Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: GLOCK on January 15, 2014, 06:30:00 pm
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So what's every ones goals for 2014?
Mine is to have 15 DBL.deeps and 30 DBL. nucs by fall.
I plan on keeping better records and test my hives for VSH and work with what I have and make some queens.
I made 20+ last year.
And learn how to use my extractor what a night mare I had this past year :-\
Thank you.
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I would like to stay around the 50 hives I have, maybe with any swarms or cut-outs expand to 60.
A more serious attempt at overwintering nucs.
Get my honey house finished and all the equipment in place and set up.
Maybe sell 50 to 60 nucs (already have 28 booked).
I may be asked to do inspections again this year, and I have already been asked if I might do the pick-up and inspections of imported queens at the airport when they arrive.
Be a better husband and father too. ;)
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Perry says..... I would like to stay around the 50 hives I have,
Iddee says.... I would like to stay around ;D
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Here are my 2014 goals
- Raise 30 GOOD queens to put into nucs for wintering
- Get to 20-25 full production colonies
- <20% winter losses (2014-2015 winter)
- 1000 lbs of honey extracted, bottled, and sold
- Keep better track of expenses and income and finish the season in the black
I'm painting woodenware tonight for nucs going to start making more supers and bottom boards this weekend.
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""Perry says..... I would like to stay around the 50 hives I have,
Iddee says.... I would like to stay around""
Awww Iddee, you make me laugh! Beekeepers are known to live well into their healthy 90's. I'm not worried for ya...
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Hmmm, let's see.....
Gonna make my first split for sure. Nervous, cause I think I need to put a queen in instead of waiting for the colony to make one, which takes too long for egg laying and such.... and... I mapped this out yet. Where do I get another queen?
And I need to figure out how to make a feeding station for my yard. Sooo, I need to take a pic of my yard, post it here and get some advice.
If I manage to get any of my own honey this my fourth year.. I will just die of sheer happiness ~
That about covers it.... for now
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Perry says..... I would like to stay around the 50 hives I have,
Iddee says.... I would like to stay around ;D
If I don't get more active and eat better, I'm going to keep getting rounder!
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And I need to figure out how to make a feeding station for my yard. Sooo, I need to take a pic of my yard, post it here and get some advice.
If you want to open feed, it doesn't have to be elaborate. You can set a boardman feeder out. Or, easier than that, get a Ziploc bag and fill it with syrup. Lay it down on a table or something outside (make sure it's sealed well). Take a stick pin and poke some holes in the top of it.
Easy peasy.
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Slow- Hmm sounds like a winner. Now, I see the zippie getting mold in it, should I keep it in the shade?
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I had planned to make some splits and buy some more bees to get up to about 8-10 hives, but it looks like those plans have been interrupted for now...
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Jen,
When you try open feeding, you may very well find out that there are a LOT more bees in your area than you thought.
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Slow- Hmm sounds like a winner. Now, I see the zippie getting mold in it, should I keep it in the shade?
If they find it and they like it, it will be empty in a day or two. No time for mold. Of course, you could add a squirt of lemon juice to lower the pH and enhance the flavor. Or add Honey B Healthy if you have any.
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Dirt- well I figure that, but these guys have me wondering about it and how it differs from a boardman in the hive or a quart bottle placed on the inner cover with a super and lid on. I know that open feeding helps prevent robbing.
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I know that open feeding helps prevent robbing.
That's not necessarily true. If the open feeder is too close to your hives, and it attracts bees from other hives, they may try to rob your hives. Open feeders should be places far away from hives (IMO).
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Perry says..... I would like to stay around the 50 hives I have,
Iddee says.... I would like to stay around ;D
If I don't get more active and eat better, I'm going to keep getting rounder!
AMEN to that!
By winters end I am usually pushing about 210... by the time my wife is done with me in the fall I am under 180.. the problem is getting GOING in the spring.. seems that each year it takes longer. I was 125 lbs going into the Navy... I was 180 coming OUT of the navy... same as I weigh around fall time... seems that the 28 inch pants I wore back then dont fit me now even when I weigh the same.. whats UP with that??? Cant seem to bench 240 lbs any more either... HAS to be age.. so I decided to quit. No more birthdays. I should have quit YEARS ago!
2014 plans..
Grow. nothing fancy.. just GROW.. no, not my waist line, the Outyard!!!
How many hives? Perry seems to like 50, so I will set my sights there to begin with. I have to determine the line between LOVE and HATE.
Maybe I can handle 200 hives, Maybe 20 is enough, only time will tell. So the plans for spring are to do splits and raise bees. Lots of bees, and with luck go into fall with SOME honey to extract, and 30 to 40 hives. I already have removals lined up. Two will be free, the other two will not be easy, Price given and accepted, so just waiting till mid to late April to do them.
Thinking.. I need to get a tie died shirt and do the JP lookalike thing. Maybe I can blame him if it all goes wrong?
OH! Cant forget to constantly remind WIFE that I am raising BEES this year so stop taking orders for honey, and NO we will NOT have 1200 pounds ready by July 1st....
Swarm traps.. I love swarm traps. Makes me feel like a kid again. I remember setting out my first trapline, and running those traps on my bicycle. I peddled for MILES with my Stevens single shot .22 strapped across my back.. Eventually talked dad into letting me use the old truck because lugging coon on a bike wasnt all that fun.. so here I am, thirteen years old buzzing about the country roads with my .22.. That old 68 Chevy truck extended my range dramatically... back in those days, a good big Boar brought 60 to 70 bucks. I thought I was SO RICH!!! Then I noticed Girls... Yes, I know, the BANE of every good story... Still,... going out to check bait hives gives me the same feeling of excitement.. I may build a few more just because its so much fun!
Imagine the repercussions today of a policeman pulling over a thirteen year old with a .22 rifle laying in the front seat... LOL I miss those days..
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Lazy- forgot! how many hives do you have presently?
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down to 16 at this point.. not sure what I will have come spring. No Nucs etc... two hives still in deeps, the rest are in mediums....
Not to change the subject.. but watched Dee Lusby tossing around deeps on a vid earlier.. made me feel inferior!!!
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I really need to post some pics of my deep frames, you guys are gonna go "Whaaaaaaaat..... the h e double ell?"
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Hey LazyBkpr.
You are wise to find that sweet spot as far as hive numbers go. I have just gone up to the 50 mark in the last year and will see by experience if it suits me. I have built up slowly, acquiring pieces of the puzzle (equipment) as I went, often at good prices.
We have an incentive program here called the Pollinator Expansion Program, designed to help new beekeepers break into the business. It requires that you be at the 50 hive mark and spent at least one year doing some pollination. It will then kick in and help you expand from there. There is $150,000 available each year, max of $25,000 per person. I have been told to apply and have refused to this point. I have watched a few folks jump in with both feet and take on large debt so that they could qualify for the grants. I wonder what will happen if they have a bad year?
I guess I am old school in that regards. I figure if I can't pay for it, I shouldn't be doing it. If it's risky, I'll do it with my money, not the public's.
I have also had the pleasure of seeing how large operations run, and am positive I don't want to keep bees that way! I'm not knocking it, just saying it's not my style.
The line between pleasure and "work" is thin.
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no great plans this season. Maybe try to get to about 15-20 hives.
I might be taking part in a SHB study (yes, they have made it up to New England).
get a honey room set up.
that should do it
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gonna do my pre spring spring cleaning. Ready what is going to be my bee yard. Set all my gardens up and get started when i can get the buzzy bugs here. Hubby gave me my own work bench in the shop so im organizing it for bee stuffs. An biggest goal of all a new mower. we needs a zero turn something bad! Looks like i know what date night is this saturday. shopping around for what we both like in grass eaters. An no he wont be bringing me flower eating goats! :laugh:
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My goal is to add one hive and try to keep it alive as well as the other 2 I have now
repaint all the hives
let the wild flowers grow a little longer before I mow the back yard and front
and pray that we have a balance of rain and sunshine so my bees can get out and work the flowers this spring
Ken
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ken have you thought of adding rain barrels to your set up? I just added my first system this fall and already want to add another set up. I have three 50 gallon plastic barrels that i have set up. I can post pics later need the sun up more first.
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Increase from 15 to 20 hives and harvest a record year of honey.
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Hubby gave me my own work bench in the shop so im organizing it for bee stuffs.
OH NO!!! THAT is how it always happens!!! First,, its just a bench, or a part of the bench... but her FOOT is now in the door... He will get accused of being messy, and then "SHE" will clean up "said" bench, and from that point on, HE will never be able to find anything EVER again... Of course HE will complain, at which point SHE will stomp her foot and point at the door.... Sign off on that garage, start moving your stuffs to a shed, the barn, SOMEWHERE else!!!
Yes... I did.. Made that mistake with my Garage, my shed, My barn, and my store... Now they are.. HER barn, Her shed, HER store, and HER garage...
What do I have? Permission to make my hives in the back room.......
:'( :'( :'(
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Ha, poor Scott. You are going to have start marking your territory again sounds like.
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no great plans this season. Maybe try to get to about 15-20 hives.
I might be taking part in a SHB study (yes, they have made it up to New England).
get a honey room set up.
that should do it
:o Are you serious about the SHB? Are they established or have there just been a few found?
Not good to hear they are adapting to the cold.
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Ha, poor Scott. You are going to have start marking your territory again sounds like.
I have OFTEN considered means of reversal, It is a good dream, and I often smile while dreaming... Until she tears me from the dream.. "What are you smiling at?" Oh.. uhhhh.. you and me.. later.. WINK.. "Forget it mistah!" Whew.. living in fear is not how I want to spend my final days!
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we share the shope already have to have some where to build my chicken tractors do sculpting ect. I do already get in trouble for the where is this tool bit! I think that may be why im being given a bench and a tool box lol. I always know where the tools are though some times in my truck from use at scout meetings or chicken auctions lol. He accepts me and i only have him get rid of stuff if nothing has been done with it in five years time. Otherwise we have no room for all our cool projects and play toys.
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Five years!!!! :o Your married already huh?
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well you cant exactly say you havent done anything with that motor in two to three years time cuz those are time and money projects. I try to be reasonable. O:-) we just had our 12 year anniversary in december. An hay i cant be too bad cuz im the one that suggested we go buy a harley to play with.
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Going from 12 to 25, maybe 26 hives this year. With swarm traps and swarm retrievals, may go to 30. Plan to introduce about 10 PTSD soldiers to beekeeping. Also will develop 20 acres of purely bee habitat; fruit trees, clover, and bee friendly flowers with those same soldiers. Another location will add 2 acres of yellow sweet clover and 2 acres of white dutch....and on June 23rd, celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary!
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i cant be too bad cuz im the one that suggested we go buy a harley to play with.
Yep.. that tears it.. I married the wrong woman!!!
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Daaang! this thread has all the ingredients for a juicy novel! ;) 8)
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now now lazy i dont want to be added to the list of Suspicion :laugh:
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Mama- I think it was the word "Harley" that did it :D
But frankly, a Harley is on my bucket list. I can see Biker Bee Chick in the Headlines 8)
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so many jokes but keeping them to myself they are a bit colorful and dont want to upset any one :no:
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Okay, then I shall not entice ;)
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:o Are you serious about the SHB? Are they established or have there just been a few found?
Not good to hear they are adapting to the cold.
We ( beekeepers around here) aren't quite sure yet, but all indications are that there are some that are overwintering. Not good at all if they are.
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so many jokes but keeping them to myself they are a bit colorful and dont want to upset any one :no:
LOL!! My wife has a habit of wanting something, getting it, then not wanting to spend money on it..
We used to ride all the time, (We were married in a biker bar in fact. She rode her harley up the steps for the wedding.) then came the twins.. we sold our bikes... last year she talked about getting a harley again.. so i traded a truck I had straight across for a decent Ironhead sportster she could ride to work etc if she wanted.. It runs and drives, but needs jugs and pistons because it smokes a bit. the lower end was rebuilt about 800 miles past, but the guy was too cheap to do the top end.. I have built a few, so its not a problem, until i tell her I am going to order the parts...
"Welllllll.... It can wait for now right?"
I bought her a 43 International truck because she said she always wanted to rebuild an old truck JUST for her.. I had a tuned port engine to put in it, most of the parts.. but she wouldn't spend money on it, so I sold it. Three years ago she found a 69 Chevy truck, and wanted it BAD, so i bought it, brought it home, took it all apart and started to rebuild it, until it came to spending MONEY on it.. its now sitting out in the barn... Same place her sporty will be sitting this spring. So I give up... Jens honey lotion seems to make her as happy as anything, so I'll have to bargain with her to get more when thats gone...
SHB... I havent seen a beetle or sign of a beetle YET, but I am looking. So far, wax moth and Varoa are the worst enemies I have to deal with.
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Well Lazy.... The wiser women are just as cute as the young farm girls driving those big ole' trucks. And I know why I never see too many of us wiser women on bikes. As the years wane by our backs just couldn't handle the travel anymore, doesn't mean that we aren't just as spunky as we ever were tho. I know a couple that traveled out to Sturgis on their bikes about 10 years ago. They knew it was their last trip when they arrived and it took them half an hour to just get off the bike.
Bucket Lists and Pipe Dreams are so closely related.
Please don't tell me that life's youthful edgy risks have boiled down to lotion.... gawd!
Picture this: Way back in the day hubs and I were pregnant, 1976. He bought an old International Scout to travel back and forth in the snow to the lumber mill in the next town. Winter had faded into a hot summer and I was bigger than a barrel. Hubs took the top and the doors off of the Scout and I would do my errands around town soaking in the sun with my belly pressed up against the steering wheel.
I'm sure you would understand this scene while watching your wife pregnant with Twins.
I learned how to 4wheel drive in that Scout, Shot my first buck in that Scout. But alas, a station wagon replaced the Good Ol' Scout. Kids do that to ya.
We are going to get a butt chew for highjacking Goals for 2014, or Iddee will delete it :\
Back to Bees
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stock and perhaps either rent or sell 100 boxes. lot of boxes and frames and lots of paint to splatter around between now and then.
establish a large yard in the tallow area down near Houston. raise a few more queens than I did last year.
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Rent? As in rent out hives, or just the boxes?
I have been approached for wooden ware rather frequently as of late and have taken to building extra to accommodate. The one problem in that picture is having enough frames and foundation on hand, and sitting on the cost of it till it is sold. Not sure how to deal with that. Sitting on a grand watching a few dollars here and there roll in.
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I build hives, but dont put frames in them Perry. I sell the frames I make if they want foundation-less, otherwise they have to order their frames. Like you, the output is a bit too high for me to keep the frames laying about waiting for an owner. Then theres the problem of not having the right foundation in those frames if they want small cell, large cell, wax etc, etc, etc.. Having half a dozen hives ready isnt that bad, and I try to do that anyhow in case I need them for swarms, cut outs, splits and such. Hoping to have a dozen EXTRA hives ready before the spring panic kicks in.