What questions should new beeks be asking?

Larry Bees · December 21, 2011, 06:02:08 PM

I love it when new beeks ask questions! That's how I learn. Lately there have been very few questions asked.

Why don't you more experienced beeks list a question that we "new guys and gals" should be asking, then add an answer and other beeks can add to your answer if they like.

Larry

Kathyp · December 21, 2011, 08:07:58 PM

over the winter i think the most often asked questions are about equipment. one thing that gets missed sometimes is the starvation risk as you get into later winter and early spring. when it gets close to package time, questions are about installing, feeding, etc.

guess after they are tucked in for the winter, we don't think about them so much.

sterling · December 21, 2011, 08:24:49 PM

I will ask a question.
Is it good or bad that our weather here in middle TN has been warmer then usual? for the bees.
Now I'll explain why I ask. I had plenty of stores last year for my few hives. But it was really cold for most of Dec and Jan., at least for around here. The bees stayed inside for the two months. This year we have had a 60 degree day about every week. The bees are out flying one to two days every week. One Russian hive that I started with a package this summer was bringing in pollen Monday and one a day last week. My concern is that they will eat more of the syrup/honey on the warmer days and run low of stores.

Vance G · December 21, 2011, 08:38:16 PM

If you have a 60 degree day, you have the option of taking a peek inside or at the least lifting them to judge weight and amount of stores. At that temp you can sure feed them some fondant or damp sugar in a tray on your topbars. The question I think newbies and all of us need to ask constantly, is what is my mite load and what can I do about it and what do I need to do about it. Just letting them die is not beekeeping. I am convinced that most losses past a failed or squished queen can be laid at the mites door.

Michael Bush · December 21, 2011, 09:16:43 PM

"What are the bees trying to do, and how can I help them do it..."

FRAMEshift · December 21, 2011, 09:51:32 PM

Most of what a beekeeper does is, or should be, in harmony with the bees natural life cycle. The one thing that we do that is in opposition to what the bees want is the prevention of swarms. So new beekeepers should ask lots of questions about why bees swarm and what can be done to prevent the loss of bees before the main flow. That has more to do with how much honey your hive will produce than just about anything else.

In the process of understanding swarm prevention, a new beek will pick up lots of understanding about the bees' life cycle, how the hive raises a new queen, and the timing of brood rearing. All of this information will provide a sound basis for being a good beek, so I think this is a good place to start.

Anybrew · December 21, 2011, 10:25:33 PM

Ok,I do have a question about stopping my hives from swarming.
As PART of a swarm prevention strategy (checking for queen cells, available room etc).
Could you place an excluded on the bottom board to prevent the old queen from swarming during the swarming season??
I mark my queens so there easy to see.
One possibility I have thought about is that the old Queen may die or get killed and it becomes Queenless.

Ok smash me guys.

Cheers
Steve

hardwood · December 21, 2011, 10:29:49 PM

"Where is the nearest strip club?" and "How many ones do you have?"

Oh, I guess you mean beekeeping related questions! :-D

Larry, you know that there are members here from all over the planet and their beekeeping methods and yours should , by necessity differ. The questions you should ask is "When do my spring flow(s) start ?" and "Am I prepared?". You're in a great area for citrus blossom and if you were to move your bees 3-4 mi west after that you'd catch a good gallberry flow!

Scott

BjornBee · December 21, 2011, 11:18:11 PM

Larry,
We have been building a FAQ page on the PennApic website. While some of the info is tailored to PennApic and Northern beekeeping, a couple may be useful to you.

http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html

Perhaps some of these can help someone.

ShaneJ · December 22, 2011, 02:23:05 AM

As a newbee I have a question. I have recently learned (I think)when to add a new super for the bees to fill with honey. But how do I tell when to start removing supers?

VolunteerK9 · December 22, 2011, 08:03:49 AM

Quote from: hardwood on December 21, 2011, 10:29:49 PM
"Where is the nearest strip club?" and "How many ones do you have?"

To add to that Scott:

Where is the nearest ATM and how much is the cover charge? LoL

Its not necessarily a question but more of a statement to brand new beeks-dont get lost in the details just yet. Its easy to get overwhelmed by the many different gadgets and styles of beekeeping i.e SC or not, SBB or not, frame size and configurations. I would recommend to dive right in with a hive, get it to survive a winter and then fine tune from there.

Now what did I do with my Bunny Bucks? :)

Robo · December 22, 2011, 11:49:06 AM

Quote from: Anybrew on December 21, 2011, 10:25:33 PM
Could you place an excluded on the bottom board to prevent the old queen from swarming during the swarming season??

The short answer is it will clog up with drones and they will die.

Larry Bees · December 22, 2011, 12:09:47 PM

Thanks for all of the replies!!! Let's keep it going!

Scott, Being that I am a retired truck driver, I know where the nearest strip club is and I always have a good supply of ones handy, but yes, I am referring to beekeeping. :lau:

BjornBee, I will go check your site out later.

I must admit that I need some training when it comes to mites. Maybe Scott can help me with this.

A local question that I have is: Are there any beekeeping clubs in Brevard County, Florida? I have been looking and looking with no success. I may have to drive up to I-4 and SR44 where Scott goes.

Larry Bees · December 22, 2011, 12:15:04 PM

Quote from: BjornBee on December 21, 2011, 11:18:11 PM
Larry,
We have been building a FAQ page on the PennApic website. While some of the info is tailored to PennApic and Northern beekeeping, a couple may be useful to you.

http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html

Perhaps some of these can help someone.

Thanks for posting this site! It is helpful!

I noticed that the last 3 questions don't have answers to them.

Larry

BjornBee · December 22, 2011, 12:37:46 PM

Quote from: Larry Bees on December 22, 2011, 12:15:04 PM
Quote from: BjornBee on December 21, 2011, 11:18:11 PM
Larry,
We have been building a FAQ page on the PennApic website. While some of the info is tailored to PennApic and Northern beekeeping, a couple may be useful to you.

http://www.pennapic.org/beginner50faq.html

Perhaps some of these can help someone.

Thanks for posting this site! It is helpful!

I noticed that the last 3 questions don't have answers to them.

Larry

Thank you.

Yeah....the site is a work in progress.

Way too many cookie jars, way to few hands!

hardwood · December 22, 2011, 01:22:41 PM

I'd be happy to help anytime Larry.....just give me a call.

Scott

Anybrew · December 22, 2011, 04:27:22 PM

Thanks Robo, fair enough about the Drones. So I suppose the excluder would work at the expense of many dead drones. So cleaning it weekly and removing Queen cells could work, and would it then also help in mite control? Luckily we don't have them yet.

Cheers
Steve

FRAMEshift · December 22, 2011, 05:22:56 PM

Quote from: Anybrew on December 22, 2011, 04:27:22 PM
Thanks Robo, fair enough about the Drones. So I suppose the excluder would work at the expense of many dead drones. So cleaning it weekly and removing Queen cells could work, and would it then also help in mite control? Luckily we don't have them yet.

Cheers
Steve

I love Dubbo! No an excluder is not really a good idea. The fact that the queen may not be able to leave the hive is not going to stop swarm preparations. The bees will still backfill the broodnest, starve the queen for flight, etc. There will be no egg laying so your production of new bees will stop. If the queen gets small enough, she might get through the excluder anyway.

Removing queen cells is never a good idea (unless you are replacing the queen and don't want the genetics of the old queen). Anytime you remove queen cells and don't add a new queen or queen cells from outside, you risk ending up queenless.

The best technique to prevent swarms is to keep the brood nest open so the bees don't feel crowded. And if you plan mite control around a brood break, you can do a "false swarm" split to create a new hive and avoid a swarm at the same time.

Michael Bush · December 22, 2011, 08:15:58 PM

Trying to force a hive to not swarm is not very effective. Even the queen excluder, assuming you get all the drones out of every week (difficult as they get stuck) a determined queen will get through it anyway. Clipping will just make them leave with the first virgin. What you need to do is set the stage so they don't WANT to swarm.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfallacies.htm#queencells

Anybrew · December 22, 2011, 11:30:43 PM

Hey FRAMEshift and Michael, now thats the sort of info I was seeking. Some very good advice there to think on whilst suckin a beer.

ps Dubbo is a good place for a beer for sure, I reckon the good ol USA wouldn't be to bad if you picked the right spot away from the big Cities. I might have to look into that.

Cheers
Steve