New year new plans ?

[greengumbo]

Hope everyones recovered from the festive break.

So I'm about to delve into my second year and first full season of beekeeping and have been laying out my plans.

Expanding to 2 hives is a must, maybe 3 if I can find a swarm !

Going to keep with the poly langs and will be ordering more but have aquired some free old WBCs that might be useful as stand bys.

I will plough on with the garden re-vamp. Hedging and trees looking great at the moment with some signs of life and some of the 500 crocus and snowdrops I stuck in the ground in October are poking up. Looking at the seed catalougues at the moment :)

Not interested in getting a honey crop this year although a few jars would be nice. Expansion is the name of the game if possible dependent if my current small colony gets through the winter.

So what are your best laid plans ?

[Neils]

Green gumbo, depending on the strength of the colony and the kit you have available I'd say its feasible to split a colony into 3 and, weather depending, still come away with a few jars of honey. Especially if you have a Nuc or two lying around.

I'd definitely be wary of running two different frame sizes, especially with only a couple of colonies, being able to put a frame from one hive into another without having to give it a second thought is a definite advantage.

As for me, I'll take a better spring/summer than last year right now. If that happens I'd like to get my queen rearing sorted out and start making some inroads improving my bees. Right now I have temper as a priority and ill start to be more selective once I'm making inroads on that front.

Outside of the hives I want to pass my module 2 exam in the spring and I might have a serious attempt at module 5 in the autumn.

This year for me is more about consolidation and taking stock of where I think I am with my beekeeping than attempting anything too dramatic.

[madasafish]

I am just looking forward to some good weather..

Agree with Neils: two frame sizes when you have few hives is at best a pia, at worst a disaster. You will need two sheds for the spares..

[greengumbo]

I am just looking forward to some good weather..

Agree with Neils: two frame sizes when you have few hives is at best a pia, at worst a disaster. You will need two sheds for the spares..

Well it looks like I will be starting from 0 hives given my suspicion that the one I did have has died out :(

[drumgerry]

Ach that's a proper scunner Greengumbo. Sorry to hear that.

[SteveW316]

Hello Everyone,
Being new, my plans are to complete the classes with Edinburgh Beekeepers and find some bees!!
I had 3 colonies for a year when I lived in North Devon. I then moved to Shetland where it wasn't possible for me to start again. After being back on the mainland for 3 years, this is the year to start again. I managed to get 2 of my old hives back!! They've not been used for about 6 years, so busy building replacement frames with new foundation, scorching the brood boxes and supers and seeing what I can salvage.

Looking forward to having 2 strong colonies by the Autumn and then see where we go!

[drumgerry]

Best of luck with it Steve! And welcome to the forum.

[madasafish]

Add one more full size TBH.

Engage more vigorously with fanatics on BKF..:-)

[prakel]

Engage more vigorously with fanatics on BKF..:-)

sounds like you're verging on fanatical behaviour to me!

[gavin]

Add one more full size TBH.

Engage more vigorously with fanatics on BKF..:-)

LOL! Produce a shed-load of filled supers for cut comb from my Modified Nationals, a few nucs for the newbees, and try to cut down an engaging with the fanatics on BKF!

And get a proper queen raising programme underway at the association apiary. Amm-leaning (maybe a bit of morphometry supplemented with a look at the other Amm traits) but with the priority on gentle and productive.

Welcome, Steve.

G.

[madasafish]

sounds like you're verging on fanatical behaviour to me!

Hmm Well it's not as I actually have beekeeping interests that I post on as well, don't rant, misquote or call those who disagree with me a host of rude names...Nor have I been banned from forums yet.......................

that tends to rule out the "fanatical " bit.

[gavin]

I suspect Prakel intended to put some sort of winking smilie at the end of his message.

Could have sworn that I saw him having a go himself at some of the BKF fanatics the other day!

[prakel]

I suspect Prakel intended to put some sort of winking smilie at the end of his message. ;)


Could have sworn that I saw him having a go himself at some of the BKF fanatics the other day!

They do tend to encourage it.... especially the ones who measure heat loss from empty boxes!

[madasafish]

;)



They do tend to encourage it.... especially the ones who measure heat loss from empty boxes!

Hmm

I'm sure that's a way to measure IQ..:-)