Bee Jokes

Honey flow

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This year after investing a lot of money in two Cedar wood hives and all the ancillary equipment (Not my money) OK some of it mine but I am not prepared to admit how much except to say this is an expensive hobby to get into. I have put in a lot of hours reading and researching bees, not to mention the promise of honey for all and sundry. I started with two hives and due to swarming and the death of the original queens now have three hives. The summer has not being great weather wise. All good so far except the total amount of honey to be collected this year ZERO, total number of people expecting free honey at last count 20.
I have told everyone that its a bad year for honey and I am really only building stock for next year. (yea right)
I have being feeding the bees and have recently treated them for varrora. So far not great for the ego.
I’ve attended all the lectures, completed some exams, attended Gormanstown, attended NIHBS workshops, contributed to some forums, wrote an article for a magazine and still no honey, For anyone who asks they think I am the resident expert but I don’t think the bees understand that I am responsible for their welfare, I have being gentle, I fed and nurtured you, I collected your swarms so you would not suffer in the wild, I've medicated you, protected you from the nasty wasps and how do they show their gratitude not one drop of honey, my reputation is fast going down the tubes, I just hope we have a mild winter and you survive until the Spring, it will not be my decision alone that they should go. I remain positive and optimistic and am still fascinated by life in the hive.

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Comments

  1. busybeephilip's Avatar
    Welcome to the world of beekeeping ! There will be more bad years than good that's guaranteed. The only to make money out of bees is to sell equipment plus queens and nucs to beginners who often buy lots of useless bee gadgets, the rest of us are in it for fun and a way of using up all that spare time.
  2. Calum's Avatar
    Sounds like you have learnt alot in your first season. Thats more valuable than a few kilos of honey.
    Rule 1. keep your bees alive.
    Rule 2. see rule one

    The honey will come from well sited colonies that emerge strongly in the spring!
    Good luck have fun, and dont forget you probably already have more kit than you really need!
  3. Greengage's Avatar
    So far I have fed one hive two lots of syrup mixed 2:1 total 2 litres and three bags of Apiinvert at 2.5 kgs per bag all gone, will i be feeding this until December??????????? or should i switch to fondant
  4. gavin's Avatar
    You can still feed syrup for a few weeks, then either commercial syrups (which don't ferment) in a warm top feeder or fondant. Some colonies need two 15l lots of syrup to get them up to a wintering weight. As Calum says, keep your bees alive and make sure they are sited for good forage. And control swarming. Then you are guaranteed a decent honey crop in 2016 .