# What have you learned this year?



## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

It's the end of the year, or so we in our advanced state believe. New Years Day is not special, except that it came from the day dedicated to the Roman God Janus or maybe the day baby Jesus was circumcised. It's not the longest day, or the shortest day, a solstice or an equinox. But for northern hemisphere beekeepers, it is a kind of split between major parts of the year. It's a dead day as we call the day between classes and finals here in the academic world. I'm sure southern hemisphere beeks have their own way of thinking of it. For me, it begins the beekeeping season. I'm cleaning up last year's messes and planning this next year's.

So what did you learn this year? What worked or didn't work? What are your basic plans for next year? How did you do this year? What did you plan to do and succeed? Where did you fail in last year's plans? What do you plan to learn this year?


----------



## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

I learned much better ways to make frames which cut my production time down drastically. I learned not to check my hives on cloudy/cold days without a veil, how to recognize diseases and mites and how heavy my boxes should be for my area going into winter. 

I didn't feed much, only when i installed the packages, that will be different in the spring. I also don't know if going treatment free was the best idea for a first year beekeeper but, despite others opinions, I'll stay that way and work with the survivors. Reading books, practical experience, and the way things actually are, are vastly different things, I will spend more time with my mentor this spring.

Assuming I have even 1 hive left in the spring my plans are to do my first splits and some graftless queen rearing, swarm catching, and possibly some cut outs/trap outs to boost my hive numbers. Again assuming I have at least 1 hive in the spring, I want to buy a few Robert Russell Carni queens for (hopefully) 2 hives, maybe get a sunkist queen too. I thoroughly enjoy my honey bees but my main interests have always been with native bees/pollinators which, by the way, are completely treatment free also. I think thats what actually set my mindset on how I manage my honey bees. My long term goals are to stay foundationless, treatment free, and to have a sustainable apiary that I can use to pollinate our watermellon crops.


----------



## RiodeLobo (Oct 11, 2010)

rwurster said:


> I want to buy a few Robert Russell Carni queens for (hopefully) 2 hives, maybe get a sunkist queen too.


My sunkist hive is the one that went into the winter best off, and is taking cleansing flights when the others won't.

My biggest lesson is to tie off my pant legs. I hope to never have to drop my pants to allow an errant bee freedom from sensitive areas. This lesson was learned in front of an audience.:banana:


----------



## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Yes definitely something I forgot: Roll pantlegs and shirt sleeves tight, tuck in shirt. At least passers by might think I was trying to emulate the 50's look


----------



## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Harvested my first honey this year - which was a good thing, because the income really improved the balance sheet. In a normal year I probably didn't take too much honey, But the subsequent summer drought/dearth caused a lot of stress on the bees. Eventually I realized that I needed to feed, but next time I will try to do it sooner.

Also learned that raising queens gets a LOT harder after the main flow.


----------



## justjim (Dec 18, 2009)

I plan on reverseing my hive body this coming year and try to stop them from swarming didn't reverse the hive body and both hives swarm!!


----------



## gunter62 (Feb 13, 2011)

I learned to make splits and let the bees make themselves a queen. I also learned that a good beesuit allowed me to relax and enjoy my inspections more.


----------



## beegineer (Jul 5, 2011)

1 just how enjoyable bees are ,2 I really like screened bottom boards , 3 After reading Michael Bushs thoughts on top entrances I put a top entrance shim on, big step for me just couldn't bring my self to drill a hole in a hive box , 4 don't procrastinate it gets cold faster than you thought it would so I didn't get my hive top feeder off, might use it to feed sugar in if needed ?


----------



## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

I learned about Michael Palmer's nuc method. I learned that I can make pretty decent equipment for pretty good prices. I learned that bees will be very unhappy if you accidentally dump the whole hive out of the back of the pickup, but they will survive.

New things I tried this year: Feeding dry sugar, splitting after splits have made queen cells, outyards, narrow frame beekeeping, plastic frames, foundationless, heating the melting tub with wood, melting wax in a burlap bag.

Things to try next year: Grafting, mating nucs, overwintering nucs, breaking even.

Things to build: 10 3x3 queen castle mating nucs, 8 five frame plywood nucs, one 4x5 'condo' nuc, 50 medium endbars, 30 lids.


----------



## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

2011 was my first year beekeeping and here's what I learned:

Bee's are not out to kill you and everyone around.
Bee's are extremly facinating and soothing to watch and work. 
I learned how to install a package of bee's, how to catch a swarm, how to make cheap 5 frame nucs that work very well (Coates design).
I learned to make splits and let the bee's make their own queens.
I learned that people who dont keep bee's are extremly interested in facts about bee's, even if they dont intend to keep them.
I learned that fresh honey can be used as a bartering tool for fresh home made products and a couple new places to keep bee's.
I learned that more people keep bee's in town than we know!! Met a husband and wife in town that keep bee's and have made a new friendship with them.
I also learned to not be afraid to experiment with the bees. I am going treatment free and have the mind set that only the strong will survive, if I lose all my hives, then so be it, I will catch swarms to replace them. I want strong bee's, survivors.
I will make my own queens and save money, but may buy certain strains just to try something different.

The most important thing I learned this year.........this site is full of many people with many opinions and although they might all differ, the fact that perfect strangers are willing to share their knowledge is priceless. These are people that have spent a lot of time and money, blood, sweat and tears in finding better ways to become better beekeepers, and they are willing to share their trials and tributes. A big thank you to all of you that have helped me and countless others become better beekeepers!!


----------



## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Make any future nuc boxes that have a Kelley steel entrance disc with the entrance mounted at the top. Make sure those with the entrance at the low side to have the screw turned very tight so that they can't swing themselves closed.


----------



## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

Thanks Frank, I saw that on your other thread, that was very useful advice. Apparently mine are all tight enough so I haven't had that problem yet. I have some up, some down, and some backwards so the little finger indention holds against the wood. In the future, they will be with the hole at the top.


----------



## Monkadelic (Feb 5, 2010)

I've learned a lot this year. It's my second.

I've learned to be a bit more thick-skinned. Just because the good ole boys don't agree with what I'm doing doesn't mean I shouldn't try it. I've learned that a lot of beekeepers here are competitive. I've learned that bees can and will sting through nitrile gloves. I've learned that by teaching, I learn more. I've learned that my neighbors watch my hives for me, they've called me if they see a feeder empty or other "questionable" things.

Most importantly, and slightly off topic, I've learned that my husband really does pay attention when I'm talking about bees. All of a sudden I'm hearing him talk to people about my hobby, and he actually knows what he's talking about! I guess he's finally become a beekeeper, at least in theory.


----------



## toekneepea (Jul 7, 2010)

I learned a lot this year. First year actually beekeeping, after spending last year reading, and watching.

I learned how important drawn comb really is. I learned that all beekeeping is truly local, and that mid-July in the next state is really more like late June or beginning of July here. I learned that I'm allergic to stings, but that there is a therapy regimen that may work to alleviate the reaction. I've learned that despite having queens of the same race/line, two hives can behave very differently. I'm continuing to learn.

Tony P.


----------



## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

I learned it is futile to think I can go into the office for a few hours then get away to work the bees. I should simply take the day off as "one more thing" will keep me in the office long enough to wreck all my plans.

Grant
Jackson, MO


----------



## lakebilly (Aug 3, 2009)

I learned;
Coating Pierco & Rite Cell w/wax, coupled w/ feeding 5:3 syrup is a great way to get drawn frames & a struggling colony to a production colony quickly.

Having a checklist, inspection sheets, a maintenance plan are essential for time efficient productivity.

Expansion can happen amazingly fast have a plan; equipment on hand, & a market.

I learned that I am only a manager, the real keeper of the bees has great patience, & will do exceedingly, abundantly more than I could ever think or ask, to Him I am thankful!


----------



## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

I guess I've also learned you cannot have too many utilty knives in the honey house, nor too many rolls of duct tape in the pick up truck.

Grant
Jackson, MO


----------



## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

I'm learning right now as I assemble new plywood nucs that the higher quality plywood is much harder and I'm having to bend staples over with a hammer because they won't go in any further.


----------



## TWall (May 19, 2010)

I have learned a lot this year. The most important thing is that Russian bees are not what I want! Mean bees are not nearly as much fun to have as gentle bees. My bees aren't really mean but, they have gotten hotter each time they have re-queened themselves. I didn't have any swarm but it took work to keep them from swarming. The Russian spend energy doing things that help them survive varroa. But, that takes them away from doing things I want them to. 

I hope to have my remaining Russian queens replaced this coming spring.

Tom


----------



## JD's Bees (Nov 25, 2011)

I learned that while waiting for the bear that had been sampling my hives to show up I should of checked over my shoulder more often. Having a bear sniff you from a couple of feet away adds grey hair!


----------



## Bees&Wood (May 18, 2011)

New beekeeper in 2011, so everything was 'new learnin'. Most importantly: 
- ask 10 beekeepers the same question and you're liable to get 10 different answers
- I have a lot to learn...there are people who have been doing this for many years and don't know everything about bees, that's humbling
- bees are bees, and try as we may to understand them, they sometimes do things that just make you stand there and scratch your head
- bees are fascinating and, as someone already said, you can quickly grab peoples attention when talking about them
- i really need to invest in a good (hopefully vented) bee jacket...the sweatshirt just isn't cutting it...
- how to recognize a Laying Worker hive, and how to fix it (newspaper combine)
- that beekeeping takes more time, patience, and money (even for 2 hives) than some people told me it would
- realizing that your 'strong hive' swarmed in late November is a bad feeling
- opening that same hive on a warm day in early December and being able to look down through 2 med's and a deep and see the ground is a very very disappointing feeling
- I learned to hope my one remaining hive makes it through winter so I can split, and to find the only positive I can in the loss of the other....that I have a hive and comb for the split.


----------



## delber (Dec 26, 2010)

As a new beek also there are several things I've learned. I started with a cut-out so . . . 
-It's a lot harder than it looks for a new beek to cut out a hive that has been there for a while
-The second cut-out goes much better than the first
-Just because we dont see the queen doesn't mean that she's not there
-Even when we mess up the bees can make it up
-Theres a TON that I don't know about beekeeping
-Beekeeping is a lot of fun and it's amazing to see how they're made to do what they do
-I need to keep better records of each visit to the bees (Hive tracks is good, but hard to remember when you get home)
-Selling bees should be easy when I get things built up. I see several people that sell bees / hives on here and things sell fairly well.
-A full deep frame of honey is pretty heavy compaired to brood (I thought it was stuck to the other frames as I was trying to get it out. So I shifted everything away so I could get it only to be shocked that it was totally capped )
-I like looking at the pictures of my bees and am glad that at least 2 of the 3 hives are still going strong
-There are so many things I've learned. Another is to not overreact. It's easy to freak out when something doesn't "look right". (To a new beek there's not much that doesn't "look right" but is.

Those are the starters for beekeeping year 1 for me. Many more things could be said, but this ought to be said again. . . 
I'm so thankful for this site and those willing to share. Others have already said this, but in the heat of my concern for the bees many have been there to calm my fears and give wisdom and advice. I look at this site and all of you as my mentor. Not having one for myself I learn much through you all asking / sharing / helping / challenging etc. Keep it up!!! :applause:


----------



## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

That so far building a hive is easier than finding the bees to put in it. I as able to find plans in just a few minutes. I never thought that actually getting bees would take days if not weeks. It might just be where I am but it seems all the keepers near me have vanished. I was hoping to find a 5 frame deep nuc nearby. I may have to just get one form someplace like Tennessee.
Actually in truth. To list everything I have learned woudl require writing a small book. From actual books that I have been suggested I read to the random bit of information I pick up form individual posts. I have always known about bees. the queen, worker drone sort of stuff. the bee dance and how they orient. I have had a fairly in depth knowledge of how the hive functions and the various rolls a bee plays throughout it's life. But this group and it's resources has filled in a lot of gaps and added a lot of in depth information. I know for many of you this knowledge has required years to acquire. I thank you all for sharing it.


----------



## hillhousehoney (Oct 7, 2008)

After my third year on small cell, I have learned that the weather is the biggest factor in determining the amount of honey produced. I don't worry about mites, just rain or no rain. I hope next year will be a good balance of rain and sun, so I can finally keep some honey for myself. On the upside I have been able to expand the apiary, and will believe for minimal losses again this winter. Love the Treatment-Free forum ! Thanks Barry and Solomon!!


----------



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

No matter how hard I planned it never went as easy as I wanted.


----------



## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

I have been building my own screened bottom boards and tops for some time now, but 2011 was the first year I built my own boxes. It went very well and the best thing is that I'm able to build a box from a piece of lumber for 1/2 the price it used to cost me. 

2012 goals are to build some nucs, and after reading up and doing my research, take a shot at overwintering some nucs next year. Sounds like a great way to replenish any dead outs I might end up with, or maybe help out some of my local beekeeper friends. I usually collect several swarms each spring and this would be a nice way to see how some of the late ones overwinter, rather than pinching and consolidating.


----------



## rjphil (Feb 13, 2009)

I have realized that the more I learn, the less I know ...


----------



## Steven Ogborn (Jun 3, 2011)

This year I learned to cover the screened bottoms on top bar hives until packages get established or they might try to abscond.
This caused me to learn a good reason to have your queens wing clipped.

I learned not to let your TBHs go very long before you start getting in there and fixing cross combs. 
I learned a good way to cut out cross combs and reattach them.

I learned that 2011 in Texas was a bad year to start beekeeping.

I learned that after the clover in my area overheats and stops blooming after months of no rain and months of 100+ degrees
heat everyday, you better have some trumpet vines and crepe meartals close enough to your hives to have anything trickle in.

I learned that even in a drought you can open feed a hive until it swarms. Then that swarm will come over and land on your
hive that wasn't getting much of the syrup because your feeders were getting robbed out by the hive that swarmed!!!
I couldn't figure out why I was going through a gallon and a half of syrup a day and my hive and nuc weren't storing any better.

I learned that when working TBHs a good bread knife is awesome handy.

I learned that both my bees and I like mesquite in my smoker the best.

I learned that even if both my hives die out this winter, I'll still have bees in TBHs next year.


----------



## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Having ten hives is alot more to keep track of then 2. 
Beekeeping is a really good form of exercise.
Try not to mess with the bees after it gets dark. 
It rains alot so stash up on dry smoker fuel. 
A propane torch is nice for getting a smoker lit.
Some dryer sheets in the fold of a hot tub cover can help keep the bees out of the tub.
The #30 tar felt is difficult to wrap around the hives buy the #15 instead.
I have mud tracks worn into the grass behind the hives. Now I know why it was recommended I get some outdoor carpet for infront/behind the hives.
Bee propolis has medical benefits.
Grafting a few larvae in early spring and seeing them end up as mated and laying queens in nucs was very inspiring.
Putting some honeyframes infront of the hives in spring can simulate a nectar flow for the bees.
Don't give the bees too much space to defend. 
Yellow Jackets are a nuisance to the bees. If you can find the nest destroy it. Yellow jacket traps can be effective.
Drones that get kicked out can get stuck in the mouseguards.
If I'm careful and cautious I don't get stung.
I like honey more than I ever did before.
Sometimes the queen is easy to find. Other times she is extremely tough to find. I may start marking the queens.
Don't forget to put a frame back in the middle of the second deep Etc. I still have alot to learn but I'm better off than I was.
I'm real grateful to everyone on the forum who has helped me with my questions and what not since I've been on here. It has been a pleasure to be part of this group.
Thank You Very Much! VW


----------



## My Local Bees (Dec 21, 2011)

I have learned that people are very interested in beekeeping.

Doug

mylocalbees.wordpress.com


----------



## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Thanks to varioujs forums I have learned a lot in the year I have ben visiting them. I quit keeping bees in 1985 and have hopefully learned enough to keep ahead of them and allow my bees to thrive and produce a crop. I am grateful.


----------



## Daddy'sBees (Jul 1, 2010)

I've learned that this past year's once in a 200 year drought was pure h*** on the bees here in central Texas. Totalling 3.5 inches of rain at my house from January through September was tough on all plant and animal life! I was thinking that a desert was being born!!! It is amazing how many trees died. I lost way too many hives. The heat was unreal. I'm not sure how many days we had of 100+ degrees. Something like 110 days or so. And many, many days were over 105+. It didn't matter how much I fed the bees, the queens just quit laying!!! 
:-(

The bees I have left are what I can truly call "survivor stock", ya think?


----------



## SoMDBeekeeper (Sep 18, 2009)

..... too much to list in totality but here are some bullet points:

I have learned:

* Foundation is probably a waste of time and money. The wax is probably contaminated. The bees already know how to draw comb for goodness sake. They've been doing it for tens of millions of years. And with the foundationless frame available you don't even have a good excuse for using starter strips!

* Essential Oils are probably not the way to go. They are still propping up bad genetics. 

* Mite counts and sugar dusting are a waste of time. "Sugar dusting breeds mites that hang on better." -Sam Comfort, Anarchy Apiaries

* Inner covers are probably a waste of time, effort and money... especially if you're not going to use a one-way bee escape to harvest honey. What do YOU think they are for anyway? Why give SHB and moths more places to hide?

* Anyone that says, "Bees naturally build upwards, that's why we harvest from the top" is a liar. If you don't believe me go cut down a bee tree and tell me where they started their comb from. Warre hives are, in fact, more natural than Lang on that point.

* Beginning beekeepers are in a real quandry when it comes to first year options and feeding. Getting a package of bees established without feeding in an area that has a 2-3 month nector flow is hard. I know this because my Podcast listeners ask me about this quite often.

* Ask 10 different beekeepers the same question and you'll get 15 different answers. (even "successful" treatment-free, experienced beekeepers vary greatly in their methods and beliefs)

* After all the dust clears and the potification ends, letting bees evolve on their own to find a balance with nature is the way forward. 

SoMDBeekeeeper


----------



## New Ky Beekeeper (Jun 27, 2011)

JD's Bees said:


> I learned that while waiting for the bear that had been sampling my hives to show up I should of checked over my shoulder more often. Having a bear sniff you from a couple of feet away adds grey hair!


Bahahahaha


----------



## New Ky Beekeeper (Jun 27, 2011)

I have learned that: 
1. Things dont have to be perfect, the bees will take care of themselves.
2. I have learned to move slowly and watch the bees. You will learn a ton my just watching them. 
3. I have learned that heating honey to 120 degrees makes the filtering process much better. 
4. I have learned that almost everyone loves home grown honey. 

Phil


----------



## AramF (Sep 23, 2010)

So much to share:
1. Bees winter better in 2 5xframe deep nucs stacked on top of each other than 1 ten frame deep.
2. Raising queens is exciting. Picking them up with fingers will not damage them and marking them with a dot is the best thing for locating them quickly.
3. Equipment from plywood works very well and is cheap. Making deeps 15 7/8 wide and 9 1/2 tall rather than 16 1/4 wide and 9 5/8 tall utilizes 3/4 plywood sheet sheet much better.
4. Feeding light syrup for winter works in the south, in Washington it causes major humidity issues in the hive.
5. Virgin queens do not fly out unless there is a flow or you feed them syrup. They will stay untill they become old maids.
6. Powdered sugar (3 parts) and shortening (1 part) works well for tracheal mite, but does not eliminate it. Treat in spring AND IN THE FALL.
7. Nucs really do draw out frames very quickly.
8. Motivated 7 frames full of bees will easily suck up a gallon of syrup in a day from divider feeder.
9. When in doubt, refer to Mike Bush's site.

Things to try next year.
1. Riase queens like OldTimer demonstrated
2. Build double nucs like Mike Palmer showed for the winter and then attempt to operate them as two queen hives in the spring and summer.
3. Have enough drawn frames to legitimately do checkerboarding
4. Harvest some honey to keep my honey happy.


----------



## SoMDBeekeeper (Sep 18, 2009)

rwurster said:


> I don't know if going treatment free was the best idea for a first year beekeeper but, despite others opinions, I'll stay that way and work with the survivors.


The only thing you could have done better would have been buying bees that were already treatment-free, or so it sounds.

That way you are already working with survivors.

I am very pleased to see more and more small-scale "local" breeders making survivor stock available everywhere.

NEW BEEKEEPERS: Ask around, call around ... find those local survivor bees. If you cannot find local bees then there are still mail order options out there selling great survivor stock bees.

Cheers,
SoMDBeekeeper


----------



## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

I just learned that a flat rate box holds 1 lb. blocks of wax almost perfectly.

I also learned in person about multiple queen hives. http://parkerfarms.blogspot.com/2012/02/two-queens-one-hive.html

Also, don't try to compete with national supply places in prices. Price what it's worth and let the chips fall where they may.


----------



## beyondthesidewalks (Dec 1, 2007)

A lesson from last year not learned until last week. I didn't collect all my swarm traps last year and left them out over the winter(if you can call it that!). I think the last time I drove the route and looked at all of them was in July. Last week I went and found those outstanding traps and discovered that 4 of them had succeeded in trapping bees. If I had been on the ball and continued checking them I might have had 4 more swarms. I don't know when they all came in so I'm not sure I could have combined them all at the same time. I would have had to feed and nurture them through the winter. But I could have had four more swarms, Ughh! This year I"m leaving my swarm traps out all year and checking them every two weeks. I've got to find new and different ways to beat odfrank at catching swarms.


----------



## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

you can't count on an indian summer. some years it gets cold early and stays that way. and just because they made a decent honey crop doesn't mean your bees are healthy.


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

That our queens never reach their full potential due to reduced population...either weather related or beekeeper induced. Colonies built up to enormous populations...cell building colonies...by adding brood over an excluder...wind up with 15 frames of brood below the excluder...7 or 8 of those being open brood. When have you ever seen colonies with 15 frames of brood with 7 or 8 of those being larvae?


----------



## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Michael Palmer said:


> That our queens never reach their full potential due to reduced population...either weather related or beekeeper induced. Colonies built up to enormous populations...cell building colonies...by adding brood over an excluder...wind up with 15 frames of brood below the excluder...7 or 8 of those being open brood. When have you ever seen colonies with 15 frames of brood with 7 or 8 of those being larvae?


 I completely agree that we don't see it nearly enough, if at all. Just imagine the honey crop from colonies like that if you could keep them from swarming. How much honey do you get from colonies like that Michael? John


----------



## heaflaw (Feb 26, 2007)

The most important lesson I learned: Don't unzip your veil and reach inside to put your glasses on when there are bees on your gloves.


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

jmgi said:


> How much honey do you get from colonies like that Michael? John


Not all the much. They're cell builders. 2-3 supers I guess.


----------



## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

MP asked:
When have you ever seen colonies with 15 frames of brood with 7 or 8 of those being larvae? 

Every year, about mid to late June. How much honey do they make? Nothing(50 lbs) if the plants and weather do not co-operate.

Crazy Roland


----------



## BoilerJim (Apr 15, 2011)

I learned NOT to treat every colony the same. :no:

I entereed winter with 5 colonies and gave each colony the same amount of stores to get them through the winter. 
My problem was that I had four colonies that had average populations and one colony that had probably twice the amount of bees as the others. 

I found the strong hive dead this week and it was due to starvation.  They ate their stores twice as fast as the others as they had more bees to feed and as a newbeek I didn't think of that ahead of time.


----------



## mike haney (Feb 9, 2007)

that the "horn" ring tone i put on my phone 'cause i'm loosing my hearing is VERY disturbing to bees even if i'm just standing in front watching the activity.


----------



## Seymore (May 1, 2009)

I have learned how to assemble slatted racks and shims and will be finding uses for the shims. That sometimes the plans for assembling equipment don't make sense and it's very nice when your spouse rescues you from those plans you are intent on following and the nails that won't go straight and come out the sides.

I have learned I WILL feed a hive in a dearth because the queen will stop laying - which does not mean no queen is present but it DOES mean certain death for a new hive.

I have yet to learn the discipline of record keeping and my 50+ brain regrets it every time.

I've learned a hobbling nuc can get robbed and overtaken in a very short time.

I am trying checkerboarding this year. In that vein, I have learned that early for me is often too late for the bees.

Lol - Monka. Me too on the husband thing. He has grown from pretty terrified to "watch me get close!" (but still not too too close  )

I have learned that if you buy a hive top feeder from one place and your nuc from another, there's a good chance the nuc won't fit over the hive top feeder. Must check inside dimensions! And also test equipment before I am standing in my bee yard needing it!

I've learned that the timing of things going on for other beeks in other areas tells me very little unless I know their zone - so I put my zone in my signature to help others know what is going on in my area - hoping others may follow. I see one!!!! It's as close as we can get to "being on the same page." Your bloom time or swarm season, etc., means nothing to me if we are zones apart.

Ask ONE beekeeper a question and you can get several different answers.

Plan to try: Different local bee stock and/or to learn more about raising queens; keeping a nuc or two for spare parts.

I've learned that bees are a lot of work, especially if you are short and female and over 50. But I've also learned that beekeeping is one of the most fascinating things I've ever done and I love it anew almost every day. 

I've learned that there are no AlAnon-type groups for beekeepers - BA? Or even for readers of beesource...BS? I fall asleep almost every night reading on bees - and still have barely scratched the surface!

Good question, Solomon.


----------

