Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: What have you learned this season?  (Read 22574 times)

Offline trapperbob

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 197
  • Gender: Male
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #60 on: October 25, 2007, 10:42:21 pm »
Patience,patience,patience and not all addictions are so bad. You know? Buy one hive and ask the wife for three more pluse the split you intened to do :-D

Offline qa33010

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 949
  • Gender: Male
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #61 on: October 29, 2007, 02:01:11 am »
   My wife wants me to double that next year and folks want me to bring them out for pollenation. :-\
Everyone said it couldn't be done. But he with a chuckle replied, "I won't be one to say it is so, until I give it a try."  So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin.  If he had a worry he hid it and he started to sing as he tackled that thing that couldn't be done, and he did it.  (unknown)

Offline Fannbee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 90
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #62 on: October 29, 2007, 11:30:12 am »
I have learned to keep a close eye to the bee activity outside a hive.  Lost a hive and might have save it because I did not pay attention to the decrease activity.  Also, if a hive has a ton of activity, leave it alone except for regular maintenance.
Chuck and Fran

Offline shawnwright

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #63 on: October 31, 2007, 01:53:55 pm »
Leave them alone unless there is something that needs to be done, or it looks like something is wrong.

Offline DennisB

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 206
  • Gender: Male
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #64 on: October 31, 2007, 03:22:02 pm »
Never trip over a sapling stump while holding a super full of honey and bees. And smile big, like you meant to do it, when you try to explain what happened to your spouse!

Offline Tug Fork Bob

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 6
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #65 on: November 01, 2007, 03:27:10 pm »
I tried to combine a baseball-size swarm this fall with an existing hive--used a sheet of newspaper and an empty shallow super with telescoping cover on top.  It was 90 deg. or so and I learned that it would have been a good idea to give the bees some ventilation. (They were all "roasted")   

 
Bob

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #66 on: November 03, 2007, 12:33:18 pm »
Hmmm.....this is one interesting topic.  So many events that have occurred to us all and every last one tells a great story.

Me thinks that the biggest thing that I learned this season was:  never wear a dark hoodie coat on a dark and gloomy day and look into a hive, thinking that there isn't many guard bees hangin' out.  I did this, you'll probably remember my story.  I was checking the bees quickly one evening, after me being confined to the house because of rainy weather, to see if they had sugar syrup still.  My hoodie was pulled over my head and a bee flew inside (amongst into my coat as well and into my shirt and stung my bicep later on) and it went into my ear.  That is one eerie feeling.  I remember that I wasn't too sure what to do. And I was walking back to the house, I was going to get my Husband to catch it with tweezers and pull it out, but the bee eventually backed out (probably figured out that this was not the entrance to her home), and must have turned around and stung me on the way out.  Oh brother.....that was one of my lessons and not the last of probably hundreds yet to come, yeah!!!!  The world of our bees.  Have a wonderful and eventful life, full of learning lessons about our bees.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline mgmoore7

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 364
    • Moore Honey Bees
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #67 on: November 05, 2007, 01:30:44 pm »
1. Having a queenless hive is no fun.
2. Having a laying worker is even less fun.

Just started this year in Aug, I have learned much.

Offline randydrivesabus

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #68 on: November 05, 2007, 01:56:45 pm »
I learned that wearing the proper protection and not getting stung is way more enjoyable. i learned that honey sells very well at the farmers  market and if I want some for myself I need to leave it at home. i also learned a lot of other things but those will do for now.

Offline Finsky

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2791
  • Gender: Male
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #69 on: November 05, 2007, 02:07:54 pm »
.
I learned after 45 years that I crossed several different bee strains and I got nasty swarmy hives in my yard.
I returned to basics, to Italians.

Offline tillie

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1740
  • Gender: Female
  • Bee in N Georgia on a Blackberry flower
    • Linda T's Bees
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #70 on: November 06, 2007, 12:41:48 am »
Hey, Finsky,  Like the light bulb avatar -

Linda T in Atlanta


Offline Mklangelo

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 403
  • Gender: Male
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #71 on: November 08, 2007, 04:56:47 pm »
I learned that you always wear long pants and gloves and SHOES not sandals even when just popping in to remove some empty entrance feeders.

<img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/miniStates_both/language/www/US/WI/Milwaukee.gif" border=0
alt="Click for Milwaukee, Wisconsin Forecast" height=100 width=150>


If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.
  - Robert X. Cringely

Offline Mklangelo

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 403
  • Gender: Male
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #72 on: November 08, 2007, 05:04:49 pm »
.
I learned after 45 years that I crossed several different bee strains and I got nasty swarmy hives in my yard.
I returned to basics, to Italians.

I'm going to be doubling my hives from 3 to 6 next spring.  I have carnis right now but I'm going to do Italians.  I hear they make more honey that carnis.

<img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/miniStates_both/language/www/US/WI/Milwaukee.gif" border=0
alt="Click for Milwaukee, Wisconsin Forecast" height=100 width=150>


If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.
  - Robert X. Cringely

Offline tig

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 236
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #73 on: November 08, 2007, 07:25:18 pm »
i've learned to never presume you've learned everything or know everything about beekeeping because the girls will constantly surprise you, to expect and accept the unexpected, to laugh and see the humor from some disasters and mistakes i've made and most of all...to be thankful for being a part of this forum that shows me i am not alone in my trials and tribulations!

Offline Moonshae

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 988
  • Gender: Male
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #74 on: November 08, 2007, 10:14:37 pm »
I also learned to compare prices between companies, not everything is priced competitively.
"The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer." - Egyptian Proverb, 2200 BC

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #75 on: November 08, 2007, 10:22:20 pm »
Each season I learn more about how adaptable insects honeybees are, how they put up with our intrusions and our attempts to evict them from their homes, and most of all how I never seem to be even the littlest bored by their workings, and sense of purpose. One more thing, people will often exaggerate how aggressive a hive is because of different circumstances. Do investigative research and see for yourself if it was just a hive that was aggravated by a lawn mower or weedeater or other noisy contraption. I find most feral hives (of course unless they are africanized) generally pretty downright accepting of our intrusions.
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline qa33010

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 949
  • Gender: Male
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #76 on: November 09, 2007, 11:48:17 pm »
   Since we can do only one or two I'm going to bank mine and use them over the next twenty years.  Of course by then I should have enough for a few centuries! :shock:
Everyone said it couldn't be done. But he with a chuckle replied, "I won't be one to say it is so, until I give it a try."  So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin.  If he had a worry he hid it and he started to sing as he tackled that thing that couldn't be done, and he did it.  (unknown)

Offline latebee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 314
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #77 on: November 12, 2007, 07:59:06 pm »
 Lets see---this season I learned that bee genetics(more appropiately,the queens genetics) determine the management styles that I should use on different races of bees.I have more success reacting to the bees,rather than them reacting to me.Also became a big fan of using drone comb to trap varroa,in addition to alternating other mite controls. :)
The person who walks in another's tracks leaves NO footprints.

Offline gottabee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 122
  • Gender: Male
  • Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler.
Re: What have you learned this season?
« Reply #78 on: November 12, 2007, 08:51:20 pm »
I learned that I much prefer 8 frame equipment.
I learned that good results against SHB may be had with apple cider vinegar and beetle traps when checked often.
I learned a great deal from reading your posts. You guys are great. Especially when you politely disagree with opposing opinions. It is very helpful to consider an issue from different prospectives.