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Author Topic: I am folding  (Read 6409 times)

Offline doak

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I am folding
« on: October 04, 2009, 02:42:00 pm »
 :'( I have a 4 frame extractor and a de capping tub. PM me for prices.
I will meet anyone within 50 miles of Macon Ga.
I have lost all but two colonies. Am keeping my smoking tools and suit. :'( :'(doak
« Last Edit: October 04, 2009, 04:23:27 pm by doak »
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Offline Natalie

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2009, 03:11:39 pm »
Doak, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles.
Next year will probably be better though, the weather just has to be.
Are you sure you want to get rid of all your stuff?
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Offline doak

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2009, 03:24:14 pm »
I am going to try to maintain 2 or 3 colonies and crush&strain and do some comb honey.
I am having a major problem with hive beetles. Which is a result of not treating and leaving too much honey. My declining fiscal condition is also playing a big roll.
I will also be relocating my hives but that will not help much being the hive beetles can fly.
Will have to maintain the oil traps. :)doak
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Offline Natalie

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2009, 09:47:11 pm »
Bummer Doak, good luck with everything. Maybe it will turn around and next year will bring more fortune.
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Offline Animator

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2009, 12:08:07 am »
I need one, but I am near Fort Lauderdale. I will be in Orlando (Disney) next month, but still too far away. Could you ship it ?
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Offline beee farmer

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2009, 12:27:15 am »
Doak,
  Even with just a couple of hives a small extracor might still be nice compared witht he mess of cruh and strain.. might want to hang onto that stuff there buddy!  THings might look up for ya before ya know it and ya might want to use it again.  Just a though!
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Offline Cindi

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2009, 11:53:28 am »
Oh Doak, that is awful.  How many colonies did you lose?  Please tell that to me....hive losses can also cause emotional losses too, sounds like you are down, and I don't blame you.  Keep that chin up, there will be more colonies.  Think of it in a positive way.  Only a few colonies is much easier to look after than many.  There will be advantages to only keeping a couple, you will see that, and you probably know that, my words are probably moot.  But again, keep happy, don't go away from here, you have some very good forum friends that care about you, you must stick around.  Chins and faces up, to the sky.  Have that most wonderful day, love our life, with great health.  Cindi
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Offline MustbeeNuts

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2009, 01:31:59 pm »
bummer doak, keep the faith, a few hives will keep you intertained, and the stuff , well you never know. next year could be so good you need it. really sorry to hear your hives were lost.
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2009, 01:46:57 pm »
sorry to hear about your loss.  the cost of keeping bees can sometimes be prohibitive.  keeping a couple of hives will keep your hand in it until things improve.  i hope you will continue here.

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Offline doak

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2009, 05:05:51 pm »
To cindi: I had built back up to 7 colonies. Now down to two.

To All, about my equipment. Guess I should go ahead and keep it for now.
Thinking if I loose the other two colonies Maybe start next year with a couple nuc's of another strain.
Thank's every one for your kindness. doak :) :)
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Offline contactme_11

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #10 on: October 07, 2009, 11:38:12 am »
Quote from: doak on October 05, 2009, 05:05:51 pm
To cindi: I had built back up to 7 colonies. Now down to two.

To All, about my equipment. Guess I should go ahead and keep it for now.
Thinking if I loose the other two colonies Maybe start next year with a couple nuc's of another strain.
Thank's every one for your kindness. doak :) :)

What strain did you have before?
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Offline Koala John

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2009, 08:41:35 am »
I'm really sorry you've had such a bad time of it Doak, but I wish for you  a renewal of the passion, and a successful and low cost transition back into this wonderful hobby. Best of luck, you have a lot of support from the members here, Hang in there Doak.
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Offline Cindi

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2009, 11:48:23 am »
Doak, you keeping your chin up?  Hope so....remember I lost 8 of my 9 colonies last winter?  I know your feeling, but I haven't stopped keeping my chin up, I expect you to do the same, smiling.  If you decide to get rid of some equipment, remember to keep enough to keep yourself happy that you didn't get rid of it all, hee, hee.  Have a wonderful day, wonderful health.  Cindi
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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline trapperbob

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #13 on: October 08, 2009, 09:31:49 pm »
I know its frustrating dust yourself off and lick your wounds. Then get up and do it again if it is something you really love just keep trying you said you had a couple of hives start slowly just do splits off of the hives you already have that way you save the expense of buying bees and you already have equipment so no expense there allthe expense you should have is syrup for feeding. So for minimal expense you can build back up to atleast where you were originally. At one time or another we have all lost quite a few hives. And if we have'nt, it'll happen sooner or later. So, don't give up just keep forging ahead. And like Michael says, it all works out if you let it. :-D
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Offline kedgel

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #14 on: October 09, 2009, 12:01:21 am »
Doak:

I kept bees in TN and KY with no problems whatsoever--that was before the introduction of SHB's.  I took it up again this year in FL and learned fast about SHB's.  They KICKED MY A*%!!!!!!!!!!!!  I lost four colonies.  When I found the last of my hives had bailed I was so disgusted I coulda PUKED!  I thought about packing it in too--and did, actually for a few months.  I was so disheartened and discouraged that I didn't even have the heart to bring my last empty hive in.  Every time I looked out my window at my empty hive, I got a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about all the time, money and sweat I'd poured into abject failure.  I finally decided that I wasn't going to let those little bastards get the best of me.  I made a bee-vac and advertised on Craigslist--I guess hoping I'd get a call from someone in the neighborhood where some of my errant bees ended up.  So far I haven't gotten that call, but for the cost of a home-made bee-vac I'm back in business.  So far, so good.  I have 2 colonies that appear to be thriving and I'm going to get another colony this weekend.  I've made some adjustments in the way I manage the hives thanks to the great info I got here.  I'm guardedly optomistic.  Hang in there.  Once bitten by the bee bug, there is no cure.  Face it.  You're doomed like the rest of us to keep these exasperating, fascinating little buggers forever! ;)
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Offline beemaster

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #15 on: October 09, 2009, 07:34:14 pm »
Doak:

I hope you make all the wise decisions and take advantage of the equipment you already own and salvage a new start. If they survive the Winter okay, you can split them and get back to four hives easily enough - the last thing I hope is that you leave us, your membership has been a real help to many and you have lots and lots of friends here.

Just keep us all posted and it sounds like worse case you may need new frames and foundation, but surely you have enough from the hives that may yield plenty to expand without the need to dish out additional costs come Spring.

I have always said, even 11-12 years ago with the start of my Beekeeping Course Section, Beekeeping can be rewarding and equally as frustrating and it is always tough on the backyard beekeeper because they have less equipment to swap and trade out to regroup and pull a beeyard back together.

Best wishes and you know you have all the support you could ask for here, just ask.

John
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Offline doak

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #16 on: October 11, 2009, 01:15:17 am »
To all, I will be staying in.  I appreciate all the concern. I just think it was not the time for me to go completely chemical free. They did ok last year although I didn't get any honey I got a few hives back.
Just to loose them this year. I think I have got to try some "managed" queen rearing from "my" stock. Because I would like to keep the Ferrel strand I have. I have not added an out side queen in 2 or 3 years. I don't think I have any of those left.  I did have 3 colonies this year that did really good. At this time I don't think it matters what strand you have, you are going to have to do something to keep some of these pest in check.

To contactme_11
I started in 2000 with Ferrel bees. I have re queened some of my colonies several times over the years  from queen breeders and never got past that year of re queening with those.
I am going to rear a few the right way next spring if I have any colonies left. No walk away splits.

To beemaster,
 I have almost all your stuff from several years before I even came on the forum.
At the time I didn't do enough looking to see that the forum was here, could have been here 4 or 5 years earlier. What a bummer. :shock: :roll: :)

Some of you may remember about 3 years ago I had a bumper crop of honey, around 700 pounds from 7 or 8 colonies. That's not shabby at all. If I may say so myself.
I am going to the long bottoms so I don't have to do so much lifting to check in on the brood chamber. If you think about it, with the long bottoms, You don't disturb the cluster with that configuration as much as the conventional method, plus that eliminates having to reverse the bottom brood boxes, if you do that, and I do.
night, night every one, night john boy,lol
doak
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Offline Cheryl

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #17 on: October 11, 2009, 01:31:04 am »
I think we've all had a hard year. I also think you'd regret not keeping your equipment... a year goes by fast. You might really miss it next summer!!

Hang in there. :D
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Offline Bee Happy

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #18 on: October 11, 2009, 03:42:06 pm »
Doak, I'm sorry to hear you had such losses; but I'm glad to hear you'll be sticking around. - If I can present a little positive thinking into it
you have two colonies who have survived whatever it was that devastated the rest.  I can only imagine what a bummer it is. I know I'm just a newbeek but survival of the fittest is a real easy concept.
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Offline reinbeau

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Re: I am folding
« Reply #19 on: October 13, 2009, 09:30:54 am »
Both Bee Culture and American Bee Journal have good articles on dealing with the hive beetles, Jennifer Berry's article in BC talks specifically to your area, Doak, and she wrote about how bad those beetles are in certain areas of Georgia - that's so awful!  Keep the faith, something will work out for you in your fight against those little nasties!
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