Beekeeping | Why Are So Many Beekeepers Quitting?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 1 июл 2024
- Beekeeping is losing beekeepers fast! Why the great departure?
BEETEAM6 NOW HAS OPEN REGISTRATION! I want to be your personal mentor. My mentoring community, BeeTeam6 is now offered in tiers. Check it out to see which tier best fits your mentoring needs. www.honeybeesonline.com/mento...
THURSDAY 7PM CST, "HOW TO HARVEST MORE SPRING HONEY" LIVESTREAM LINK: ruclips.net/user/live_pXQ-vqdK2I
Online Courses Will Be OnSale March 19-25, 2024. ✅ If you are new to beekeeping or you keep failing, I strongly recommend you take my Ultimate ONLINE Beekeeping Course. This bundle includes all 7 of my online courses: Beginning Beekeeping, Mite Control, Spring: SurvivAL, Supering, swarms & Splits, Advanced Beekeeping, My Popular Queen Rearing Course, A Day In The Apiary With Me and How To Get Your Bees Through The Winter. Here's the link:
www.honeybeesonline.com/ultim...
RUclips Merch such as stickers and BeekSquad coffee mugs: www.honeybeesonline.com/youtu...
Feeding Your Bees During The Dearth Makes All The Difference In The World For Your Bees. Here's the link to our Spring feeding board: www.honeybeesonline.com/10f-b...
Also, add our additives when you feed your bees: www.honeybeesonline.com/feedi...
Subscribe To My Channel Please & Hit My Notification Bell:
ruclips.net/user/DavidBurnsb...
COFFEE MUGS: www.honeybeesonline.com/youtu...
My FREE Downloadable "Raising Quality Queen Bees" book: www.uaex.uada.edu/publication...
MY INSTAGRAM: / longlanehoneybees
👀Take a look at our book that Sheri and I wrote, Backyard Beekeeping from our website and we will autograph it for you:
www.honeybeesonline.com/beeke...
💯OUR ONLINE BEEKEEPING CLASSES:
www.honeybeesonline.com/onlin...
Check out my Inspection Guide which you can download and print off to help guide you on your hive inspections:
www.honeybeesonline.com/beeke...
Take my online beekeeping course on "GETTING YOUR BEES THROUGH THE WINTER.” Enjoy this online course from the comfort of your home. Save the gas money, and watch my course on your one time, in the privacy of your home. Learn at your own pace! Here's the link:
www.honeybeesonline.com/onlin...
DISCLAIMER: Some links in this description might be affiliate links which means if you purchase a product or service using a link I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no extra charge to you. Thank you so much for supporting my channel which enables me to continue to produce more videos for you.
Hive Tour | The Insider's Guide to Honey Bees: amzn.to/44ZIelF
Refractometer: amzn.to/476TCh5
J-Hook Hive Tool: amzn.to/3KBW8mv
Burlap: amzn.to/3IMU0ra
Microscope Camera: amzn.to/3IkkvDY
Pollen Substitute Powder: amzn.to/3lxJhaC
💪BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES I RECOMMEND:
Honey Bandit: amzn.to/3pBPNMx
Pollen Powder: amzn.to/3Qo35XZ
Robber Screen: amzn.to/3Qo3idJ
My Yellow Rubber Gloves: amzn.to/3SZmFLM
Beeswax: amzn.to/3FWfVXY
🌻FEED YOUR BEES:
Plan ahead for spring. Feed your bees in the spring by using my Feeding board known as the Burns Bees Feeder. Safely feed your bees from the top. Great way to help you build up your bees of winter physiology. Check it out:
www.honeybeesonline.com/feeders/
Feeding Additives:
www.honeybeesonline.com/feedi...
Pollen Powder: amzn.to/3Qo35XZ
📬If you'd like to send something to add to the store front to spruce up my back drop, send it to David Burns, PO BOX 254, Catlin, IL 61817
Whoa, you made it all the way down here! Thank you ♥️ Love you 
Животные
I literally felt like giving up today because I have very angry bees and when I contact my local bee association it always comes down to money and having to pay them for their time. I'm a veteran and signed up for hives for HEROS and have been waiting for a mentor.
I am also waiting for a mentor that is a bit closer to where I am.. But I am in my first year keeping honey bees(I've housed native bees for 4 years and helped them survive our harsh winters & weird springs in MN and assisted with mites and parasitic wasps control)
Tell them to go pack sand (trying to stay nice)! Forget any club! Just try to find someone nearby and buddy up. Have two that I can talk to nearby.
Pretty much have been on my own from the start. Currently working and no time for any meetings and such.
Haven't gone through HH...do they hook you up to get started.
Golf Lima
what part of the country are you in?
I was told this at a Bee keepers Club in Ohio " Oh you want to keep bees LOL how much money are ready to loose"
Whilst I agree with most of what you said, David, those Intro to Beekeeping courses might not be doing a bad job. Their jobs are to give people the realism of the hobby so people know what they're getting into. If someone comes out of the course well-informed and decides it isn't for them then the course has educated someone about bees but informed them enough to help them come to an informed decision that the hobby isn't for them. Then again, the course could be rubbish - you never know.
Unfortunately here it seems leaders of clubs and associations, seem to want to prove what they know rather than try to help new beekeepers get started. Even in beekeeping politics can ruin it. Often the same small group of people run multiple clubs in neighboring counties. I wish it was more about the bees and not egos! Ugh
I’m seeing that too!
Not part of any of that...just have some people down the road to talk to
Exactly! Trying to prove to everyone else they are Mr. Know it all instead of helping.
Theft and mindless vandalism must take its toll. So sad for Black Mountain honey in Wales. A great teacher just like yourself. I hope the recent incident in one of his yards does not make him pack in.
It was a fallen tree
Hay do you do classes at your place or just online ? If you do classes at your place is there a campground nearby ?
This is my second year and I'm done through all my bees left 185 a hive gone three hives and everything that goes with it so I'm through with the it be alright and I had a experience lady help me
Sorry to hear of your challenges and loss.
Set your empty hives up as swarm traps and catch some free bees.
@victorkulynycz1397 free bees is the way to go until you can split
The answer is there is no return on investment for the average small beekeeper, my five hives lasted through winter and I easily have 800.00 per hive invested through all last year
Here in the UK, the most popular reason I hear for keepers quiting is back problems.
Yes, it can be rough on our backs.
Get yourself either a 'Horizontal Hive' or the Smaller Box (lighter) version used in a French "Warre Hive".
Easy to Build yourself too. 😎
My back is bad and will get worse so I've tried a horizontal long hive.
My first bee class in the 1st 15 minutes a man got up and said this is to much work. Out he went.
My first bee club meeting I was told not to worry. They said all 1st years lose their bees.
I went to several different club meetings before I found my bee club home. They focus on teaching and helping you become a sustainable beekeeper.
Yes it is hard work, yes there is a lot to learn, yes it is an expensive hobby. (even if you can make you own wooden ware.
Why then am I in my 9th year? I must be crazy. It is a completely fascinating hobby. You never stop learning. My bee yard is my Happy place. It anchors me to nature.
I will say it isn't for everyone but it is worth learning about.
Its not a cheap hobby anymore
So true
Alot of hobbies that are alot cheaper and easier. If I would not have won my first hive 13 years ago I'd have a lot more cash
When was it ever cheap? I must have missed those meetings over the last four years.
Umm. When was it ever cheap? The only thing cheap is the protective gear and you can get cheap or you can get good gear there.
so expensive!
Agree`100% There is a bit of gatekeeping going on in beekeeping. Service is what it is all about for sure!
You learn the most from failure.
Living in an area that is glutted with commercial and hobby beekeepers , makes selling honey difficult and is discouraging.
It is expensive. When people are charging $200 for a nuc it’s way too high. I am at 9 years and enjoy it but the cost makes it a losing proposition.
Why pay $200? It costs me $0 for 10 nucs with established colonies. Easy to do, just took a little spare time.
Thank you!
I have watched your channel since a smallish swarm of bees decided to bivouac on a large sunflower plant last September 2023 . They hung around long enough to allow me to buy a bee hive from Amazon. I shook the majority into the new hive, let the rest run in and closed the top lid on the hive. the stragglers figured it out and by sundown i had captured my first colony. Your channel has been an amazing resource. I attribute my success to the info you have and the way you present it. Im entering my first spring and the bees are ramping up their numbers. things are going well. bees rule! BTW you term "Bees of Winter Physiology" I really like the way the phrase roles off my tongue when spoken. I liked it so much its the name my rock band!!! When asked to explain why that name i get a twinkle in my eye and a grin on my face and get to explain! Go BEES!!!!!!!
I started bee keeping when I lived around some ag and feral fields. Bees did good. However I moved to an area with no ag around. I have nothing but woods around me now. I have tried for 3 years now with probably 6 different hives. All declined and failed or left. Is it possible to not being in a survivable area due to lack of food resources? I treated for mites on all hives.
Yes, without a strong nectar source bees will not do as well. Although they can fly up to 3 miles easily to gain resources.
I’m glad you said this. I have felt the same about where I live. My friend and I started our hives at the same time two years ago. She lives maybe 20 miles north of me and has 3 that are doing great and has even had a swarm come into an empty box she had sitting on her porch over one night. I, on the other hand, have struggled to keep mine alive. I’ve lost 4 hives over those two years and only have one now that is slowly building up. I never saw honeybees around my 8 acres until I got my hives. Makes me think bees don’t do well in my area since there were none seen here before mine and mine have struggled so much. It could just be she has really good genetics with her queens and the Italians I’ve been getting have not performed well although I did get a split from her last year that didn’t make it. I’m not ready to give up yet though. I’m hoping this year I’m going to turn a corner and enter Season 2 that David spoke about!
Loved the video. I have had lots of ups and downs over 10 yrs but what a great hobby. I try to maintain 10 hives
Good one😊, just love it. Thanks
My pleasure 😊
Watched hours of your videos in my first season and read your book last yr and I'm excited to say both of my hives made it through my northern winter!
Thanks for this! this happened with our local beekeeping class. We left halfway through the class and I was pretty sure this wasn’t what I wanted to sign up for.
Some thing in me still has this incredible drive to try so we have bees arriving in May but now after leaving the class I don’t feel ready . I will do my best though
First year of beekeeping requires more time and more attention and more willingness to learn about bees. Later next years are step by step improvements.
You are exactly right about about season 3. I want to quit my job and just do bees. Thankfully I'm 59 and know better.
3rd yr beek here 26 hives going into winter lost 3 so far but all my colonies are from swarms or splits from those swarms so no money lost. Most of my equipment is used given to me for FREE from retired beekeepers . Have bought some good used boxes from pollinators (torch inside for AFB spores)that were downsizing. Try to stay away from used frames buy those new. If the people that lost bees want to play on the cheap try swarm trapping with their used boxes even in their own beeyard. I give away swarms every year just because i really dont need more bees but it's fun to catch swarms. Im in 3 bee clubs in 3 states and each one has people that would love to help newbees. A 2 frame split could startup a colony especially if a beek would sacrifice a frame with swarm cells attached which will soon be plentiful just need the right contacts. Once you have boxes, suit, smoker and hive tool the bees can be found from various sources and expense even maybe free.
Thank you for this video! I get my first nuc in May. I'm so nervous and excited. I really like the life lessons too.
Thank you and you’ll do fine. Enjoy the experience.
This is my last year if my bees dont make it through winter. The more experienced the more you understand whats truely happening. It starts with buying nucs with good queens. I bought over wintered queens and almost all of them never gave me more than two frames of brood. The nucs that i provided a queen did well. So it appears the sellers are selling us their poor queens. Ive lost lots of money and peace buying from people who cheat . Ive also been sold frames not made properly and chilian bees when i bought buckfast . People on bee forums are either rude or cant get past that bees die from other reasons other than mites. . This will be our 4th season. Each year ive said its my last year because i love beekeeping.
I am a new beekeeper and I am so excited to start. I have joined two clubs and have taken one class and taking another on the 23rd. I took a class online with an Ag extension offering. I can’t wait.
Nice going
It is expensive, even if you can make your own equipment. Between mites, fire ants, and small hive beetles, it gets very discouraging. I lost 40% of my hives this winter. But when I am out in the bee yard, it is so soothing to the soul. You won’t understand that until you actually keep bees. Hang in there, it’s worth it!
My wife got me into beekeeping and we worked the hives together until last year when she decided not to continue because she was always worried about them swarming or dying over the winter. At first, I was not interested in bees but helped her with the hives. Then I got very interested in beekeeping and now take care of the bees alone. She still worries about them but not nearly as much.
I find in my area ( Middle of Canada) a lot of people try it out , they find that it does require a lot of work , equipment, money and time. The winters can be extremely harsh , long and tough on bees so losses are on average 25% to 35% in a good year . In our area yes we produce a lot of honey in a very small period of time but honey prices are quite low as compared to many other areas in Canada and the US but the price of everything else is the same or higher. 3:50 At a farmers market you may get 4$ to $5.50 a lbs, so when you start to add up everything it’s a tough go and you have to rely on passion for beekeeping to stay in it. Just my two cents . ( Sideliner Dan)
What an interesting topic! Many factors.
I do have my first real question:
Have noticed "grooming " near the entrance. Sometimes looks pretty harsh. Understand that some are just guarding but could be cleaning off a bee?
If it is real aggressive it could be robbing.
David Hi. I just built a 40 frame bee hive in one of my buildings, where the bees can get into the hive in the building through a slit in the outside wall, but not the building it's self. On the wax frames, it gets to 100 degrees a lot in the summer. In my frames will the wax foundation work without wire to hold it up? What about the plastic foundations, what do I need to do to make them work (Bee's wax frames). I want to use just wax! Also I want to catch a swarm my self but if I don't catch one I will not have bee's this year. Should i buy a nuc? I am new to this but did raise bee's 40 years ago, so I have no bee's to start with. Can you tell me what I should do? Thanks. Michael
Great building up David. Thank You Good luck Beeks 👍
I took a bee course in Worcester, MA a few years back and it was amazing. The problem was being a resident of Massachusetts where getting close to an acre in a decent town anywhere East of Palmer is 300k+. It's also a state which doesn't allow much freedom without miles of red tape. Now that I live out of that state with a chunk of land I'm finally getting into beekeeping.
There are a lot of dreamy ideas of free honey which I'm sure is the leading cause of bee drop outs. Especially with products like the flow hive which is something I researched a fair amount. A lot of people had misconceptions about how much work they had to do with the hive.
All valid points.
It is outrageously expensive to keep bees. If you have 3 hives you will spend $2K+ after 3 years time. Buying packages to replace losses. Replacing crappy package queens. It's maddening. To have a good pest mitigation plan is expensive. Books, tools, argh. That said 2 our 3 hives made it through and I ordered 3 packages. This is the last year of packages. If I don't do a better job I'm done and some nice kid will get enough equipment 10 hives! I'm not a dumb person I've mentored people and put effort into this. I still make mistakes that are expensive. Feeding liquid feed too late into the year - I feel this put too much moisture in the hive this winter. Not strapping down a hive almost killed a huge hive (now it's a small ball due to my mistake.)
In my first year (last year) I spent: $180 X 4 ($720 total) for 8 deeps and 8 supers (Hoover Hives) to get started on 4 hives. 4 total -queen right colonies at $200 each ($800 total), $175 for oxalic acid vaporizer, $40 for oxalic acid chemical, $20 for jar feeder lids for dearth(s), $40 for food/nutrition additive, $200 for bee suit and $150 for my wife one, $200 for full tool kit, hive tool, smoker, queen cage blah blah,. And I'm sure Im missing some things .Totaling around $2,300 to get going. NOW, could I have only bought one colony and hive to get going, I get that.
It's been said that when you go to a bee club meeting you will learn more about people than bees. I've had my bees 12 years now, never had a mentor, never been to a meeting, just noodled around, made observations and mistakes, muddled through and figured out what to do more of and less of, etc...
Well said
My first season was last year, found a bee club and a mentor. I worked with her and her bees . I bought my own bees for this spring. Will be on my own this year, with help of mentor. Great way to get your bee legs under you so to speak.
Bees are live insects that need attention. If you can't handle tending to live insects, you shouldn't be a bee keeper. Know your limitations. It's not rocket science, but does take work.
Bees are wild livestock. Bees are gonna do what they wanna do!!!
Thank you for your honesty on beekeeping. I have been keeping my girls for 17 years and your infomrmation is always very good. Many come to me and talk to me about starting beekeeping, I always refer them to your videos.
So nice of you
the best advice you will ever get is to study beekeeping for a year before you get your first hive and visit someone else's bee yard and if you get a handle on it then buy some bees and equipment. Go to the bee club meetings and ask questions................... Bee keeping is not for everyone and yes there is a learning curve.
Yeah reading a lot of these comments a lot of people don’t understand. It’s expensive in the beginning and takes time and money. When you learn how to keep bees alive and how to properly manage bees make equipment etc it’s not all that expensive. The bigger you grow the more it costs but it’s all about learning
Im just starting my 2nd season here in Georgia. I lost both of my hives over winter but im not giving up! Im doing 3 hives this year and im going to stay on top of verroia mites and feeding. Your videos are always a huge help!
Sorry to hear about your loss, but glad you are back on the horse and applying what you've learned to move forward!
Set up swarm traps is another level of fun
Keep going!! Sorry to hear but you will do better this time!!!
I kept beehives way back in highschool in 4H and thought it would be fun…
Last year I tried one hive by itself. They got weakened by EFB then robbing then small hive beetle and could never really get ahead. This year I’m doing 2 hives and have a better feel on how to deal with those issues so i can actually fight varroa…
Number one reason in my opinion is they all were getting ready for the “great collapse” with all the things going on in the world. Then figured out… it’s actually work. You got to pay attention to things. The 2nd is getting stung. That’s just my own opinion.
Too expensive. $150 for a bunch of bees that can fly away the next day?
Im starting my first 2 hives next month, bought and paid for!!!
Nice
Too many people just want to throw money at it and then get surprised that the costs mount up. A hobby takes an investment in time, that literally what a hobby is 😂. So put time in, and keep the costs down. It cost me $100 for ten hives with fully installed colonies. Took a year to get there, but $100 for ten hives….
Your encouragement gives me so much more confidence to attempt it this spring. Just ordered two nucs from a local apiary. Fingers crossed that my learning curve won't be too steep.
Glad I can be some help. Remember, season one, just learn and be positive!
And I live in Mississippi
I started last year with a single hive. I'm in NY. The hive successfully made out of winter. I just checked it today they have 4 frames of brood. I also started feeding today. I'm hoping to make a split or 2 this year. If anybody is wadering, I started with a package on April 15th 2023
Glad it is going well.
I started last year also. With two packages. Mine are also doing well. I am in South East Ohio. Glad you're doing well too.
@@beek all thanks to your videos David.
@@mikedavidson1970 glad you're doing well. Hope you have good harvest this year.
This year 5 lost 2 hives to yellow jackets in October. Only had 4 hives looking like i lost my only .2 left. Im in northern va.
I've kept one to two hives the last 4 years and have a terrible record as a bee keeper. This year, though. This year it all changes and turns around. haha
First season of beekeeping can be messy like I said, because it's all about learning from mistakes and observation and stay POSITIVE.
We've notice lots of Beekeepers getting out here in WV
Im starting beekeeping this year. Its very interesting and im waiting on my bees. Thanks for the videos they're very helpful
The more I fail at bee keeping the more determined I get to Succeed , they are so amazing to work with
david, getting colder in michigan, addinf sugar water or another sugar board. Plz respond
If it doesn’t warm up where bees can flying for several days, use candy boards
when to radd the queen excluder back on? My hive has had the robbing board on since fall and works awsome they like it!!!
getting my First Bee NUK in aprl Watched all your videos and yes i understand it takes time to be proficient . its a learning process but i will proceed.
Need a lot of storage space and it is an expensive hobby. Some people develop an allergy to stings
Great video friend! You are a great ambassador for the " hobby "✅️😉😁👍👍Your always truthful good or bad and new keepers need that. Say hi to Sherie for me and let me know if you are ever going to skip thru Md again.
Tried my first hive last year. Did great, got about 3 gallons of honey in the late summer and then WHAM! Colony collapsed from American Foul Brood in the fall. Called the county Ag dept and they took the hive away to incinerate it. Going to try again this year with two hives. Success gives you happiness, failure gives you knowledge
Wow, AFB your first year. What are the odds. Glad you are back on the horse. And love, "Success gives you happiness, failure gives you knowledge."
I live in Marin County, CA, and we’re required to register our hives with Ag and let them know if we suspect AFB. They told me they suspect it’s around but people don’t report it because Ag takes all your equipment away
There was a record number of people that started last year correct ?
Dunno...in the US? What's the source for that.
Season 1 beekeeper here! Thank you for this video!
Also noted, I ALWAYS wanted to become a beekeeper and just now had the opportunity to do so (in my 40's!)! First full year of beekeeping, I feel during my winter months I took the "out of hive time" to do that continuous bee learning, and I must say, it has just validated and solidified my love and curiosity for honeybees and all things pollinators! It is good to know that one needs to have at least 5 years of beekeeping under their belt before pursuing a Master Beekeeping Certification :). We shall see where my heart (and body) is at that time! Thank you for ALL of your content David! My next steps... attending YOUR beekeeping classes!
I’m in season 3 in a bad way!!! God gave me a vision about 10 years ago and I have been steadily working towards it for about 6 years this time. Both my parents were side liners back in the 80’s-and early 90’s. The smell of a healthy hive is what drove me to get back into beekeeping. Great video!!!
I just completed my first year. I bought your online class. I read beekeeping for dummies. I only started with one hive (nuc) even though I was encouraged to get 2. I didn’t want it to feel like an overwhelming job. I worried the entire time. It was slow to build up. I didn’t harvest any honey and I fed those bees the entire time so they could have the resources to build comb. I treated them for mites and small hive beetle was my nemesis. But I think I did ok to build them up for winter. I closed them up for winter, built them a wind break and I gave them their emergency feed. I am happy to say my hive has so far survived. They were flying and carrying in pollen Sunday when I put 1:1 liquid feed in a top feeder.
I still feel overwhelmed but I am ready to take on the new season. I am getting another colony and it’s going in to a horizontal hive. I mentioned this to a seasoned bee keeper in the club I joined and they were such a Debbie downer … “you sure you have enough experience to manage that?” I responded with an “all due respect anytime I have reached out to a more seasoned member of this club not a single person could be bothered to actually give me face to face help, but I would get all kinds of contradictory advice in the Facebook group… so I just said I would manage the same way I did with my first colony.”
I really tried to develop a mentor mentee relationship but it has been painful. I like to learn and I love watching seasoned people but this bee club just hasn’t been that great. I spent time in one bee yard and I had to listen to the person gripe more about how they hated the president and transgender people. It was draining. I’m going to stick to RUclips and reading books.
Your comment is so insightful of what’s going on today in too many places. Thanks for sharing.
@@beek thanks. Your videos have been a great help. I live a little south of you but I am in IL so it’s nice that you beekeep in the same climate as me
Her in the Netherlands a lot quitting because the Asian hornets it kill al are bee's 😢
Most give up because of loss and the cost to replace. If possible they should look at catching swarms. My first year I lost my colony. The second year I put out 8 swarm traps and caught 9 swarms.
You are a gem Mr. Burns! Another perfect video. No fear just facts ❤🐝
Thank you kindly
i'm getting into "season 3: lite" i'm not too interested in sending truckloads of hives to california, or really doing youtube or classes. but i am expanding into selling nucs and queens, and trying to make as much honey as i can. currently at 31 of 37 surviving winter, so things are looking good so far. march is looking funky, but they are heavy and big pops.
My first full season was truly an adventure. I purchased two nucs in April. Three weeks laster, one developed EFB. That hive ended up totally collapsing. then I replaced it with another nuc in June and that turned out to have a drone layer queen. I could say I learned a lot that year.
..Hi David ! ..well here’s my first year of beekeeping in a nut shell !!
February 20 th of 2023 , I removed a colony of honey bees from the inside of a column on our gazebo and placed them into a hive .. I will tell you I was truly bitten by the honey bee bug … many hours of you tube watched and several books read I now have 42 colonies ..learned to make splits , queens , swarm traps, sugar water, and all the other things associated with bee keeping …Oh yeah and also started a bee club , as the county in which I live did not have one ..and yes I’ve heard some people speak that are way to pessimistic to the beginner !!! And actually turn them away from this wonderful hobby/ business ..but not me ..I’m very positive and encouraging ..even when discussing the economics of this endeavor ..so I hope those of you reading this that are discouraged a little will just hang in there, step back and take a deep breath and keep charging forward ..I would be glad to talk to anyone that needs some encouragement even if I am a fairly new beekeeper….
wow wow wow! Thanks for encouraging everyone.
I'm starting my first hive in Alaska this year. Most people get new packages every year as wintering is a huge challenge up here. This hobby is a lot cheaper than my pinball hobby.
😊It is a lot of work. I am nervous of killing my queen 😢 . Lot to learn😮. Just thought, give them a home😅 and that's it. But not.
David you couldn’t explain it any better my first year was a rough one my second year was a little easier I started out with one hive I lost it over winter then I started with two hives did a lot better now I’m up to six hives still working hard on it people do get frustrated I can understand that because it does cost you quite a bit of money to keep this hobby going but hang in there everybody it does work out after a while you learn more and more every year winter is the hottest to get by David you’re a fantastic man
Thank you for your comment.
I hear bees are like potato chips. You just can’t stop with one colony. I thought I just wanted one but I’m already thinking 2 is the goal. 😂
Thanks
I told my daughter this morning 😭 " I quit, but I want bees ". Maybe your encouragement will help me keep going. Thank you.
You got this!
Because of your online Courses I’ve had way more ups than downs as a new beekeeper. This May will be three years as a beekeeper 19 colonies 1 beadout. 💪🏻 🐝
Starting my third year by losing my hive. But I am not deterred. I am trying to catch swarms and have ordered a nuc. At one point I had 4 hives but mistakes I made cost me. Now I have learned from my mistakes and it makes me excited about the future.
Don’t get discouraged is the main thing. You have to be optimistic until you really start learning what and when you need to do things.
Agree!
I was talking to a lady today who works where my mom is currently living at who said her son-in-law who had a hive (not sure how long) in town, when, one day, he came home and found out that suddenly, the workers, for unknown reasons, while he was away, decided to kill the queen. Could the queen have been stressed out and put off bad pheromones?
Usually the workers do not kill their queen UNLESS she is doing poorly and they plan to replace her.
I tried to get back into beekeeping 3 years ago . Over a thousand dollars were lost . I contribute my losses to one bee company that shipped poor quality bee packages :
Heat stressed by their poor shipping practices ( charging 3 day express ) and shipping by regular USPS ground shipping
Sugar water cans that had not been properly punctured and the bees starved to death ( on arrival at the USPS post office ) .
I am going to make another try this month :
Nucs ordered , hives have been on their stands for 3 weeks .
I hope things turn out better this time . I decided to not give up .
I follow your blog closely and maybe have learned enough to succeed from you .
This time I am picking up personally this time from a reputable local family bee nursery that raises their own stock instead of buying from all over the country and shipping unknown quantity bees .
Yes, lots of stories similar to your stories. Glad you are going with nucs. We used to ship packages USPS and it was terrible and we stopped. Now we offer packages and nucs but PICK UP only!
I just started bee keeping. We have 1 colonie that was donated to us from the bee club.
They were from a removal. We have set the goal to not buy bees but to only catch swarms or get bees from removals.
Figured this is the best approach for me to have strong genetics for the hives location.
I live in Florida and bees are out and about most the year.
$1200 today buying 3, 2 deep box hives, ppe, and the normal tools. Also put down as part of the total, $75 deposit on 3 nucs. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Setbacks are 1 of the best parts. What fun is anything that doesn't give you obstacles to overcome
Love Beekeeping, but gouging is the problem anymore. 190 dollars for 3lb of bees is high
I've been interested in beekeeping for many years, but life events keep cropping up; having babies, suffering loss, and moving again soon. I think in a year or two I'll finally be able to start. Thank you for all the encouragement and authenticity, David.
Good for you. Life can be hectic so hang in their and keep pursuing what interest you.
I’m not quitting but the biggest struggle I have is location. I’m an urban hobbyist and getting permission and the right legal issues are the road bumps
I started with 12 hives and I learned that package bees are risky. I lost 75% of my packaged bees which was 4 and the rest were nucs . All the nucs survived .
Another fear I have is because of the surge in the number of beekeepers, people have opened several mom and pop type shops to sell bee equipment. Right now it is big and I am sure there are probably 5 times as many beekeepers today as there was 10 years ago. But at some point people are going to have most of the equipment they need and there will be a surge of second hand equipment on the market as well as some decide to hang it up for whatever reason. I worry the small shops won't survive! I hope like you they have other avenues of income.
Im paning on quiting the year i die :)
That's commitment.
It is not as cheap of a hobby as many think it is, it is more work than some people believe, but it can be a lot of fun if you learn and put in the effort!
most pple would love to be a beekeeper, however many others spray their lawns and houses with pesticides (arachnophobia), which makes beekeeping a waste of money and life........
Yes, pesticides are bad and even herbicides too, because killing all the weeds steals food from the bees.
Good video.
I’m getting setup to start raising bees 🐝 this year. If you’re interested to see my journey come give me a follow.
Best of luck to all you beekeepers
I went to a seminar a long time ago to see if I wanted to become a beekeeper. The speaker was a Master Beekeeper. He talked for one hour 45 minutes, practically nonstop, using Power Point. When he was finished, I decided not to keep bees. I was overwhelmed. Luckily, an oldtimer beekeeper took me under his wing, I have been keeping bees for 10 years now.
So thrilled that our bees made it through the first winter, then my husband accidentally killed the queen while we were trying to mark her Saturday. Aaargh! Back to the drawing board.
Did same one year, made a split from frame with eggs they made a queen and she made it back mated. Caught her put in marking cage and when releasing her cut off her head. 😢 didn't pay attention to where she was when slid open the door 😵💫it was late summer with not enuff time to start over so newspaper combined with another nuc, live and learn