What lessons did you learn from 2012 season?

[The Riviera Kid]

What lessons did all you other beeks learn from last year's rotten season?

I few things I found out the hard way....

1) Never underestimate the British weather.

2) Never give away/sell nucs made with a laying, mated queen until I am *absolutely* positive that her successor is mated and laying properly.

3) Move vulnerable colonies from the out-apiary to the one near my house so I can keep a much closer eye on them in winter.

4) I should have bought a big contact feeder.

5) I can never have too many nucs and spare brood boxes, floors and roofs.

I'm sure more will come to me as the season kicks off again and I remember all of last year's errors... by repeating them

 

[oliver90owner]

Beekeeping is about using the resources available to their best effect in the prevailing conditions. But there, I knew that already. You were right - 2012 was not a good year.

 

[VEG]

Never hope that the next years weather must be better than the last lol

 

[Moggs]

Astonishment at the resilience of these creatures. Heat of summer, cold of winter and now the latest assault in the wettest and coldest of wet and cold summers that we can remember.

 

[Finman]

.
I learned that percent in the label of Oxaclic Acid bottle means nothing.

6% OA is actually 4,2%

4,2% is actually 3,5%

1 litre is volume and you cannot measure it as 1000 g

.

 

[CB008]

I learned that your sweet natured garden bees can turn very nasty for no apparent reason

 

[Summerslease]

I learned the importance of having sufficient queens, so this year I will be trying to raise my own.

And I learned the importance of asking questions on the forum. I always got good advice- thanks everyone.

 

[oliver90owner]

1 litre is volume and you cannot measure it as 1000 g

Correct. Two different units, volume (derivative of length) and force (Newtons). But close enough if the liquid in question is water.

When I say 'close enough' I mean exactly that. There is a difference between a litre and 1000 centimetre cubes (a decimetre cubed) - there is a discrepancy at around the third decimal place for the number of grams in each, so these days in precision circles the centimetre cube (actually the metre cubed is used as the accepted standard unit of volume) is the SI standard, not the millilitre, litre, etc.

Clearly such a miniscule discrepancy makes no odds at all for a beekeeper, but might if sending a space probe to Mars or beyond.

RAB

 

[Finman]

.
Now I remember serious learning.
Summer was chilly and I had time to follow bees' working on autumn rape. I have a balance hive on 22 hectares rape field.

Wind effect on bees

It was sunny and 15-18C temp. Bees flyed busy but they did not get honey, but their stomach was empty when hey returned to the hive.
Nectar droplets were seen in flowers. They got in one week 3 kg.
Then came a warm day 23C- Bees got 5 kg a day.

I had never known that wind can affect so much on fields.

Bees muscle temp is 39C and when it forages and they cannot stand much wind under 20C weather.

In forest places they clearly got better nectar.

.

 

[Finman]

1 litre is volume and you cannot measure it as 1000 g

Correct. Two different units, volume (derivative of length) and force (Newtons). But close enough if the liquid in question is water.

When I say 'close enough' I mean exactly that. RAB

On 7 April 1795, the gram was decreed in France to be equal to “the absolute weight of a volume of water equal to the cube of the hundredth part of the meter, at the temperature of melting ice.”[

Well, quite close, but not enough

When one litre water expands 0,00033 litres/degree, 20C rise in temperature adds water volume 0,66%.
.
.

 

[For want of a better word]

I learned that despite over 100 years of English beekeeping that there are self opinionated people out there that know so much more about beekeeping than most of us can have dreamed of !.... and will argue that returning to the Stone Age is the only way !!

and EVERYTHING I do is SO WRONG..........

BUT the honeybees I give homes to are happy in National sized PollyHives

 

[Finman]

I

and EVERYTHING I do is SO WRONG..........

BUT the honeybees I give homes to are happy in National sized PollyHives

If a person does things continuously wrong, he gets more satisfaction about it than making things right.

 

[enrico]

I learnt that there are always new bee keepers arriving on the scene and that they need kind words and encouragement not ridicule and condescension. I believe we need to nurture these new bee keepers and gently teach them all we know so that they too can enjoy a great hobby. Oh and that bee keeping will always be a hobby to me how ever many hives I have!

 

[Salamagundy]

Last year was my second season and I learnt lots (much of it thanks to the forum.) A small selection:

That Enrico's advice to be patient and not to interfere too quickly is well-founded;

That a primary swarm, once rehived, goes off like a rocket;

That this forum is further proof (if such were required) that most men are from Mars and most women are from Venus;

That it's ok to learn beekeeping at your own pace;

That beekeeping would be a lot easier if I could always find the queen;

That it's heartbreaking to tip out a hive with a drone-laying queen;

That to see your bees' honey selling well in local shops gives you a real buzz;

That home-grown fruit, yoghurt, honey and cinnamon is a dessert fit for kings;

That even young metheglin can have so many different layers of taste;

That you should double the amount of boxes/frames/foundation you think you need to make sure you don't get caught out;

That there's enough to learn about beekeeping to keep me busy until I'm in my dotage;

That mentors do a brilliant job selflessly passing on their wisdom.

 

[mbc]

Life is an endless round of misery only cure able by death

 

[Salamagundy]

Life is an endless round of misery only cure able by death

That's what comes from living in Westest Wales....

 

[blackie]

I learnt in my first year that reading loads of books wasnt the answer but il crack on this year hopfully with nice weather

 

[user 6228]

Bees really belong in trees ...

which is rather inconvienent for us

 

[whoosling]

beekeeping questions have many answers!!!

 

[beekim]

As a newbee enrico comments were very true i have learned so much in 2012 and looking forward to the new season. saw my bees flying for the first time yesterday afternoon.