How did you start with bees?

rothbart · March 02, 2021, 12:52:51 AM

I will write a bit about my "beekeeping" adventures, real short.
My father was keeping bees for a time, but liked his wine more it seems.
Real beekeeper never quit, he did. Fast forward at workplace.. my boss had a brother who was beekeeper and he used to talk about him, mostly how many stings got day before. Strange. What beekeeper talk about stings? I was thinking about it and now I get it. His brother got one sting, or none in a day of work with hundreds of hives. Docile bees and skillful master.

And at workplace there was this little bee book, really simple and useless, but got me started. Idea was born. Not much later I buy myself a big nice bee book, to read over winter near stove. And then I forgot about it all. For a time my business took me in other direction. Then about 2006 I think, don't know how or why, idea was back. Started collecting old ebooks and started following forums, I did write about them. Few years passed and again my attention was needed elsewhere. In 2016 or 2017, not sure, finally decision was made, I will be a beekeeper.

In local newspaper I read about this guy I did know, but didn't know he was keeping bees. So I visited him for newspaper described him a passionate beekeeper. Ok let see what he knows compared to me. Soon find out we have a club and a president is my former school teacher. This looks good.. So I contacted him too.. I wanted to buy 100 hives. You read it right. I wanted him to come with me, to not get swindled, it made sense to me back then. Of course he talked me out of it, "It would be a disaster" he told me. So I settled out on 10 hives and not one less, I would be a experience.. more bees, more experience was my idea. OK, I got my bees from two members of our club. Ten hives. My hives, their bees. 10 frams of bees for one deep. One new LR hive three deeps, was about 50 euros and bees for one hive 100 euros. All was good, till it wasn't. I didn't want to bother them too much and they swarmed.
Got help from that first beekeeper, and now I had 22 hives. He told me "feed them". Yea right.. the summer was here, and tourist season starting, and flowers everywhere. They will manage I thought. I was only bringing water all summer and that's it. But then this varoa thing bothered me.. When and how will I medicate them.. Asked a friend, and he said, You will do it when we will do it. Ok then, let's party continue. Come september and no one told me nothing about varoa, so I contacted
a guy.. "yeah I didn't have time so this friend of mine did it for me a month ago"..
Now what? Nearest shop was 100 km away.. Jumped on my bike and bought beevital or something. Organic thing.. Two treatments 6 days apart and a lot of praying. But hey, it was nice parties right?
Now feeding for winter.. They seems so weak to me, so I joined them back. Then feed them plenty. Seven managed to survive, 4 weak, 3 strong. Over the winter I finished my bee school, lasted about three months, teachers Nikola Kezic and Maja Drazic, know scientists over here. One hive was so strong I did splits mostly from her. Too bad it was aggressive hive. But it saved me.

Fast forward august feeding time, and they don't let me.. They were so cross, and I didn't have full body suit back then. What to do? I need really good suit for them, common one wont do it. So I said, fine.. let see who will survive without help.. Better than get killed from bees. In october I got my suit, suitable for allergic peoples they said.. I did treat them with oxalic the next day.. they managed to sting me still but it was possible to work now with them. Let see how many survived the winter.. 50% loss.. many from mice.. or it was after they died that mice came. Can't tell. Season was fine, but didn't take any honey.. Every single frame had half brood half honey so I let them have it all.

Time was come to establish a new yard, one hour drive from the first.
I have little car. No way I can carry entire hive, so what I did, split hive in two deeps..
Managed to transport three hives at once. Once there, I had to carry them 400 steps in what is basically a wilderness in the night. Stand were prepared in advance. They are all from marble. Who have stands like that. Perfect for two hives, present from a friend who did give up building plans for a house of his. Ok.. I marked the deeps at home, now put them on the stand in right pairs but of course could not combined them back in the night. Had to come next morning to do that. First night I managed to escape the storm for just 5 minutes. Lucky.

The next evening did the same thing. Try to visualize that. Heavy deep carried on foot in the night with head lamp.. bees freaking out.. wilderness all around me.. 400 steps in one direction.. My back hurts.. Soaking wet.. And night encounter happened.. Two big yellow eyes looking at me from near mound. I sush them loud, the thing turn around and escapes. Can't tell what it was.. Beautiful big yellow eyes and no pictures on google matched them.. My guess just the fox, or maybe dog.
And now here we are.. new spring, new hope, and new forum.

edit:formating.. also apology for bad word

Bob Wilson · March 02, 2021, 08:35:53 PM

Rothbart. You said "share a bit", then you wrote a book.

I put two swarm traps out in the community a few years ago, but instead, a swarm of bees just moved straight into the main hivebody waiting in my own back yard.

Leoj900 · March 02, 2021, 10:26:08 PM

I saw an observation hive when I was up in Michigan and I told my wife that when I retire in 35 years, I want to start beekeeping. She asked me why wait until then, and I could not think of a reason. Little did she know that that question would lead to having to hang around thousands of bees just a couple months later.

rothbart · March 02, 2021, 11:55:00 PM

Quote from: Bob Wilson on March 02, 2021, 08:35:53 PM
Rothbart. You said "share a bit", then you wrote a book.

That was short version. It's not fun revealing everything. I wanted my mistakes out there
in the open. I also killed my best queen, that's too painful to talk about.

rothbart · March 03, 2021, 12:02:33 AM

Quote from: Leoj900 on March 02, 2021, 10:26:08 PM
I saw an observation hive when I was up in Michigan and I told my wife that when I retire in 35 years, I want to start beekeeping. She asked me why wait until then, and I could not think of a reason. Little did she know that that question would lead to having to hang around thousands of bees just a couple months later.

I am so sorry I didn't start earlier. Since it takes time to master beekeeping, make
sense to start as early as possible.

Leoj900 · March 03, 2021, 09:53:12 AM

On top of that it seems pretty physically straining. Especially when you are carrying hives on your back. That is way more fun to do when you are younger.

rothbart · March 03, 2021, 11:25:40 AM

Quote from: Leoj900 on March 03, 2021, 09:53:12 AM
On top of that it seems pretty physically straining. Especially when you are carrying hives on your back. That is way more fun to do when you are younger.

For weak and old there is always top bar and AZ hive, that is my plan if I survive
to that stage. But training is good. I run marathons and I like it. Pain is good.
Use it or lose it they say. It goes for brain too.