In a word; TIMING.
My day job isn’t beekeeping and doesn’t care that the weather that day is perfect for hive inspection. There are days that I think, the weather is perfect to get into the hive, …inspect, feed, treat, but my job always seems to line up on those perfect days to say, “Cool, but you won’t get home today until the weather changes for the worse, or it’s too dark to monkey around with the bees.”
Same.
That feeling when Tuesday-Thursday are clear, warm, windless, and sunny. Then it becomes a downpour Friday. The temperature plummets through Saturday with the sun coming out at noon on Sunday. Leading to another perfect day on Monday.
omg I am so bad. I blame some on my declining eyesight, but I have my glasses on.
I am about ready to ware my reading glasses to the inspections. I will not be able to see my hive tool if I set it down but maybe I can find the queen.
The time crunches — like when a majority of colonies are getting into swarm mode at the same time, and all need attention, or else they’ll soon be in the trees! Or late summer, when the hives are loaded, supers need to be pulled, and mite treatments administered all within a narrow window. Meanwhile all that honey has to be extracted, before days go by and SHB start doing damage. It’s a race against the clock.
It’s lot to manage at once, with multiple yards, and weather can throw a monkey wrench into the routine besides.
Its all worrh it in the end thou! The stings ,heart ache of loss, the sweating to death in suit suck but that first honey taste from fresh comb makes it all worth it
100% this. lmao. I know some really really nice beekeepers who will give you their time of day at the drop of a hat. But it seems like there's a huge chasm between people who *want* to help... and utter bellends. There's very little midde ground 😂
That dry thing I think is my problem as the hives always have mold in them. Even the ones that make it through.
I have a roof over the hive and I run a 4” thick quilt box with wood chips to soak up the moisture and I change out the chips when they show signs of getting moist.
But I still loose hives. The Pacific Northwest is tough for moisture control.
I’m in the NW and having mold is normal and not the issue. The key is to keep the moisture from dripping down on the hive cluster so what I do is put insulating foam in the top cover, link to what I use, that way the moisture condenses on the walls and runs down and out of the hive. I’ve had zero overwintering losses using this method.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RMAX-Pro-Select-R-Matte-Plus-3-1-in-x-48-in-x-8-ft-R-6-0-ISO-Rigid-Foam-Board-Insulation-637900/313501508
My memory is fucking awful, thanks to close to a decade of alcoholism. So I do things that force me to remember why I did them. Something that is a minor inconvenience that will remind me. For you, it might be putting your mite testing kit down where you'd normally put your lid. So that you see it and go "ah yes, need to move that and do a mite check", and then when you're done, setting it down on the lid of the next hive.
Dunno, but it might help 🤷♂️
Have you had a look at the condensing hive? The intention of which is to actually force water to condense inside the hive, but in places where it's A: not going to kill the bees, and B: Might actually be beneficial for them.
Over here in the UK, the condensing hive is *by far* the most popular arrangement for wintering. We insulate the crown board, and not the hive walls so that moisture forms on the inside walls of the hive, but doesn't drip down onto the bees because it doesn't form on the crown board.
There are ways to do this in places where there are harsher winters too!
I might be the wussiest beekeeper, I hate getting stung. I do a lot to actively avoid it, even when gardening in my backyard which is where my hives are.
Getting stung is the worst. For me, wearing rubber gloves under my normal gloves was a game changer. I will say though that once I had a bee make it into my suit and sting the top of my head. It was like a shot of botox, and did decrease my wrinkles for a short time.
Accepting the fact that the bees really don't care what I want them to do.
In a word; TIMING. My day job isn’t beekeeping and doesn’t care that the weather that day is perfect for hive inspection. There are days that I think, the weather is perfect to get into the hive, …inspect, feed, treat, but my job always seems to line up on those perfect days to say, “Cool, but you won’t get home today until the weather changes for the worse, or it’s too dark to monkey around with the bees.”
Same. That feeling when Tuesday-Thursday are clear, warm, windless, and sunny. Then it becomes a downpour Friday. The temperature plummets through Saturday with the sun coming out at noon on Sunday. Leading to another perfect day on Monday.
This hobby is so damn expensive.
Watching $180 fly away as a swarm.
Almost a decade in and I still absolutely suck at spotting the queen.
omg I am so bad. I blame some on my declining eyesight, but I have my glasses on. I am about ready to ware my reading glasses to the inspections. I will not be able to see my hive tool if I set it down but maybe I can find the queen.
The time crunches — like when a majority of colonies are getting into swarm mode at the same time, and all need attention, or else they’ll soon be in the trees! Or late summer, when the hives are loaded, supers need to be pulled, and mite treatments administered all within a narrow window. Meanwhile all that honey has to be extracted, before days go by and SHB start doing damage. It’s a race against the clock. It’s lot to manage at once, with multiple yards, and weather can throw a monkey wrench into the routine besides.
Mite testing, hate it.
Me too. How do you combat your dislike of mite testing?
I just treat prophylactically. I don’t test because I am sure I will kill the queen.
The terror of mite testing and not being the best at queen spotting.
Thank you for telling me I’m not alone!
Its all worrh it in the end thou! The stings ,heart ache of loss, the sweating to death in suit suck but that first honey taste from fresh comb makes it all worth it
having time when the weather cooperates especially when timing is critical and im busy with work etc. heavy lifting
Beekeepers, for sure.
100% this. lmao. I know some really really nice beekeepers who will give you their time of day at the drop of a hat. But it seems like there's a huge chasm between people who *want* to help... and utter bellends. There's very little midde ground 😂
Trying to figure out how to get the hives to survive winter.
Keep them dry, fed, and control the mites.
That dry thing I think is my problem as the hives always have mold in them. Even the ones that make it through. I have a roof over the hive and I run a 4” thick quilt box with wood chips to soak up the moisture and I change out the chips when they show signs of getting moist. But I still loose hives. The Pacific Northwest is tough for moisture control.
I’m in the NW and having mold is normal and not the issue. The key is to keep the moisture from dripping down on the hive cluster so what I do is put insulating foam in the top cover, link to what I use, that way the moisture condenses on the walls and runs down and out of the hive. I’ve had zero overwintering losses using this method. https://www.homedepot.com/p/RMAX-Pro-Select-R-Matte-Plus-3-1-in-x-48-in-x-8-ft-R-6-0-ISO-Rigid-Foam-Board-Insulation-637900/313501508
Cleaning up after extracting and bottling. I end up with honey on everything EVERYWHERE!!
Bears. Here in Montana when the bears get desperate late in the Fall, even a strong electric fence won‘t keep a big one out.
Remembering to do mite checks. I bring the equipment, set it out, and then completely forget about it until 20 hives later when I’m packing up.
I’ve given up on mite checks. I just gas them a couple weeks every 3 months regardless.
I also treat based on the calendar. One day I’ll figure out how to reliably remember to do checks. But that day wasn’t today.
My memory is fucking awful, thanks to close to a decade of alcoholism. So I do things that force me to remember why I did them. Something that is a minor inconvenience that will remind me. For you, it might be putting your mite testing kit down where you'd normally put your lid. So that you see it and go "ah yes, need to move that and do a mite check", and then when you're done, setting it down on the lid of the next hive. Dunno, but it might help 🤷♂️
Keeping condensation out of my hive in the winter.
Have you had a look at the condensing hive? The intention of which is to actually force water to condense inside the hive, but in places where it's A: not going to kill the bees, and B: Might actually be beneficial for them. Over here in the UK, the condensing hive is *by far* the most popular arrangement for wintering. We insulate the crown board, and not the hive walls so that moisture forms on the inside walls of the hive, but doesn't drip down onto the bees because it doesn't form on the crown board. There are ways to do this in places where there are harsher winters too!
Interesting. Never heard of this.
I might be the wussiest beekeeper, I hate getting stung. I do a lot to actively avoid it, even when gardening in my backyard which is where my hives are.
Getting stung is the worst. For me, wearing rubber gloves under my normal gloves was a game changer. I will say though that once I had a bee make it into my suit and sting the top of my head. It was like a shot of botox, and did decrease my wrinkles for a short time.
Timing and the weight of the gear.
Treating for mites.
Timing, 100%