Why do people use large beehives like national?

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes, because I don't requeen, I restock from a swarm the next year. I'm more interested in learning about the bees' lifecycle than honey. I think of a colony that has been requeened after 1 year as only living one year.

There is no need for the beekeeper to requeen (I seldom do with mine) the bees do it themselves. You obviously ignore that part of the colony's natural life cycle because it doesn't suit. Your assertion that colonies only last the term of a queen's lifespan is nonsense and is just an excuse to cover the truth that the colony probably died of varoosis.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Storing honey is simply a means of allowing them to survive

Without which there would nothing to reproduce.

 

[Boston Bees]

Without which there would nothing to reproduce.

Indeed.

But I get a bit twitchy when I hear you lecturing Oxnatbees along the lines of "To do otherwise is to work against their intentions, and that's never a good idea" when I suspect you do take measures to restrict reproduction/swarming in your hives each spring (in order to maximise your honey production), which works precisely against the bees intentions .....

It just feels like you are being a bit selective about which "intention" of the bees suits your own purposes, and which doesn't.

 

[oxnatbees]

There is no need for the beekeeper to requeen (I seldom do with mine) the bees do it themselves. You obviously ignore that part of the colony's natural life cycle because it doesn't suit. Your assertion that colonies only last the term of a queen's lifespan is nonsense and is just an excuse to cover the truth that the colony probably died of varoosis.

No, I reckon colonies round hete last 4-5 years including supersedure (sorry, should have been clearer) - not many queens would last that long. Then the colonies tend to end up with drone laying queens. This implies to me a shortage of drones in the area.

I do look for mites and wing damage. They were obvious when I used Buckfasts. Mite drop now seems to be 1-3 mites/day with little variation from month to month. Mites are a problem for people who suppress bees' own control behaviour. I've no problem with people farming bees for honey etc, but I don't understand why you try to pretend varroa is due to other peoples' actions. Mites have been killing your hives since 1992, long before natural beekeeping became a thing.

 

[Finman]

When I started beekeeping 60 years ago, natural beekeeping was very usual. Lots of people, which had one or two hives on backyard edge and they did nothing to nurse hives. Perhaps they took some honey kilos from the hive and that was all.

When the colony died, next spring arrived a new swarm . It can be compared to package colony. It just arrived and you did not need to install tem. The swarm renewed the mouse eaten hive and life continued.

Modern natural beekeepers do not even know, what is real natural beekeeping. It was pure bee love. To give a home to bees as you give cottages to birds. .

 

[Finman]

When I started beekeeping 60 years ago, natural beekeeping

Tupla...

 

[Anduril]

When I started beekeeping 60 years ago, natural beekeeping was very usual. Lots of people, which had one or two hives on backyard edge and they did nothing to nurse hives. Perhaps they took some honey kilos from the hive and that was all.

When the colony died, next spring arrived a new swarm . It can be compared to package colony. It just arrived and you did not need to install tem. The swarm renewed the mouse eaten hive and life continued.

Modern natural beekeepers do not even know, what is real natural beekeeping. It was pure bee love. To give a home to bees as you give cottages to birds. .

I started in 1981, we didn't have all the fancy natural beekeeping hives that are around today. Life was simpler and I never used any treatment on my hives.

 

[rolande]

When I started beekeeping 60 years ago, natural beekeeping was very usual. Lots of people, which had one or two hives on backyard edge and they did nothing to nurse hives. Perhaps they took some honey kilos from the hive and that was all.

No different here 30 years ago either. Just, people didn't realize that they were natural beekeepers. They just did it without needing a label.

 

[bingevader]

I started in 1981, we didn't have all the fancy natural beekeeping hives that are around today. Life was simpler and I never used any treatment on my hives.

What's fancy about a Warré?!
Been around a little while longer than you too.

 

[ericbeaumont]

lecturing

Commenting.

take measures to restrict reproduction/swarming

Restrict? Never.

 

[Finman]

I started in 1981, we didn't have all the fancy natural beekeeping hives that are around today. Life was simpler and I never used any treatment on my hives.

It was 1982 when I killed my first varroa hive.

It was 1987, when I got my first varroa medicine from Hamburg Germany. My mother in law brought it.

Varroa came from Russia into Finland perhaps 1977, and no one knew it, untill first hives started to die on eastern border.

I took 10 years in Finland when no "fancy " medicines did not exist. Then Germans invented Perizin.

Varroa killed those natural beekeepers' colonies and they never knew what happened to their hives. It was the end of natural beekeeping.

Varroa killed almost all German Black bees from Finland during 10 years what varroa invaded through the country. It was bkessing to beekeeping and especually to queen rearing.

When now "treatment free nursers" are broud about their do nothing work, I do not give no value to their splended principles. It is worth nothing.

 

[Anduril]

What's fancy about a Warré?!
Been around a little while longer than you too.

Not in Wales, I used to have old beekeeping catalogues, not one of them had a Warre in it. You joined an association and used the hives they used, life was easier and cheaper back then.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

No, I reckon colonies round hete last 4-5 years including supersedure

I have colonies here been going over ten years, superseding when needed. It's an absolute nonsense to say a colony will die naturally in five years (unless you count neglect as 'natural')

Mites have been killing your hives since 1992,

Well, yours maybe

 

[Finman]

life was easier and cheaper back then.

It is totally your own fault out there. Your frame is and foundations are extremely expencive. 10 frames are more expencive than one poly box.

 

[Finman]

I have colonies here been going over ten years, superseding when needed. It's an absolute nonsense to say a colony will die naturally in five years (unless you count neglect as 'natural')

Well, yours maybe

Our colonies die in 2 years by varroa.

Like feral bee research in Scotland, no colony lived 3 winters in the research.

In USA backyard beekeepers' losses are 75 % , when guys trust on natural beekeepers' advices. Normal losses were 55% in the last survey.

When your natural beekeeping becomes more popular in the UK, your annual hive losses will rise quite high. You need only to believe to yourselves and your "fancy" principles. You need only teachers who tell how to do the suicide. It helps at least bumbblebees then.

 

[Anduril]

It is totally your own fault out there. Your frame is and foundations are extremely expencive. 10 frames are more expencive than one poly box.

Due to the plethora of hive types we have

 

[Finman]

Due to the plethora of hive types we have

Yeah. They must be fancy. Nylon wires and what ever strange.

 

[rolande]

Due to the plethora of hive types we have

Not to mention the continued use of western red cedar as the material of choice.

 

[Ian123]

Not to mention the continued use of western red cedar as the material of choice.

Cedar is a good choice for the uk climate and as can be seen from seconds prices is quite affordable. Try our multiple hive types the love of long frame lugs. Limited suppliers and lack of a large commercial market

 

[Darryl]

What's the advice on using supers for brood and honey due to the lightness? One can add extra supers as the brood grows and use a QE to control where the queen lays. A bit like the Rose hives - one size box and one size frame. I'm attracted by the idea but aware there must be issues or everyone would be doing it.