« previous next »
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 5   Go Down

Author Topic: What are your goals for this year?  (Read 37008 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Crofter

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 320
  • ex pressure welder/steamfitter; now a tinker
  • Location: N. Ontario, On the shore of North Channel of Lake Huron 46.00 N. Lat.
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #20 on: January 25, 2014, 08:02:54 am »
My mission is to roughly maintain my numbers around 8 hives and try to get a decent honey crop while controlling swarms. In the process I want to requeen each hive. I expect to use some version of the Demarree method for swarm control as this year with all drawn comb the bees will have more wander lust than last year when most of them were split.
Keep close track of mite counts and pull honey supers off mid August or sooner ;if I have to treat I want lots of time to spare. I do not want to feed 300+ pounds of syrup this fall!
Logged
Frank

Offline GLOCK

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 182
  • Thanked: 2 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: SNOW SHOE PA.
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #21 on: January 25, 2014, 08:29:36 am »
Just in case ya don't know what the Demarree method is.
http://www.kentbee.com/stw/bm~doc/demaree-method-of-swarm-control.pdf
Logged
Say hello to the bad guy.
5 year Beekeeper/40 hives/ treat{oav}

Offline brooksbeefarm

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2566
  • Thanked: 89 times
  • Location: fair grove, mo.
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #22 on: January 25, 2014, 10:06:35 am »
Hope my new knee is up to what i have planned for it this spring. Got most of my seed ready for the 5 acre truck patch. Depends on how many hives make it through this crazy up and down weather pattern ? i plan to go from 92 hives that i had last year to 100+ hives just to say i at one time had 100 hives. :o I have selected a few standout queens(3 year olds) from some of my hives that i will replace with new bought queens and put the old queens in nucs to produce egg frames for some splits and nucs in my out yards, and to produce new queens to requeen hives with dud queens and requeen fall hives. Hoping to keep there genetics going.Coming three and four year old queens are more pron to swarm and start to run out of sperm, as long as they produce well i put them in nucs and use there brood frames and honey pollen frames to build up weak hives or start new nucs with them. Why kill a old producing queen just to prevent swarming (like many in my club do) when you can put her in a nuc and let her do what she was born to do and let nature do it's thing. ??? Sorry to get a little off subject.Jack
Logged

Gypsi

  • Guest
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #23 on: January 25, 2014, 10:31:11 am »
Keeping a couple of hives going, maybe do a cutout or swarm catch so I have enough to keep at least 2 hives through NEXT winter. Figure that means starting with 5.  getting the house and grounds ready to sell, no new perennial purchases, getting aquaponics going in bee yard.
Logged

Offline Jen

  • Platinum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10175
  • Thanked: 240 times
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Upper California
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #24 on: January 25, 2014, 02:47:28 pm »
Hi Gypsi- ""getting aquaponics going in bee yard.""

Do you have special system for water?
Logged
There Is Peace In The Queendom

Gypsi

  • Guest
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #25 on: January 25, 2014, 02:55:41 pm »
working on it Jen. I have a pond. It is more efficient to apply water directly to plants roots than it is to put roots in ground and water. I can shade the pond/aquaponics area from some of the heat. 

I can't make it rain.

I can conserve water.  If I can do it here I can do it for someone else. Ongoing career development.  Pic of my back yard this morning if it will upload. Ah never mind. Hard dry clay. Stubble of bermuda, maybe one pc stubble per 6 inches, baked for the last 3 years
Logged

Offline Slowmodem

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1551
  • Thanked: 37 times
  • Gender: Male
    • http://gregsbees.blogspot.com/
  • Location: Ten Mile, TN
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #26 on: January 25, 2014, 04:09:18 pm »
I am going to try to grow some ginseng this year.  Some in a flower box and some in the woods.  I've been told it's going for $700/lb.  So it might be worth experimenting with.
Logged
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
Beekeeping at 26.4 kbs

Gypsi

  • Guest
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #27 on: January 25, 2014, 04:41:42 pm »
it is so worth it BUT has to be the right species of Ginseng to be worth much. The grocery store variety is a hot tropical, wants 80's.  The native variety in the Appalachians is almost extinct and worth a bundle.
Logged

Offline Gary

  • Regular Member
  • **
  • Posts: 35
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Manhattan,Kansas
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #28 on: January 25, 2014, 08:18:28 pm »
1. From 12 to 25 hives this Spring. All 12 still doing well as of today even with these wicked swings in temperatures. 2. Split at least 5 hives. 3. Learn about raising my own queens and make the first batch for local beekeepers. 4. Build a  strong local Bee Club. Just started last month and off to a good start.
Should keep me busy. Bottled the last 80 of 940 pounds of honey today. Almost all already spoken for. 
Logged

Offline Ziffa

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 102
  • Thanked: 1 times
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #29 on: January 26, 2014, 02:54:11 pm »
I would like to have 4 strong hives going into next winter, and maybe sell 2-3 nucs this spring .   Would be great if I could get a little honey too, but I know better than to ask for too much! :)

love,
ziffa
Logged
"There's a spoonful of honey where your heart should be. . ." - The Wood Brothers - Honey Jar.

Offline Jen

  • Platinum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10175
  • Thanked: 240 times
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Upper California
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #30 on: January 26, 2014, 03:11:22 pm »
Mee Too Ziffa, working on getting some of my own honey this next season  ;D
Logged
There Is Peace In The Queendom

Offline minz

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 166
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Oregon USA (wet side)
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #31 on: January 28, 2014, 04:17:16 pm »
Well a friend of mine just asked if I could drop a couple of hives on his place.  I told him as long as I can drive right up to it I will set him up with 2 (minimum). Sounds like 1 yard added with all requirements, now one more and I am set.  The weather has been cold and foggy for a long time so I do not know what I will bring out of it also!  BTW this guy is crazy to get his fancy pear tree pollenated for a change and wants in right in the garden.  I keep telling him no, the bees will get everything on his 5 acres.
Logged

Offline brooksbeefarm

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2566
  • Thanked: 89 times
  • Location: fair grove, mo.
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #32 on: January 28, 2014, 04:31:20 pm »
Don't know about his pear tree, but my bees will work most everything around in bloom and for some reason rarely work my two pear trees?? Jack
Logged

Offline riverbee

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 8924
  • Thanked: 410 times
  • Gender: Female
  • ***Forum Sponsor***
  • Location: El Paso Twp, Wisconsin
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #33 on: January 28, 2014, 04:38:26 pm »
minz is right. if there are 'richer' (in the sweetness/sugar of the nectar content) blooms under or surrounding pear or apple trees, they will work those first, before working the pear and apple trees.
Logged
i keep wild things in a box..........™
if you obey the rules, you miss all the fun.....katherine hepburn
Forum Sponsor

Offline denise1952

  • Regular Member
  • **
  • Posts: 43
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: barnsley england
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #34 on: January 28, 2014, 07:02:23 pm »
my goal for this year I hope is to get my bees through winter back to full strength and healthy make a few splits and get plenty of honey but leave enough for bees for next winter
Logged

Offline Jen

  • Platinum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10175
  • Thanked: 240 times
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Upper California
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #35 on: January 28, 2014, 10:23:09 pm »
My plan too Denise!
Logged
There Is Peace In The Queendom

Offline denise1952

  • Regular Member
  • **
  • Posts: 43
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: barnsley england
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #36 on: January 29, 2014, 06:21:49 am »
great minds think alike jen   and also like to add not to get stung as much as last year lol :D
Logged

Offline Jen

  • Platinum Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10175
  • Thanked: 240 times
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Upper California
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #37 on: January 29, 2014, 01:53:36 pm »
I don't work with gloves unless the bees are getting annoyed. So I usually get a sting or two, don't mind cause the stings quiet down the arthritis in my hands. Too young for this, but that's how it goes.

But last summer I was in the hive for a very brief visit, didn't put my veil on, and a bee landed on the edge of my nostril, and quite deftly reached her abdomen deep into my nose and nailed me a good one. It was so deep I had to get tweezers to get the  stinger out. Tears and wet face for two hours after that. That'll teach me.
Logged
There Is Peace In The Queendom

Offline brooksbeefarm

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2566
  • Thanked: 89 times
  • Location: fair grove, mo.
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #38 on: January 29, 2014, 03:30:23 pm »
When i started beekeeping (1965) and you went into your hives without a veil , gloves, and smoke, you would probably get your diploma from the school of hard knocks real early. This was in the days of the German black breed of bees, and there drones would mate with your gentle bees  :o. I've never forgot my schooling and to this day i don't get in my hives without veil or a smoker going. I admit that todays bees seem alot more gentle, but there is always that one day you pop the lid and there not that nice :'(. You have to take 25 to 100+ stings while on the run to really understand. :D Jack
Logged

Offline denise1952

  • Regular Member
  • **
  • Posts: 43
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: barnsley england
Re: What are your goals for this year?
« Reply #39 on: January 29, 2014, 04:23:02 pm »
bet that hurt jen  I have to wear gloves but still manage to get stung and my fingers swell up like sausages
Logged
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 5   Go Up
« previous next »