Re: 1st year questions

THanks for the pep talk.  I am much more positive about the future
after hearing that I am not alone in these problems.  I'll at least
give it another year.  Heck, I'm probably hooked anyway, my mother
gave me a beekeeping book she picked up at a yard sale and I read
about half of it last night.  I'm even thinking of eventually giving
queenrearing a try - just to have my own supply when needed.  One
thing I picked up last night in my reading is that I need to clip my
queen's wings next spring.  Hopefully I can get them pre-clipped when
I purchase new queens.

Here's a question.  How can I be sure to catch the swarm?   I never
saw ANY of mine swarm - they are at a property other than my home.  Do
I just have to check on them every day once I see queen cells to make
sure I catch the swarm?  

Gotta get those frames in the freezer - thanks for the reminder.

Thank again,

Eric


On 22 Nov 2003 08:01:28 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Beecrofter) wrote:

>Your first year experiance is very similar to mine, I turned 2 nucs
>into 5 hives my first year by feeding ,feeding ,feeding and a lot of
>tree climbing to reclaim the swarms that were produced.
>The main reason for the swarming was not enough drawn comb resulting
>in congestion.
>Starting on foundation is a tough thing to do and it is a rotten way
>for beginners to get started when compared to having a good amount of
>drawn comb.
>
>Even if you lose all your bees overwinter I suggest you don't abandon
>beekeeping because the amount you have learned in your first year is
>tremendous.
>In addition you now have more drawn commb than before and that will
>make things easier. (make sure to protect empty comb from moths)
>
>It's not at all uncommon for a hive that has swarmed to fail, poor
>genetics, poor mating, bad weather, getting eaten on maiden flight -
>or lost are all hazards the hive and new queen undergo.
>
>A package or a nuc cost about the same as a car tire, would you have
>given up driving if you had gotten a flat tire when you were learning?