Well, it's been a while. A phone call today brought me back to this place, but I figure it's been so long I might have to re-introduce myself.
Currently running 125 production colonies and overwintered 26 nucs (5 over 5). Out of 151 total, I am down 11 which I am pretty happy about. If you have been following the news up here lately, it looks to be a bad year for most of Canada in general. Ontario down 50%, Alberta and Manitoba look to be down around 40%, Quebec down 60%. Pretty gloomy.
Last year was probably the swarmiest (is that even a word?) year in my life. Came out of winter with 92 and by the end of June was at 138!!! Caught 4 swarms in one day, it was crazy. Also had my best production year, over 8000 lbs, despite all the swarms.
Covid happened and the farm market shut down for months and has never really fully recovered like it was, so I am sitting on a big surplus of honey. I have decided to switch gears this year, where honey production is not vital and will sell nucs instead. I stopped selling nucs a few years ago, tired of all the one here, two there stuff. I will sell nucs wholesale to a bee store, 50 at a go. I will end up with a smaller harvest but the surplus will offset that. Besides, honey never goes bad.
Have the honey house the way I have wanted it, just in time to start winding down.
Installed a 320 gal milk tank and hooked an rv hot water tank and pump up to it, works great as my primary.
In a year and 2 months I will be old enough to collect Old Age Pension, and gonna live the life!
