What lessons did you learn from 2012 season?

[beeno]

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.

Beautifully said, Salamagundy.

 

[beeno]

Not very poetic, but prepare for all eventualities and when caught out improvise!

 

[bees4u]

I'm a slug breeder

I learnt to raise my apidea's off the ground after rearing more slugs than queens!!!

 

[SixFooter]

Lots & lots - a random selection:

Smokers with a removable cage are easier to light.

Do not smoke the bees through the mesh floor, it drives them up, then you drive them back down again. Fewer stings if I dont do this

It's difficult to find time to study in the Winter, but impossible in the Summer. Dont enter any exams until you have done the work.

The people who own the land where I keep my bees are more tolerant than I thought - Not much honey - swarming issues

Trap outs are easy to set up, but the resulting collected bees tend to dwindle and die.

I think OA sees off weak colonies.

B&Q CLS timber is ideal for making rails for bee boxes and a router table makes it easy to cut the rebates. Also set the depth of cut in the router table and leave it. Then use jigs to adjust for the first pass and different depths of top & bottom rails.

 

[Salamagundy]

Beautifully said, Salamagundy.

 

[whoosling]

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!

Thanks that'll be folks like me then, I must say I quite like the cut and trust of the answers even the not so kind, in all walks of life you come across opinionated people, I just ignore the bastards!

 

[cork beek]

ALWAYS try and have a supply of mated Queens available for when things inevitably go wrong! - which is why im gonna start my own Queen rearing this year!

 

[RoseCottage]

That 2012 weather was awful and prevented me from actually enjoying my beekeeping much at all...but that I am an eternal optimist and believe that this year will be better.

I have more equipment than I can shake a stick at (although some of it is mucky and wobbly), I consolidated down to 2 hives from 5, and with just that little bit of sun and a genuinely fair wind...we will have fun.

This time next year Rodney...

 

[beeno]

I learnt to raise my apidea's off the ground after rearing more slugs than queens!!!

Thanks for that one. Got plenty of those in the garden hanging around the hives. Some get in despite the 8mm holes! Then as they grow they cannot get out!

 

[Ely]

How many hives do you reckon is needed to try and rear your own gentle bees?

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[beeno]

ALWAYS try and have a supply of mated Queens available for when things inevitably go wrong! - which is why im gonna start my own Queen rearing this year!

Hi cork beek,
Well, good luck with that then. You said it!

 

[Hivemaker.]

How many hives do you reckon is needed to try and rear your own gentle bees?

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One hive, but there is more to it than the number of hives, the number of beekeepers in your area, and strain plus temperament of bees they keep also comes into it.

 

[Ely]

Ok thankyou. If you have 2 hives with grumpy bees, is it unlikely to raise better queens without buying in new? Cheers

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