The "Rules" For Successful Beekeeping

[riverbee]

this is another randy oliver article that is a worthy read. 

The "Rules" For Successful Beekeeping

Advice to Beginning Beekeepers
just a short quip:
"This spring, as usual, I’ve given quite a number of beekeeping workshops to beginning and “recreational” (formerly “hobby”) beekeepers.  These beekeepers are wallowing in information gleaned from the Internet about the “right” way to keep bees.  Unfortunately, they do not yet have enough experience to know what to believe, whereas long-time beekeepers simply roll their eyes at some of the suggestions being promoted.
There is an old adage that if you want to get a definitive answer to any beekeeping question, just ask a second- or third-year beekeeper, as they are generally at the peak of their confidence level regarding their knowledge about beekeeping (and often blog away offering advice to others).  After that, most of us are humbled by the fact that beekeeping is a lifelong learning experience, full of surprises, and ruled largely by Murphy’s Law."

The “Beekeeper Taliban”
Some Common Misconceptions About Bees
Misconception #1—That Nature is “Nice” to Bees
Misconception #2—That Colonies Survive in a Blissful State in Nature
Misconception #3—That Bees Don’t Like “Chemicals”
Misconception #4—That There is Any “Best Hive” in Which to Keep Bees
Misconception #5—That “Natural Beekeeping” is New
Misconception #6—That “Treatment Free” is Good Husbandry
The “Rules” for Successful Beekeeping
Rule #1—Bees Need Flowers
Rule #2—Give ‘em a Sunny Warm Bedroom
Rule #3—Suppress Parasites
Rule #4—Avoid Toxins
Wrap Up:
There you have it, successful beekeeping condensed down to four general rules for good husbandry:
 1.  Keep bees where there are lots of flowers all season, or provide supplemental feeding.
 2.  Provide a warm, dry, sunny hive.
 3.  Suppress varroa if necessary.
 4.  Avoid synthetic miticides and pesticides.

[Crofter]

That really condenses a lot of fluff! "Green", "organic", and "natural" can certainly be abused for the purpose of lining someones pockets or feathering someones cap!

[LazyBkpr]

Agreed Crofter, sometimes its not so easy to tell the fluff meant to line their pockets from the fluff meant to line yours.

   Had a lady at the classes last night look at some old comb. She was Horrified, wouldn't even touch it. Stated loudly that SHE would never allow her bees to become so FILTHY...
  Several of the old timers who attended the classes to keep up on current treatments and trends started laughing, a couple quite loudly.  I don't think she was very happy. The preconceived notions some people go into beekeeping with are destined to be shattered.

[Edward]

Hehehehehehhahahaha 

I friend that held the other beekeeping class was terrorized and one student demanded what dates and times to do things in the bee yard, he was not happy with the answer that it all depends on the weather  :'(

When they ask me whats a good Place to put a hive ? After a lot of Deep thought I have come to the conclusion pick a good looking Place, in girlie terms, pretty and beautiful. That's where the bees like to bee, and most of them are Girls anyway, the ones who decide and make the important decisions anyway 


mvh Edward 

[Crofter]

Walt Disney World view of nature. Hamburger from the store is OK but you can't eat Bambi! Some equally emotionalized views about bees that is often baggage when it comes to the practical aspects of raising them. Some books are really sappy. Personally I would not consider mentoring someone whose views on bees was full of sentimental sap. Unlearning is harder to deal with than a clean slate!

[Edward]

Hamburger from the store is OK but you can't eat Bambi

Hamburger from the store never had a chance, strait to the slaughter house .

 Bambi had a good Life out in the wild and probably never saw it coming + had a good chance to run away.


mvh Edward 

[Perry]

Walt Disney World view of nature. Hamburger from the store is OK but you can't eat Bambi! Some equally emotionalized views about bees that is often baggage when it comes to the practical aspects of raising them. Some books are really sappy. Personally I would not consider mentoring someone whose views on bees was full of sentimental sap. Unlearning is harder to deal with than a clean slate!

When I was hired on with BC Transit, it was back in the days where they looked for someone with driving experience. By the time I left they had changed their hiring policy and almost 50% of the new hires were women. It was all based on the idea that it was too hard to break bad habits that had been ingrained in the "experienced" group, and that they were better off teaching from scratch they way they wanted drivers taught.
They also came to the conclusion that they could teach anybody to be a good driver, but they couldn't train people to be nice, so attitude won out over ability.

Attitude is also important in beekeeping. Think you know it all, and the bees will quickly adjust your attitude! 

[riverbee]

"most of us are humbled by the fact that beekeeping is a lifelong learning experience, full of surprises, and ruled largely by Murphy’s Law."

is there anything positive that you fellas would like to pass along to a beginning beek relative to this article that might stumble in here reading this thread?
i hear what you all are saying, however a beginning beek would probably shy away from the replies here or make their head spin and personally i wouldn't bother to read it, constructive discussion of the article i would read.....

"When they ask me whats a good Place to put a hive ? After a lot of Deep thought I have come to the conclusion pick a good looking Place, in girlie terms, pretty and beautiful. That's where the bees like to bee, and most of them are Girls anyway, the ones who decide and make the important decisions anyway 

'in girlie terms, pretty and beautiful' edward, that's where you place your bees and tell others to do?  how is this helpful to a beginning beek?

[Edward]

Where there are lots of different flowers.

All the places I have my bees are full of nature and after working my hive I can sit down and look at mother nature's wonderful work.

None of my bee yards are in ugly eyesore places 

Gardens, fields, Forests , meadows   


mvh Edward 

[Edward]

pretty and beautiful' edward, that's where you place your bees and tell others to do?  how is this helpful to a beginning beek?

Think about it?

Do you have your bees in ugly places?

Or are they in good looking places? Full of nature.

mvh Edward 

[keeperofthebees]

What about the rule that one needs to get rid of cordovan & similar strains that lay themselves into non-existence at the worst possible times of year, with people wondering why the bees are "dying off"...suffering from "colony collapse"...etc?

Mites stacked on mite diseases, stacked on big ag chemicals, stacked on lack of forage.  Some bees make it through the weather, like what some of you fellas out east are working with. 

The queens favored in cali are being bred to lay themselves stupid, to beef up the hive numbers for the almond pollination...So those fine folks of the west coast orientation can meet the frame count/max payment. 

It's so so simple to get beekeeping back on the right track

Some of you older fellas out there are just starting to see the queens not lasting....  You old timers ye know of the older bee of the 4-5 yr breed!

[Crofter]

Riverbee, I feel like we are being spanked for our reaction to the original post. 

I could search up statistics on the number of people who start beekeekping courses, the number who finish courses and buy bees and the numbers who are still in it three years afterward. Are those numbers something that should be kept from would be beekeepers? To me embellishing some aspects, and under rating others, is taking advantage of naivety.

[brooksbeefarm]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder . I like to put my hives in wild and woolly places,non cultivatable, grown up fence rows woods with lots of brush and weeds, wild blackberry, and raspberry , gooseberry vines and bushes, wild possum grapes, su- mac, persimmon trees,Maple trees, Willow trees, black locust, black haw, wild redbud, dog wood,Mulberry trees, ect. ect,. These are beautiful places for my bees, and me. Except, these places also have Ticks, Chiggers, and sometimes poison snakes. Jack

[LazyBkpr]

Aww, Mrs River..  Didn't mean to make you upset, but... CROFTER STARTED IT!!!      (POINTS at Crofter)

   A LITTLE thought about the difficulties is usually GOOD though. Someone thinking that keeping bees is hiving them and then taking honey once or twice a year will be in for a big let down, and will waste their money, time, and the bees they buy.
   Someone who is more determined and excited, but KNOWS the troubles will find much joy and relaxation, as well as GOOD friends on this forum to help them when they do have problems.. granted... I admit the thread was looking pretty gloomy, sort of like the mood all us northern folks are in right now.. spring is SO CLOSE and yet so far away...

[keeperofthebees]

Aww, Mrs River..  Didn't mean to make you upset, but... CROFTER STARTED IT!!!      (POINTS at Crofter)

   A LITTLE thought about the difficulties is usually GOOD though. Someone thinking that keeping bees is hiving them and then taking honey once or twice a year will be in for a big let down, and will waste their money, time, and the bees they buy.
   Someone who is more determined and excited, but KNOWS the troubles will find much joy and relaxation, as well as GOOD friends on this forum to help them when they do have problems.. granted... I admit the thread was looking pretty gloomy, sort of like the mood all us northern folks are in right now.. spring is SO CLOSE and yet so far away...

Spring isn't too far away!  The trick is putting in packages, and having some good queens to drop in there.

[Marbees]

Agree with OP, misconception are very important to learn, as well as rules...
WARNING to new beekeepers who are usually knowledge thirsty
Not every book about beekeeping is a good source of knowledge
There are authors out there who have more experience blogging and writing about bees, then actually beekeeping
Keep your mind open for new things, but remember there is a reason some keepers are successful year after year doing it their way
There is a search button on every beekeeping forum, start digging
Got to love this internet thing, you will find what our friends tec and Iddee wrote on other sites about certain issues 7 or 8 years ago
Some of others who wouldn't agree with them back then, now are "teaching" the same thing, they were against 
Ask questions, there are people willing to share their knowledge

[LazyBkpr]

Agree with OP, misconception are very important to learn, as well as rules...
WARNING to new beekeepers who are usually knowledge thirsty
Not every book about beekeeping is a good source of knowledge
There are authors out there who have more experience blogging and writing about bees, then actually beekeeping
Keep your mind open for new things, but remember there is a reason some keepers are successful year after year doing it their way
There is a search button on every beekeeping forum, start digging
Got to love this internet thing, you will find what our friends tec and Iddee wrote on other sites about certain issues 7 or 8 years ago
Some of others who wouldn't agree with them back then, now are "teaching" the same thing, they were against 
Ask questions, there are people willing to share their knowledge

   Well said Marbees!

   

[tecumseh]

a snip....
The “Beekeeper Taliban”

tecumseh....
I wonder where you got that sound bite???

I would suggest that there does seem to be a lot of poorly stated information on the net.  I always hope that even though the advice might be 'all wrong' that the people intention in stating something that seem to me to be totally absurd do have the right intentions.  It is quite a dilemma for me since financially I would be much better off simply nodding my head when I read this poorly stated advice since I then at least in theory have the opportunity to sell them a replacement hive when the kill their hive(s).  I see some very polished web sites of known 'authorities' but then when I did a bit deeper find they can't seem to keep bees alive longer that one or two season and often times in a setting that at least at one time was considered to be very desirable bee pasture.  What is a simple beekeeper to think?  Or do? 

[tecumseh]

a marsbee snip..
Got to love this internet thing, you will find what our friends tec and Iddee wrote on other sites about certain issues 7 or 8 years ago
Some of others who wouldn't agree with them back then, now are "teaching" the same thing, they were against 
Ask questions, there are people willing to share their knowledge

tecumseh...
I don't go wandering over there since I was so rudely tossed by the owner.  glad to see that some of my own and iddee's notions have finally set in.  I guess if iddee and I share any characteristic beyond enjoying arguing about politics it is both of us seem to reduce beekeeping to it basic essence... we both seem to share the idea that if simple works why even consider 'totally complex and confusing'.  strange how a person develops notions.... but I think the first time I read one of iddee post I pretty well knew without a doubt that he had a deep understanding of beekeeping.

of course one problem with the net is it is not so easy to figure out how much real expertise is behind some opinion.

[Bakersdozen]

tecumseh...
of course one problem with the net is it is not so easy to figure out how much real expertise is behind some opinion.

Well said, tecumseh.  It's like the personal ads on Craigslist!  The writer never quite looks like the description that they have given of themselves.