Aggressive splitting of colonies

[daroco]

It's the system I used this year, and whilst I'm sure there was an effect on honey production, it certainly wasn't hit too badly.

 

[BMH]

Although I am happy to forfeit honey production it does seem that the strongest flow around here is the spring flow. They get a good start on the willow then if the weather is good there are rows and rows of huge sycamore trees that they work very well indeed.

This system would allow me to make use of the drawn comb I have.

Hmmmm. Decisions..

At least I have a good while to decide the final strategy!

 

[Poly Hive]

If you have the tools consider making your nucs. After all why spend out on poly nucs you are not going to winter.

If you buy 12mm sheets of this apart from it being 11mm : http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-General-Purpose-OSB2-Board-11-x-1220-x-2440mm/p/110024 then make 6 frame nucs they should cost you well less than £10 each. More like £7 really so four for one.

Buying in queens is not the way to go with the price running at some £35+ a pop.

Allow 50% more virgins than you think you need and it should work out.

Tried some stuff from Cook many years ago and well lets say it was once only for me.

No need to use a full colony for cell starting and in fact a number of good reasons not to. A nuc full of Q- house bees well fed and with pollen comb will do the business for you and run three sets of grafts too. Then leave then a cell to go on to be a proper nuc.

Keep it simple silly.

PH

 

[BMH]

Making my own nucs - that's a great idea!!

I have all the tools i need as well!

Ah, that's a really good strategy.

 

[Eyeman]

Simplest way to make some 5 frame nucs is to cut a brood box in half and nail a piece if ply to the side. Minimal technical skill required.
Picked up some national brood boxes in the winter sales for 11.80 each and the ply works out at £1 a side so the basic box for under £7.00.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Didnt realise that. The thornes feeders are expensive but handy

That's swayed it in favour of the maisies then..

Lets hope for £25 in the sales! They are £28.35 right now for orders over 10

Just a heads up - Maisie's January sales - poly nucs £25.00 each

 

[BMH]

Perfect.

I will wait until then.

Cheers.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Buying in queens is not the way to go with the price running at some £35+ a pop.

Unless using imported queens from people like Batsis....£13 each.... and less if buying large numbers of them, and available really early.

 

[For want of a better word]

Unless using imported queens from people like Batsis....£13 each.... and less if buying large numbers of them, and available really early.

BUT not as much FUN and the IMMENSE SATISFACTION of rearing your own local bees!!!

Lazy beekeeping?

Wassail!

 

[wightbees]

For a quick and early start, buying in Queens is your best option. There still time to get your orders in from the EU .
This is what I'm doing, but bees always play havoc with your plans, so have a plan B ee lol

 

[user 6228]

Making my own nucs - that's a great idea!!

I have all the tools i need as well!

Ah, that's a really good strategy.

Make them out of Recticel. 50mm sheets for the box & roof . 30mm to support the lugs.and for the floors.
Cut it with a table saw.

 

[wightbees]

Do you use metal tape for the edges?

 

[Little John]

http://apimondiafoundation.org/foundation/files/137.pdf

Call me cynical - but that document reads very much like a sales-pitch from a snake-oil manufacturer.

Having said that, x10 multiplication in one season isn't difficult - and you don't need a magic brew.
LJ

 

[user 6228]

Do you use metal tape for the edges?

ally tape for all edges and joints. Unibond waterproof megabond (solvent based)grab glue and wooden BBQ skewers. 2mm Correx on the box to lid and floor mating surfaces. I make the rails out of a bit of folded ally strip.
expand the colonies by adding a second nuc brood box below, when they have filled both move to poly hive. DONT MOVE TO WOOD unless you like setting them back.

 

[wightbees]

Thanks, I tried it years ago but found the bees loved making there own holes.. might give it another go at some point. Cheers

 

[Finman]

.
To rear own nucs us simple, but what do you do with them. That is the issue. IT rules, how big the nucs should be. Then, do you have furnutures to 100 or to 1000 nucs, and store houses and land property?

Do your wife take divorce and take half from your property?.

.

 

[Little John]

The man from Finland is spot on. Both the raising of nucs and the rearing of queens is simple enough in small numbers - but unless you're a professional (or intend to be), then the amount of kit required can present serious logistical issues.

Take the .pdf file that Hivemaker linked to:
"The step-by-step process is described below beginning with 100 hives with an
average of 20 frames of population and 100 frames of purchased brood and population."

A hundred 20-frame colonies ... that's a beekeeping operation in it's own right ! We can forget about the 100 frames of purchased brood - that's a detail compared with the need for 900 new boxes (with tops and bottoms etc), and nine THOUSAND frames with pre-drawn comb. Where are those combs coming from - and where is all this kit going to be stored ?

It all sounds so easy when you read stuff like that .pdf file quickly, sitting at the computer - but speaking for myself, anything more than a dozen or two nucs and I wouldn't be running my apiary ... it would be running me !
LJ

 

[wightbees]

Slightly off topic but I stopped using foundation long ago, all I use is a small strip and let the bees build from this, work's great for me. Yes lots of kit but the bees produce Comb as long as they have the resources to do so.

 

[Finman]

Slightly off topic but I stopped using foundation long ago, all I use is a small strip and let the bees build from this, work's great for me. Yes lots of kit but the bees produce Comb as long as they have the resources to do so.

That is the most expencive way to make combs.

You honey yield goes to half with that system. No professional use that, if he is going to get his living from beekeeping..

 

[Plenty of honey]

The man from Finland is spot on. Both the raising of nucs and the rearing of queens is simple enough in small numbers - but unless you're a professional (or intend to be), then the amount of kit required can present serious logistical issues.

Take the .pdf file that Hivemaker linked to:
"The step-by-step process is described below beginning with 100 hives with an
average of 20 frames of population and 100 frames of purchased brood and population."

A hundred 20-frame colonies ... that's a beekeeping operation in it's own right ! We can forget about the 100 frames of purchased brood - that's a detail compared with the need for 900 new boxes (with tops and bottoms etc), and nine THOUSAND frames with pre-drawn comb. Where are those combs coming from - and where is all this kit going to be stored ?

It all sounds so easy when you read stuff like that .pdf file quickly, sitting at the computer - but speaking for myself, anything more than a dozen or two nucs and I wouldn't be running my apiary ... it would be running me !
LJ

The logistics are alarmingly huge. Not just loads of equipment, frames boxes, painting of said stuff, the list goes on, then the storing, the overwintering, feeding. You have to think in big values because thats what your going to have to pay out in!
Its all very well reading about how you can do it on the cheap and quick but there is still stuff you have to buy if you want good stock, strong queens and for them to overwinter successfully. If you forfeit all your summer honey, for bees the following year, they need to be really good!
You have to have a plan, a careful realistic plan, that matches your budget otherwise your going to be disappointed. Your material have to match your possible production. You cant put bees in thin air!
If you import spring queens, do you know how to get every one accepted ? its a big risk if your trying to make bees quickly. Starting out is really tough.
Just be realistic with what you have and marry a woman who's prepared to help you out with those boxes!!!
Just to add, a mentor of mine, who's now in very advanced years makes all his colonies by the artificial swarm method, getting 95% success rate in most years. He forfeits all his honey and he is able to usually make 3 splits per year to each colony. i reckon you could make more with the method he uses and it does use up all your flying bees, but, it works for him and you cant knock it!! so you could end up with about 40 colonies easily, without bringing in the raising your own queens in to the issue which gives you a huge advantage with the time scale of the season being so short.