Author Topic: My 2014 Bee Year in Review  (Read 6765 times)

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Offline DonMcJr

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My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« on: August 08, 2014, 08:16:51 pm »
Well been way too busy with that work thing to my liking!

1st thing I wanna say is to check all parts of the forum cause I like to post in general beekeeping because everyone actually reads it and replies here but lately it's been getting Moderated to it's "Proper Section" lol go figure! Then no one replies to it!

Started off this spring with 1 Hive that Survived. Got 2 Packages from northern Cali, caught a local swarm, bought a local overwintered nuc that had swarm cells so 2 frames with swarm cells went in one hive, 3 frames and the Queen went in another. That's my 6 full hives!

My 6 Hives


The Lyle Swarm


Tried my double nuc cloake board method and it didn't seem to go very well. So I added another frame of eggs and bees to both halves and now that Double Nuc has Queens and going Strong. 2 Days later I made 2 more double Nucs by taking 3 frames, one of eggs/young larva, one of capped brood and one of Honey/Pollen in each nuc. That's my other 2 Double nucs so that 6 Nucs...

2 Double Nucs Ready


a Double Nuc in the Yard


Grand Total 6 Full hives and 6 Nucs!

Next I tried my hand at Making Hive Boxes! Made this Double Nuc!






I harvested honey from 4 of my hives last weekend. 260 lbs from them 4 hives!

The Honey Harvest from the Hives...

  

8 Mediums full of honey!


One of the "Textbook" frames of Honey!


Extracting...


Finally... Some of the 2014 Honey!



Oh and between Work and all this Beekeeping I still found time to plant my Food Plot for the Bees/Deer...Clover and Buckwheat! Here's the Buck Wheat Blooming right now!



So... what's left for this year?

All 6 hives hopefully are filling a Super with Buckwheat Honey and I need to add a super to each this weekend.

Also this weekend I am going too try and Populate the Double nuc I made myself and hope there's enough time to get the 2 Queens Mated... then pull the Supers 1st Week of September, Check Stores and Feed if stores are not enough. Don't treat with Chemicals and all my Hives are Healthy and Strong so no need to Treat and I wouldn't anyway. If they don't make it without treating I don't want them!

Whew that was a long post! Hope everyone is Healthy, Happy and have Bellies full of Honey! 8)
President/Founder of Pine River Beekeeping Club  Goodells, MI in St. Clair County
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Offline iddee

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2014, 08:24:19 pm »
The reason the posts in the other forums don't get answered may be because too many people just drop everything in general beekeeping, so they have no reason to look in the other forums.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

Offline DonMcJr

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2014, 08:36:16 pm »
The reason the posts in the other forums don't get answered may be because too many people just drop everything in general beekeeping, so they have no reason to look in the other forums.

Yep which is why I said that so hopefully everyone reads this and drops their posts where they belong and starts reading the other sections!  :laugh:
President/Founder of Pine River Beekeeping Club  Goodells, MI in St. Clair County
Check out our Facebook Page >>> https://www.facebook.com/PineRiverBeekeepingClub?ref=hl

Offline iddee

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2014, 08:40:49 pm »
Now you leave me in a quandary. Should I move this one, or leave it.  Darn, I hate these earth shattering decisions.   :laugh:


PS. This is the 31000th post. I sure hope I don't have to move them all.   :o   :o   :laugh:
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

Offline DonMcJr

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2014, 09:57:22 pm »
Lmao that's why I included so many different topics in one post...it could go in multiple sections lol!  8)
President/Founder of Pine River Beekeeping Club  Goodells, MI in St. Clair County
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2014, 10:23:24 pm »
LOL Good post!  The year in review needs pics of wintering hives too though!
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Offline DonMcJr

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2014, 10:33:54 pm »
It will...just havent posted much so I mad3 this for now...
President/Founder of Pine River Beekeeping Club  Goodells, MI in St. Clair County
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Offline Lburou

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2014, 11:19:38 pm »
The reason the posts in the other forums don't get answered may be because too many people just drop everything in general beekeeping, so they have no reason to look in the other forums.
I just click on the orange headings at the top of the forum and to the right of the WWWBeekeeping logo to see the posts made since my last visit.  Look for this link:  Show unread posts since last visit.
Lee_Burough

Offline Jen

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2014, 12:00:25 am »
That's what I do as well! Seems to me it's the most current posts ~
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2014, 12:04:31 am »
The reason the posts in the other forums don't get answered may be because too many people just drop everything in general beekeeping, so they have no reason to look in the other forums.
I just click on the orange headings at the top of the forum and to the right of the WWWBeekeeping logo to see the posts made since my last visit.  Look for this link:  Show unread posts since last visit.

I have this link bookmarked:

http://www.worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php?action=recent;start=0

I look at them all (well, if there's not more than ten pages of them).
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
Beekeeping at 26.4 kbs

Offline riverbee

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2014, 07:31:39 pm »
nice year in review don, thank you!

i would just like to say, i read every post, everyday, or catchup on every post made here, i like and enjoy reading up on what everyone is up too, that's just me.  i am now in the process of catching up for time i missed on vacation, about 10 pages i think?........ :D

i think many folks read the posts everyday and to me or them it does not matter what appropriate category the posts are under ?  i read every one of them no matter where they are, and many others do.  just because you may not see the response you desire, does not mean the post/s is not being read, all you need to look for is how many times the post has been viewed, sometimes folks read a post and have no reply, keep that in mind.   ;)

i enjoy your posts like this one, keep them coming!
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2014, 09:49:47 pm »
What Mrs. River said!!
   I do read all the posts. Mostly...    :D  If they do not interest me I will pass them by and read them when there are less interesting things to read.   Often, if I am tired I will read but will not respond Until reminded of the post by someone else when I have the morning coffee in hand.
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Offline DonMcJr

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #12 on: September 05, 2014, 11:07:57 am »
September 5, 2014 Update!

Well I had Hive #2 Swarm September 2nd...Caught it and it's now in Double Nuc 4a. The rest of my 6 Main hives are doing AWESOME! I'll probably get another 200 lbs of Honey at the end of September!

Double Nucs have all made Queen! I saw all 6 of them about a half hour ago!!!!  8) ;D Nuc 2a had a freshly hatched Virgin Queen and she looks to be a good one too! I am so happy all my Double Nuc Splits I made took!

Like I said Nuc 4a is a Swarm Catch from my Hive 2 and Nuc 4b is a Swarm I caught 2 weeks ago a few towns over!

So I am going to go into Winter this year with 6 Full Hives and 8 Nucs in 4 Double Nuc Boxes!!!

 :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Didn't have time for Pics cause it's gonna storm in about an hour...Next time! ;)
President/Founder of Pine River Beekeeping Club  Goodells, MI in St. Clair County
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Offline Perry

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #13 on: September 05, 2014, 05:49:27 pm »
DonMcJr

He's making hay while the sun shines! :yes:
It's great when stuff come together.
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Offline Marion

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #14 on: September 05, 2014, 07:28:33 pm »
The video was great for someone like me that has never harvested honey before. Were your frames already drawn with wax when you first put your supers on?

Offline DonMcJr

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #15 on: September 05, 2014, 10:01:14 pm »
All but 2 were already drawn but them two were drawn and capped too...
President/Founder of Pine River Beekeeping Club  Goodells, MI in St. Clair County
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Offline Marion

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #16 on: September 06, 2014, 06:55:41 am »
Awesome. Your bees did very well.

Offline lazy shooter

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Re: My 2014 Bee Year in Review
« Reply #17 on: September 06, 2014, 09:39:44 am »
Don's bees make me sick.  I'm three years into beekeeping and made my first two small harvests this year, with one more harvest at the end of this month.  His beekeeping skills and his attention to business remind me of the slacker that I have become. 

On a serious note, it appears that Don has a beekeeper in the flash of a moment.  Good on you Don.  I can't get over year one.  Has anyone ever started with one hive and done this well in one year?  If so, please post, as these success stories spread optimism among us lessors. 

WAY TO GO DON