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Author Topic: How was your beekeeping this year?  (Read 5205 times)

Offline Bee Boy

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How was your beekeeping this year?
« on: August 15, 2004, 06:07:48 pm »
I was wondering how everybody's beekeeping year was going! Since this is sort of like a poll I'll post it here. Is everybody getting lots of honey?
Bee Boy

Offline Beth Kirkley

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How was your beekeeping this year?
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2004, 07:41:08 pm »
My year hasn't turned out as well as I'd hoped. We did have about 60 lbs of honey in the hive over a month ago, but the it rained so much that the bees couldn't go out to forage. They ate almost all the honey. I don't think I'll get much of a honey harvest this year because of the rain.
It did finally stop raining so much, but it's a little too late.

Beth

Offline Bee Boy

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How was your beekeeping this year?
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2004, 08:10:46 pm »
Alot better than me! I'm having a hard time getting the bees to draw out the supers. I finally got sick of waiting and I'm feeding them the sugar water. I didn't think they'd take it, but when I checked they are swarming all over it. So I have my fingers crossed!
Bee Boy

Anonymous

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How was your beekeeping this year?
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2004, 01:58:55 pm »
So far I've harvested 120 lbs from my 2 over-wintered colonies. There is still a few more capped frames in there that I haven't taken yet because they still have some brood in them. My other 5 colonies are either from splits, nucs or swarms and they seem to be doing pretty well with a couple of them having capped honey in them that I will take off after the fall flow.

Other beekeepers in my area that I've talked to haven't done quite as well. Could be because we've had about 20-25% more rain than normal this year.

Offline Bee Boy

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How was your beekeeping this year?
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2004, 02:28:10 pm »
:cry:  :cry:  :cry:  :x

I haven't gotten squat!
Bee Boy

Offline leominsterbeeman

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Results
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2004, 09:32:54 pm »
i've got mixed results.....

Bad news....
My over winter hive from last year has got to pot.  I requeened in April and things never took off - Not a lot of brood, No honey.  I went back yesterday and the hive was all drones.   Lying Worker?  I think it was a bad queen.  

Good news....
I love my observation hive.

Bad news.....
Observation hive swamed.

Good news....
Spring Nectar flow in Leominster was strong.  Hives are in an orchard with lots of other natural nectar sources.  About 100 lbs on my two
local hives.  Still waiting for fall flow to harvest it all.

Bad news....
Got a few bad stings in June,  got really swollen and rash on my private
area, thought I might be allergic.

Good news....
Got stung yesterday, didn't die.

Bad news....
The sting on on the tip of my middle finger, so typing is hard to do.


Good news....
I will keep on doing this.   I have enough equiptment to do 4 langstroth hives  and one observation hive.   I'm just going to move them local to my good spot.  I built a nuc on friday, it came out pretty good. Used the plans from beesource.com
Michael Keane
leominsterbeeman@comcast.net
http://www.leominsterbeeman.com

Offline Sting

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Results to Date:
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2004, 04:56:01 pm »
This has been a re-building year after two bad years with bear problems.  I am running five hives, two of which were nucs installed in early May.  The other three were swarms which I hived in late May and early June.  Despite the cool, wet summer, I expect to end up with 325 to 375 pounds (150-170 Kg.) of honey when the harvest is complete about a month from now in mid September.  In the past, with better weather and mature colonies, my hives have averaged over 100 pounds (45 Kg.) each.  Darned bears!
"Where the bee sucks, there suck I." William Shakespeare: The Tempest.

My apiary is about 17 kms. (10 miles) NW (back & left) of this web-cam view:  'See any of my girls?
http://www.parliamenthill.gc.ca/text/hillcam_e.html

Offline Lesli

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How was your beekeeping this year?
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2004, 08:34:13 pm »
I have two hives, both started June 23rd from 4-frame nucs. I fed and fed and fed. And now, just in time for our goldenrod flow, they have two deeps drawn, and are showing interest in the honey supers. Goooo girls! Even if I don't get much honey this year, I'm very proud of them for doing so well, having started so late.
**************************
Lesli

Offline golfpsycho

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How was your beekeeping this year?
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2004, 11:26:59 pm »
I was very lucky this year.  After having been out of bees for a number of years, I was offered a "hot" hive by someone looking to unload them.  About 6 weeks later, I got a call from the same guy, asking if I wanted 2 more colonies.  Picked em right up.  After skiming it, and bottling it, I ended up with 170 lbs of honey from the 3 colonys.   Not a windfall, but I have 10 deeps worth of comb, 3 healthy colonies, and 2 commitments for placing some colonys next year.  I can hardly wait.

 

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