Author Topic: Learning from Mistakes  (Read 3775 times)

Laurieston

  • Joined May 2009
  • Northern Germany
Learning from Mistakes
« on: January 28, 2012, 11:00:26 pm »
What with still some weeks to go before getting back into the hive I wondered if it might be good to try to learn from some mistakes made.

So here is one of my big ones...

Back in about May, while inspecting my hive I noticed there was brood in among the stores above the excluder, and there were no fresh eggs in the brood super.  Logically I worked out, I am clever really, that the hive was still queen-right, but mixed up.  After some time I worked out what had happened.  In my last inspection I had made the following mistake.
I took off the honey filled stores super, placed it on the working table, then placed an empty super on top and examined some brood frames, placing each in turn in the empty super (to keep them safe and balanced). However, the excluder was leaning against the other side of the hive.  I guess the Queen wondered down from the brood frame into one of the store frames and stayed there.  I calmly replaced everything where it should be, apart from the Queen who was now among the stores and locked away from the brood chamber.  Dummmmm!

It turned out okay, as I was able to find my lovely lady and replace here back where she belonged.  She really is a lovely lady, calm and fertile.

Has anyone else made a mistake I could learn from?

Beeducked

  • Joined Jan 2012
Re: Learning from Mistakes
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2012, 12:54:34 pm »
Hmm.

Well not rushing things.
I started last year as my Mum had a spectacular year and started with a lovely docile colony. Having settled down with them Mum asked me to take a nuc as she didn't have a spare hive and they were busting out of the nuc. I collected the nuc one blustery, drizzling Sunday and got them home just as dusk was drawing in and it had started raining in a more serious fashion.
A sensible woman would have accepted that it was too horrible to be messing about with them and waited a day. A foolish newbie thought they should be transferred into their new home asap as they were so crowded in their nuc box.
Well the girls were NOT happy to have the roof taken off with it blowing a gale and chucking it down. There was brace comb everywhere sticking the whole thing into one solid mass meaning that I had to break apart the frames and brace comb to free anything and that they REALLY, Really didn't like!
42 stings later through my jeans and they were rehomed!

Lesson 1: Plan properly and be aware of the weather.
Lesson 2 : Get overalls!

Laurieston

  • Joined May 2009
  • Northern Germany
Re: Learning from Mistakes
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2012, 07:56:59 pm »
Ouch Beeducked, 42!!  and I thought that was the answer to everything, life universe and so on...  Yes, time.  I have noticed that if I moved my hand pretty fast over the top of my open hive, one or two bees whizz up to check it out, but if I move slowly they don't respond at all.  Probably a whole life lesson from the girls here.

Plantoid

  • Joined May 2011
  • Yorkshireman on a hill in wet South Wales
Re: Learning from Mistakes
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2012, 11:41:42 pm »
I like it Lauriston,
 
Leaving the queen excluder on helps  if you only play with one hive :D

 Using the up turned lid on the ground by the hive as a table & ppacing the super  across the corners  can be useful when taking off supers to get to the brood box ,just remember to put them back in the same order and orientations & don't for get the queen excluder like someone I know .  ::)

 I used to have my hives paired  on  3x3 well  creosoted & dried off fence posts laid along a concrete block supported double drainer sink ( My mate was a kitchen fitter  , I ended up with 25 DD sinks ) It was so easy to work a hive and use the others lid as a work platform providing you were at the back of the hives. The bowl of the sink was a good place to put the smoker , hive tool & excess wax / propolis tub  etc.
 
International playboy & liar .
Man of the world not a country

 

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