working shifts and managing bees

[Rock_Chick]

Last year I changed jobs,( not because I wanted to ) and its really messed me up with managing the bees, my shift pattens are not constant and my days off can move around as well, last years my beekeeping suffered because of all this moving around with my working hours ( its my job so can't be helped, i need money. ) any advice on working the bees when your shifts are rubbish. I used to get 4 hours in the daytime at home in-between shifts which was great, now Im lucky if i get an hour, and I'm home late in the evening to to thrown that in the mix ( so shower and food then bed ) so I do get some weekends, but then you get the bad weather to mess your beekeeping up, as it did last year. one of my hives swamed so many times, I ended up putting it into a nuc it got so small. it didn't help I got up to 8 hives, thats the most I've ever had, it was like a full time job. I've overwintered 6 and so far they are all alive, So I need to reduce them at some point, 6 can become 12 very quickly, and I don't want that. I've not got the room.
Sorry, I'm just venting of at my frustrating life and job.
I don't post very often ( now you know why I ramble on )

 

[drex]

My bees were starting to get on top of me with the time i had available. I combined to keep numbers down and as soon as they start to get out of hand i unite now. Much more enjoyable again.

 

[The Poot]

Last year I changed jobs,( not because I wanted to ) and its really messed me up with managing the bees, my shift pattens are not constant and my days off can move around as well, last years my beekeeping suffered because of all this moving around with my working hours ( its my job so can't be helped, i need money. ) any advice on working the bees when your shifts are rubbish. I used to get 4 hours in the daytime at home in-between shifts which was great, now Im lucky if i get an hour, and I'm home late in the evening to to thrown that in the mix ( so shower and food then bed ) so I do get some weekends, but then you get the bad weather to mess your beekeeping up, as it did last year. one of my hives swamed so many times, I ended up putting it into a nuc it got so small. it didn't help I got up to 8 hives, thats the most I've ever had, it was like a full time job. I've overwintered 6 and so far they are all alive, So I need to reduce them at some point, 6 can become 12 very quickly, and I don't want that. I've not got the room.
Sorry, I'm just venting of at my frustrating life and job.
I don't post very often ( now you know why I ramble on )

Hi,
My best advice - go to “The Apiarist” website (Professor David Evans) and search in his blog archives for September 2020, for “Long Distance Beekeeping”
He had colonies on the East and West coasts of Scotland and with lockdown was unable to visit them regularly. He decided to carry out splits on all the colonies he couldn’t get to, to prevent swarming. See also his blog “The nucleus method”
He was successful in preventing swarms and despite minimal inspections the bees were fine and he ended the Summer with a honey crop.
You could then combine colonies to give yourself strong colonies to go into next Winter, or you could sell (or give away) some of the nucs. Or both.
I appreciate your frustration- I no longer had a job from last June and its made such a difference for me. Beekeeping is now planned and prepared, but I’m a lot less affluent!!

Good luck
Poot

 

[gmonag]

Work - the curse of the drinking (beekeeping) class!

 

[GuyNir]

I share your frustration Jane. I normally can’t do much during the week due to work + where I am the weather can be rubbish during the weekend year round.
I now keep less colonies than what I used to, making sure I have enough time to manage them all properly.

 

[pargyle]

Last year I changed jobs,( not because I wanted to ) and its really messed me up with managing the bees, my shift pattens are not constant and my days off can move around as well, last years my beekeeping suffered because of all this moving around with my working hours ( its my job so can't be helped, i need money. ) any advice on working the bees when your shifts are rubbish. I used to get 4 hours in the daytime at home in-between shifts which was great, now Im lucky if i get an hour, and I'm home late in the evening to to thrown that in the mix ( so shower and food then bed ) so I do get some weekends, but then you get the bad weather to mess your beekeeping up, as it did last year. one of my hives swamed so many times, I ended up putting it into a nuc it got so small. it didn't help I got up to 8 hives, thats the most I've ever had, it was like a full time job. I've overwintered 6 and so far they are all alive, So I need to reduce them at some point, 6 can become 12 very quickly, and I don't want that. I've not got the room.
Sorry, I'm just venting of at my frustrating life and job.
I don't post very often ( now you know why I ramble on )

It is difficult to combine beekeeping with jobs that require shiftwork.

Fitting in regular inspections is a non-starter so you have to accept that you do your inspections as and when you can. Early mornings, dusk, weekends, rain or shine - get a big umbrella - a fishing umbrella with a spike to stick it in the ground works well when it is raining.

Don't get hung up on having to do weekly inspections ... if it stretches over the 10 days there is a risk of missing a swarm sign but it's not the end of the world. The chances are that you won't miss many.

Confine your inspections to what you need to find out ... is there brood, is it healthy, are there queen cells ?: End of ,... Get efficient and get quicker .. commercial beekeepers allow very few minutes per hive for in-season inspections, learn from them. No need to look at every frame most of the time and in many cases you don't even need to lift a frame out fully - no queen chasing - totally irrelevant usually to need to see the queen.

Can you find a bee buddy ? Someone who can help ... a new beekeeper looking for experience perhaps ? Just to give you a break if you are pushed for time.

Have you spare kit ready to go - if you need to react to swarm preps you need to be in a position to do something there and then .. rather than closing them up and returning later.

There's a lot you can do to make your beekeeping less time consuming so you need to think about what time you will have available and what you can do to reduce your beekeeping time to fit in with what time you have. Yes, you may need to reduce your colony numbers but ... four good hives can produce as much crop as 8 mediocre ones ... bigger colonies, well managed can do very well for you and there is much satisfaction to be gained from knowing you have done a good job with the bees you have ... more bee hives is not inevitable and we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are in control of the numbers and combining colonies is very quick and easy.

 

[Susan1]

The above all sounds like great advise. I hope it works out for you. Remember this is a hobby and is meant to be something you enjoy. I tell myself this all the time lol.

 

[Newbeeneil]

T

 

[GuyNir]

It is difficult to combine beekeeping with jobs that require shiftwork.

Fitting in regular inspections is a non-starter so you have to accept that you do your inspections as and when you can. Early mornings, dusk, weekends, rain or shine - get a big umbrella - a fishing umbrella with a spike to stick it in the ground works well when it is raining.

Don't get hung up on having to do weekly inspections ... if it stretches over the 10 days there is a risk of missing a swarm sign but it's not the end of the world. The chances are that you won't miss many.

Confine your inspections to what you need to find out ... is there brood, is it healthy, are there queen cells ?: End of ,... Get efficient and get quicker .. commercial beekeepers allow very few minutes per hive for in-season inspections, learn from them. No need to look at every frame most of the time and in many cases you don't even need to lift a frame out fully - no queen chasing - totally irrelevant usually to need to see the queen.

Can you find a bee buddy ? Someone who can help ... a new beekeeper looking for experience perhaps ? Just to give you a break if you are pushed for time.

Have you spare kit ready to go - if you need to react to swarm preps you need to be in a position to do something there and then .. rather than closing them up and returning later.

There's a lot you can do to make your beekeeping less time consuming so you need to think about what time you will have available and what you can do to reduce your beekeeping time to fit in with what time you have. Yes, you may need to reduce your colony numbers but ... four good hives can produce as much crop as 8 mediocre ones ... bigger colonies, well managed can do very well for you and there is much satisfaction to be gained from knowing you have done a good job with the bees you have ... more bee hives is not inevitable and we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are in control of the numbers and combining colonies is very quick and easy.

Spot on

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Fitting in regular inspections is a non-starter so you have to accept that you do your inspections as and when you can. Early mornings, dusk, weekends, rain or shine -

But But - the BBKA tell you you can't inspect before 1000hrs and you must finish by lunchtime!!!

 

[oliver90owner]

Question: Do you clip your queens? If not, why not?

 

[Amari]

Yes, you have my sympathy and understanding. I had a busy job so could only beekeep on some weekends - the ones when it was pouring with rain and howling with wind. I did this for 25 years before retiring. One important thing: you have a stressful work lifestyle, so it's good to have an absorbing hobby to escape to, even if you can't practise it to perfection.

 

[pargyle]

But But - the BBKA tell you you can't inspect before 1000hrs and you must finish by lunchtime!!!

Yes ... I know ... that was one of the things I was told when I first started to keep bees ... I didn't understand it then and I still don't understand it now ... I won't open a hive after dark and I'm a bit wary on thundery days or when it's very windy. Outside of that .. it does not seem to make a lot of difference to my bees what time of day I look in. I have to say, occasionally, for reasons perhaps only they know, they will let you know they are not happy with you messing about with their home and I've learned, when it happens, close them up and let them be ...

 

[CaptainCymru]

I work shifts , just make sure your ahead of the curve with everything when you can.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I work shifts , just make sure your ahead of the curve with everything when you can.

as did I - fifteen days on, thirteen off

 

[CaptainCymru]

as did I - fifteen days on, thirteen off

Ha coz the 2 off you lost on travel days ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Ha coz the 2 off you lost on travel days ?

yep