Finsky, Honey Production

[TwT]

finsky, would you share with us some of your experiance on getting the best honey production out of our hives,  like how do you manipulate your hives before spring to get the most honey production from a hive, I have been reading for awhile about the production of your hives, I sale honey and would like to get the most from my hives also, Thanks in advance!!!!!!

[Finsky]

Thanks professor !

* The most important is good queens, no swarming habits, calm and easy to handle. 6 box hive in main honey flow  is a good quantity. To get one box honey bees need 3 box where to put nectar of high water content.

* When you have big hives, the biggest have tendency to swarm. Prevent swarming untill honey flow begins.  

* enough room to handle  best yield days. No overheating.


** The second is good pastures. If your pastures have not enough nectar  for your hives it all the same how good they are. MOVE them!

** If bees must fly over 1 km to get honey, 50% of yield will be consumed to flying.

Try to find good pastures It is just your decision.

*** even you have mass nectar plant, look how long it blooms and how long your hives stays. Most of time bees will gather on minimum nectar fields.

*** DO not put too much hives in one point. Let them take cream from milk.  Guickly heavy loads, short flying distances.

When you put hives in many spots, you will find that there are big differencies between points.
To think over reasons to differencies is  the third key to big yields  You may bye good non swarming queens but to choose pastures are only up to you.
3 times is very common. 5 times differences occur.

When I dropped my 10 hives per point to 3-4 hives average yield jumped 80%.   I found huge differences between years and I thought  that it must depend on amount of nectar on pastures. When nectar are is little pastures are overgrazed.  So part of you hives stand vainly in place.

It takes 6-8 weeks after winter that bees are able to forage honey to supers.

One big hive gathers more honey than two or tree half size hives. Put weak ones together  when main honeyflow begins.

*************

DON'T take daugters of swarmed queen
By every year commercial queens and raise daughters from them.
Don't take second generation from commercial queen.
Don't believe that you can breed your own stock in small bee yard. Common drones are everywhere.

[Finsky]

Nomadic beekeeping

If you keep your hives in one place it is difficult to get more honey. It is what it is.

In our country only 9% of hobbiest use hive migration.

And I have found that even if one place is good it will not be for many years. It wake up when you see 3-5  times differencies and distance is only 4 miles.

[TwT]

Finsky, what is your method of swarm control? what do you look for before a hive swarms? do you replace queens in the spring or fall? what do you look for to stop hives from swarming? I know they say to never let the brood nest get over populated and to take a few frames of brood and put in a nuc, and let the nuc raise a queen, this is just one way i have heard.  I have planted pastures for honey production, and im also going to plant buckwheat after the clover dies off.  I hope to split a few hives but I want good honey production also, what technique would you offer doing these splits , my hives im not going to split will be easier getting good honey production. Im only going to split 3 hive's. anyone can help with these question's, the more the better. I still want to know finsky's version.

[Finsky]

Finsky, what is your method of swarm control? .

In fact I have had difficulties. I had 10 years Carniolans and they were some year bad to swarm. At same time I had a nebour beekeeper and he had italians and not swarm allmost at all.  I change back to Italians.

I try to obey MAAREC papers: http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/PDFs/Swarm_Prev_Control_PM.pdf

what do you look for before a hive swarms? do you replace queens in the spring or fall? .

Our summer is short. I replace 80% of my queens every year. I replace them in the middle of summer or in autumn during winter feeding.

and im also going to plant buckwheat after the clover dies off. .

Buckweed honey has awfull aroma. :P

I hope to split a few hives but I want good honey production also, what technique would you offer doing these splits , my hives im not going to split will be easier getting good honey production .

That is very easy. You feed and raise upp your best hives because they react best on feeding.


VERSIONS

1) When hive has 4 boxes you make a nuc. One frame of emerging bees, frame of pollen and frame of honey and some empty room for egg laying.
Bye a queen and start the small hive.

If you make 2 egual hives from 4 box hive you need over 6 weeks time to make it ready to collect honey.

If you have at spring insulated brood boxes it gives speed to spring development. Pollen feeding helps. With pollen feeding and terrarium heater I have got 3-times faster colony development compared to normal.

2) When yield is over, you may take from strong hives brood frames and give them to weak ones.  

3) Also after honey season you can split your hives to equal size and give queens to the parts.

I do not know, what is your honey seasons and what is your spring and autumn.

4) Last summer I had a hive which tried to swarm. I raised with it 10 queens. When queens emerged I splitted whole hive into  10 nucs. To every 3-frame nuc I put bees with frames and a queen cell.

I moved nucs  to 3 miles distance.  They started without troubles and I can give them more bees if it seemed suitable. I can change young brood to big hive and give emerging brood to nuc.

5) At late summer when bees emerge they are not able any more collect honey. You can give them to nucs so  they help nuc to  develope  for winter.

[TwT]

 I try to obey MAAREC papers: http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/PDFs/Swarm_Prev_Control_PM.pdf

that a pretty good paper there finsky, thanks for to site.......

[Finsky]

Here is a good paper http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/HBE/03-037.pdf

Look the heading swarming.

[Jack Parr]

different world than we do.  His winters and long and cold and the nectar season is short and intense. The Canadians, our neighbors to our north, are about in the same Latitudes and although their methods are interesting to consider we in the southern part of the US must keep tuned to our climatic conditions.

Personally, I am at 31 degrees North Latitude according to my GPS and Finsky is at 60, I think.
My bees are gathering pollen and nectar as we speak. The queen is laying and the brood is building. I am now about to make some splits. A nearby beekeeper I know, 100 miles away and slightly north, has acquired his breeder queen yesterday, Feb 5, to start his nucs. He is using Russians which doesn't really make any difference but as you can note we are way far ahead of Finsky.

The point I'm wishing to make here is for Southern US beekeepers not be complacent and do as the Northerners do There is not much on these boards about us down South boyz :?: . Also save that Confederate money :!:  :!:  :!:  :P

Having lived several years in colder climes I have to give Finsky credit for his efforts and perservence keeping bees. Just keeping warm in such places is a daily struggle, brrrrr.

Finsky do you know about Confederate money :?:  :lol:

[Finsky]

Finsky do you know about Confederate money :?:  :lol:

About weather, we have just now -25C.  It takes over one month that bees have cleansing flight.

I do not know that money. I know only the first law of capitalism:" Clevers win stupids"
 8)

Second law of capitalism:" Try to take their money off because they try same to you".  
.
.

[Finsky]

Having lived several years in colder climes I have to give Finsky credit for his efforts :

Thanks to our Energy Department of City of Helsinki. As long as I see smoke coming from chimneys I am not worried.  I can see these power stations from my home window. I am watching. 8)

[TwT]

different world than we do.  His winters and long and cold and the nectar season is short and intense. The Canadians, our neighbors to our north, are about in the same Latitudes and although their methods are interesting to consider we in the southern part of the US must keep tuned to our climatic conditions.
Personally, I am at 31 degrees North Latitude according to my GPS and Finsky is at 60, I think.
My bees are gathering pollen and nectar as we speak. The queen is laying and the brood is building. I am now about to make some splits. A nearby beekeeper I know, 100 miles away and slightly north, has acquired his breeder queen yesterday, Feb 5, to start his nucs. He is using Russians which doesn't really make any difference but as you can note we are way far ahead of Finsky.

The point I'm wishing to make here is for Southern US beekeepers not be complacent and do as the Northerners do There is not much on these boards about us down South boyz :?: . Also save that Confederate money :!:  :!:  :!:  :P
Having lived several years in colder climes I have to give Finsky credit for his efforts and perservence keeping bees. Just keeping warm in such places is a daily struggle, brrrrr.

Finsky do you know about Confederate money :?:  :lol:

I understand Jack and agree, but the reason I was asking is that his bee's start working like ours do when the temp get right, we may be a month or 2 ahead of finsky but the main thing I was wondering about was what tips or tricks he uses on his hive's, we could use this info, I only know a little of this beekeeping hobbie or craft, want to learn as much as possible and maybe with what he says , I can through some of his info into mine and come up with something that works good for me , and I have some confederate money and will always will keep it. might can use it again one day,,,,, some of us never surrendered,,,  :lol:  

Jake were is Lockport at, I was born in Baton Rouge and raised in Denham Springs until I was 22, then moved to Ga. in 89. lived here ever since.

[mick]

Thanks to our Energy Department of City of Helsinki. As long as I see smoke coming from chimneys I am not worried. I can see these power stations from my home window. I am watching.  

That cracked me up. Im glad I dont live where its below zero a lot of the time, Id be addicted to the sight of the smoke from those stacks.

The power has gone off here 4 times this summer, if it gets to 8 times they have to pay me $120.00. If its off for more than 12 hours they have to cough up too. bastards always get it back on after 11 hours, just when Im starting to count the money.

Seriously tho, that is a smart way to tell if your heating is going to stay on!

[Michael Bush]

>Also save that Confederate money

It's already worth as much as it's face value now.  :)  My grandfather used it to wallpaper the outhouse back in the earlyl 1900's.

[Finsky]

>Also save that Confederate money

It's already worth as much as it's face value now.  :)  My grandfather used it to wallpaper the outhouse back in the earlyl 1900's.

I have heard. We put movie stars pictures from magazine covers on outhouse's walls.

But I have a true story:

A man made a new outhouse. The nabour come to run in the house.
- Hey, you have a good shape here in the hole. Where have you got it!
- From my own head!
.
.

[Jack Parr]

is 110 miles from Lockport.   We are south of Baton Rouge and WE ARE ON THE MAPS :!:

I bought my first nuc from a beekeeper in Denham, Bobby Frierson, a lifetime beekeeper. He is into the Russians and shooting for 1000 hives. He also buys Breeder Queens but not going to make nuc for sale.

I'm going to keep close tabs on my hives because the drones will be abornin' soon and then I'll be making splits.

I left way too much honey in the hives this past year. In fact next season I think I will pull most of the honey and feed sugar. The bees are busy most days right now and bringining in lotsa pollin and necta'.  

You ain't going to pay your farewell to korretta :?:  :?:  :?:  :lol:

[Jack Parr]

well a person going to an outhouse in Finland, in the  winter, would for sure, be a profile in courage.   :P

That's what we did when I was young. The winters down here are not very cold but the outhouse trip was quick quick quick. :o  :o  :o

Things are better today, since we got our septic tank after we got rid of our cesspool.  

Now we eat outside/barbeque shrimp/crab/crawfish boils and go inside for bodily functions. Yes things are definately improving for us under these modern times.  :D

Finsky, are those coal fired plants? Are you burning your trash/garbage in Finland?

[Finsky]

Finsky, are those coal fired plants? Are you burning your trash/garbage in Finland?

They are coal plants and we have some more. The another one produce only hot water to district heating.  Another produce electrict and heating water.

We have also very big natural gass power station which use gass imported from Russia. http://www.helsinginenergia.fi/tuotanto/vuosaari.html


I had honor to be one who put stop to old and new  cargabe incenerator in the year 1982. They tried to build "carbage burner" to the center of capital city. I worked 14 years in environmental protection.

[Jack Parr]

so what do you do with your refuse/trash/garbage?

There are modern plants that do burn garbage/trash which are enviro friendly today.

Coal is not exactly enviro friendly either and requires extensive anti pollution controls to clean the emissions. Plus the fly ash created when burning coal  is a huge problem also.

Natural gas is of course better but you have to kiss the Ruskies for that, don't you :?: