All the opinions here are good and necessary for a new beekeeper like me to learn.
Jep. Every beekeepers has his own truth. That is why you must select your own way, what ever it happens. You learn via mistake. "A Finnish does not believe before he see himself" .
I am a litte bit tired on beekeeping after these 45 years. Difficult to find new interesting things. And I do not run after all what others say.
I have omitted a "value for beekeeping strategy"
1) All, which does not add yield, is waste
2) All what is fun and makes me happy, is not waste
3) The rest is apitherapy
To learn via others experience = read, discuss. When you have learned enough, you have skill to select what is right and what is wrong and what is usefull. Everything is valuable and right, that is pure nonsence.
Learning = gathering tools into box
Use own brains = pick a right tool from box in right situation.
No experience = pick right tool in wrong situation.
And tolls in beekeeping - awfully much. No sence to try them all.
Whole world is full of good cars. You cannot bye and try them many.
After my experience not more than 10% is useful in this forum. Some interesting questions are discussed again and again and most of essential issues are not interesting. This is like grinding clay. Most forum space go to resist varroa and it is easiest problem noewadays. 20 seconds per hive per year and no problem. Writing about varroa takes days or even weeks.
I was told that all opinions here are as valuable. That is basic nonsence I have ever read, if you really want to understand bees.
Bees and beekeeping is complex hobby. That is why I like it. 1/3 depends on skills, 1/3 weather and 1/3 lucky.
There are some issues which I have not learned like good pastures. They surprises me every year when I have selected "best pastures". Weathers are what they are.
Varroa -not problem to me . Good chemicals
Spring = too few willows, too much hives on my yard
Spring build up = really fast with electrict + pollen patty
AFB = a big problem
Chalkbrood = 20 year problem but not any more
Nosema = always doing harms in winter
Wintering = never been big problem
Feeding sugar= never been a problem
Selling honey in good price = problem every year
Extracting honey = work to me, not funny
Uncapping honey = no problem
Melting old combs = uuh, not funny
Boiling frames in lye = what an odor
foundation - never been a problem.
burr - it is what is
swarming = biggest enemy
Stinging bees - 20 stings per day and queen will be dead
queen breeding = you select the queen, not hives.
Feral bees - some escaped swarm
Local = Texas is 3 times that of Finland
Hive color = bees return home what ever color it is.
Raising new queens = happiest thing every year
Moving heavy hives alone = routine ( I like heavy hives!)
Visiting every week on beeyard = 100 miles driving = 60 US $ money = a good reason to go to summer cottage
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About cars. I hear an sosialist joke. (20 years ago)
US man and Russian talked who has biggest things.
- US said that we have so big cattle pastures that it takes several days to drive them around
- Russian: we have those cars too.