Never light the smoker with your veil on - thankfully I did not have to learn this from experience !

 

[enrico]

That the first time you go into a friends top bar hive you don't try and hold the frame at any other angle than vertical if you don't want a big piece of comb down your wellies.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I was told - Never light the smoker with your veil on - thankfully I did not have to learn this from experience !

OK. I give up. Why?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Coz it can melt your veil/set fire to it/singe your eyelashes

 

[Jamieb]

In my first 24 hrs I learnt that I couldn't lift a hive plus two supers all at once....and that I definately wasn't allergic to bee stings!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Last night I learnt that when cleaning your uncapping knife, concentrate on the job in hand - it's difficult to inspect twelve hives with two fingertips in sticking plaster

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

If you keep hives in your garden, eliminate forage at ground level or the concentration of angry old foragers is problematic.

 

[Cazza]

If you keep hives in your garden, eliminate forage at ground level or the concentration of angry old foragers is problematic.

Not sure I understand what you mean?
Not very practical when you are a gardener?
Cazza

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I left the clover growing in the lawn instead of mowing; bees everywhere and because also close to the colony, attacked people and dogs.

 

[Cazza]

I left the clover growing in the lawn instead of mowing; bees everywhere and because also close to the colony, attacked people and dogs.

Now I understand. I guess it depends on your garden size. I have a large number of flowers with lots of bees on them and clover covered lawns near the house but my hives are at the top end of my 2 acre garden. I think your bees were being territorial and defending the hives.
Cazza

 

[youngyoungs]

Right from the beginning I was told, always check under the queen excluder when you take it off, in case the queen is under there.
I always have checked for her and have never seen her on the queen excluder.

Then last week, the only time I thought I would take a shortcut, I went through a hive, couldn't find the queen even though there were plenty of signs that she was present. I closed up the hive and as I picked up the QX, there she was.........

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you keep hives in your garden, eliminate forage at ground level or the concentration of angry old foragers is problematic.

I left the clover growing in the lawn instead of mowing; bees everywhere and because also close to the colony, attacked people and dogs.

As Swmbo's grandmother helpully pointed out to me once - nice bit of concrete, that'll sort it out - much less maintenance. You could always try roundup

 

[jd101k2000]

Found out that I had learned enough to pass my WBKA Basic Assessment.
As my flying instructor said, now the real learning begins.

I must say that the variety of opinions on here really helped. As my Old Testament tutor used to say, 'some people think this, other people think this, I think...' (That was his essay writing class.)

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

If you follow common sense and are basically well-intentioned, the bees' resilience and survival skills mean you can get away with blue bloody murder on occasion. And the more Q- they are, the bluer and bloodier.

That's not to suggest treating our charges casually, just that they will tend to bale you out of a tight corner if you get into one. And I have made some bad mistakes.

Examples: leaving my @Hivemaker. Q in the hands of others when I was rushed off to hospital for a few days BEFORE I could introduce her. "But, Doctor!!" She and her tiny colony ended up half-drowned in sugar syrup for three days on a kitchen counter. In the process, they had eaten much of the fondant plug so the intro was who-knows how fast. <ADD>And of course she'd been in the post a couple of days to begin with.</ADD> Not a problem and she is now the Queen of Buckybeast. Sorry Pete...

Taking swarm QCs off in a nuc and INCLUDING THE Q. Turns out it's quite a good way of getting them torn down; luckily I was not desperate for the increase.

Uniting a Q- and a QC nuc. Puff of smoke, no bother.

Swapping frames rather casually between nucs, without removing adhering bees. Couple of fights, puff of smoke, calm.

Letting a colony get to 8,000 mites (not completely my fault but wholly my responsibility). Lots of Thymol and touch wood, no serious ill-effects.

They are amazing, tenacious insects.

 

[Karsal]

Lots of patience!

 

[enrico]

Blimey, we've resurrected this thread out of the grave!

 

[B Special]

Watch your bee's from a distance.

 

[Samurailord]

if you think your hive is queenless it probably isn't.

I spent a few unhappy weeks convinced that I had accidentally killed my one and only queen only for her to pop up again.

Andy

 

[Samurailord]

Don't assume that your lovely, placid, calm bees will always be like that.

On one inspection they went wild, giving me several stings that caused me to spend most of the next two days in and out of A&E.

I later discovered that they were being robbed, and so were not in a very calm frame of mind

Andy

 

[BrianO]

On one inspection they went wild, giving me several stings that caused me to spend most of the next two days in and out of A&E.

Were you not "Suited and Booted " ?