Beekeeping Without The Sting- But Why?
One tool I use often is drawing a map of all the hives I have, and where they are- just to get a handle on the scope of things. I don't have a lot of hives- but enough that I can't tell at any point how many there are. So i draw each one as I remember it, on a sheet of paper, and then count them.
How many now? I think there are now 33- and this includes one-super hives I am trying to build up- plus another 3 swarms in 10 frame swarm boxes, so technically 36. A lot for me. I just bought another 100# of sugar to feed the builds.
And - I have begun to do a more diligent mite count- starting with hive #1 (all are numbered or lettered), and so far in the 4 I have measured I have found only one mite. I can't really express how astounding this is- and foreboding at the same time. No mites found in powerful hives at this time? Am I doing something wrong? Am I counting wrong? Its so off from what has happened before.
And so- I open hives- and there is brood everywhere. Strong queens.
And the blackberry- though in some places mostly fruited and done- in other places, there are still buds to flower. I don't have a sense yet if the bees took much. I found two heavyish supers on a recent hive- but I don't know if that's common until I go through all of them.
My concern was about ordering more foundation- but I think in looking today, I have enough. Hard to say. I don't know how many supers are out there (I should). 150? Not sure.
Richard Taylor, the most Renaissance of all beekeepers (look him up!buy his books!), apparently kept 300 hives. Michael Bush, the republisher of classic bee books in huge goofy fonts, and a loveable gadfly, apparently keeps 100 hives. R.O. Manley, the long dead British beekeeper, and brilliant, was said to be the first U.K. beekeeper to keep 1000 hives. Which is what R.O. keeps- the god of all rational beekeepers.
I don't know how much help any of them had (have). But son of a gun- its a lot of work. I am maxed out at 20 I think. 10 might be better if they didn't die.
Rusty Burlew I think reports keeping 8 hives (because she has a million interests and has learned to balance it out), but also says the main thing in beekeeping, is to do what's need to be done, when it needs to be done. Never procrastinate.
A harsh sentence, but so true. Again and again- the hive that was "assumed" to be doing well, turns out to be queenless and laying workers. Or has no food- or whatever- and it NEEDS human intervention. I see this again and again in my working with hives.
Part of beekeeping I think is developing a relationship to time. Literally. Developing an understanding that time passes quickly, even in a hobby, that other organisms aren't waiting for you to figure it out, that your forgetfulness, or day to day business, only equates to one thing: the development of problems that will be hard to take care of later, and would have been easier exponentially had you dealt with them sooner. Harsh lesson!
Its a lesson drummed into me again and again. Bees don't sleep much- listen to a hive at 1 A.M.- you don't hear snoring- you hear humming, droning, crackling- things being done. I on the other had- and maybe you- are snoring away,
There is no way one can stem the tide- and one can only hope, by feeble human, diurnal efforts, to influence it.
How amazing it the experience of beekeeping? It's constant. Never the same, and if it weren't for the stinging, pretty delightful. I saw recently an ad for Mason Bees that read "beekeeping without the sting!"- which made me laugh- as that's pretty much beekeeping without, well, beekeeping.
How many now? I think there are now 33- and this includes one-super hives I am trying to build up- plus another 3 swarms in 10 frame swarm boxes, so technically 36. A lot for me. I just bought another 100# of sugar to feed the builds.
And - I have begun to do a more diligent mite count- starting with hive #1 (all are numbered or lettered), and so far in the 4 I have measured I have found only one mite. I can't really express how astounding this is- and foreboding at the same time. No mites found in powerful hives at this time? Am I doing something wrong? Am I counting wrong? Its so off from what has happened before.
And so- I open hives- and there is brood everywhere. Strong queens.
And the blackberry- though in some places mostly fruited and done- in other places, there are still buds to flower. I don't have a sense yet if the bees took much. I found two heavyish supers on a recent hive- but I don't know if that's common until I go through all of them.
My concern was about ordering more foundation- but I think in looking today, I have enough. Hard to say. I don't know how many supers are out there (I should). 150? Not sure.
Richard Taylor, the most Renaissance of all beekeepers (look him up!buy his books!), apparently kept 300 hives. Michael Bush, the republisher of classic bee books in huge goofy fonts, and a loveable gadfly, apparently keeps 100 hives. R.O. Manley, the long dead British beekeeper, and brilliant, was said to be the first U.K. beekeeper to keep 1000 hives. Which is what R.O. keeps- the god of all rational beekeepers.
I don't know how much help any of them had (have). But son of a gun- its a lot of work. I am maxed out at 20 I think. 10 might be better if they didn't die.
Rusty Burlew I think reports keeping 8 hives (because she has a million interests and has learned to balance it out), but also says the main thing in beekeeping, is to do what's need to be done, when it needs to be done. Never procrastinate.
A harsh sentence, but so true. Again and again- the hive that was "assumed" to be doing well, turns out to be queenless and laying workers. Or has no food- or whatever- and it NEEDS human intervention. I see this again and again in my working with hives.
Part of beekeeping I think is developing a relationship to time. Literally. Developing an understanding that time passes quickly, even in a hobby, that other organisms aren't waiting for you to figure it out, that your forgetfulness, or day to day business, only equates to one thing: the development of problems that will be hard to take care of later, and would have been easier exponentially had you dealt with them sooner. Harsh lesson!
Its a lesson drummed into me again and again. Bees don't sleep much- listen to a hive at 1 A.M.- you don't hear snoring- you hear humming, droning, crackling- things being done. I on the other had- and maybe you- are snoring away,
There is no way one can stem the tide- and one can only hope, by feeble human, diurnal efforts, to influence it.
How amazing it the experience of beekeeping? It's constant. Never the same, and if it weren't for the stinging, pretty delightful. I saw recently an ad for Mason Bees that read "beekeeping without the sting!"- which made me laugh- as that's pretty much beekeeping without, well, beekeeping.
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