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Lessons learned as a newbie

9K views 42 replies 12 participants last post by  78-79fordman 
#1 · (Edited)
Ok this thread will be about all the hard lessons I learn as a newbie , So you can help me with them or just read about them as I have them and learn from my mistakes .

So here we go

So I bought the 6 packages with each a frame of honey and brood which also had breed laying queens . So it was 35 pound spilt 6 ways . So each got about 6 pounds .

Ok got them on a Wednesday at 3pm got them home at around 5pm or so there was no stops on the way back . So I have been watching them and keep noticing something just ain't right . Today is Saturday so three days latter . I was told to stay out but the guy I got them from for 15 days. But just can't because something just ain't right .
One hive seems there's to many bees or hot or robbing . So I have to figure it out . So I took a look in all hive so see what's up and to see if the queens are out . 5 where out one was almost .

But the big problem 5 hives only have maybe 2 pounds of bees in the hives mostly on the two frames I got with the deal . Some had bees on one or two of the undrawn frames . So not a lot of bees like I seen get put in my boxes .

The one hive which is the yellow/orange one is completely full and I mean full they can barely stuff the selfs in the front . So it looks that I lost bees from the other 5 and they went to the one . So now I have a super sized hive . They have done drawn the 6 frame almost all the way out in 3 days or less .

I haven't feed any sugar water as the flows on .

So I got way scared and went and seen the beekeeper that's helping me which I hadn't asked for any help or he had seen the new bees I got . So after talking he said let's go find out what's going on since he was worried I had a robbing problem . And it was about 6pm at this time . So his first was to test for robbing which came up not to be a robbing . We then opened the hive and then he seen I had a super hive full of bees .

So the why and what happen . He thinks they had to have come from the other hives after we opened and seen the numbers of bees in them . And the why he believes it happened because I have screened bottom boards and did not have the slide boards in . he believes it was a major cause that and the local was to close and that the bees was shook one or two hives and took back to there original state .

He's is highly worried about the screened bottoms cause the smell of the hive to cause me major problem like what has happened and they can cause a robbing problem and causing the bees to sit un the hive at the screen which they doing . So I got the boards in now .

So now I have a super strong hive that took another brood box in just three days . And 5 some what weak hives . That my mentor I guess will call him said will most likely still be good since I had the frame of broad and honey and enough bees he believed .

So there's what I have learned so far thought I would have 6 strong hives started . Only to get one super dupper hive and now semi weak hives going . But there all out gathering .

This will be on going with the things I learn or need help with . So please comment with your thoughts also to help Or just read and learn with me . Thanks Josh the newbee . Need all the help I can get .
 
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#43 ·
Well it's been a wild ride so far started with the 18 hives got up to 35 hives from the 18 that was doing good and lost 9 that I wouldn't have thought I would lose but still 25 that kicking along .

I have started building all of my hives from Scratch from boards done got a full wood shop as Assembly line setup . Building stuff to run 100 plus hives for next year .
 
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