From Georgia, USA- very good video. I really enjoyed it. "The First Law of Beekeeping: For every beekeeping idea, there exists an equal and opposite idea. The Second Law of Beekeeping: They’re both wrong."
Thanks Laurence. This video ought to be shown at bee keepers meetings. It could give rise to hours of discussion. I have learned so much from it. I am bee keeping in the West of Ireland .
Some very good points you brought up. You regretted not having a robust plan but at least you had a plan. Not having a plan is one huge mistake. The second biggest mistakes I see with hobby beekeepers is what do you do with 500 or 1,000 lbs of honey. You can't give that much away to relatives and so how do you sell your honey. My runny honey wasn't selling as fast as I thought it would but once I started making flavored creamed honey now I'm having to buy extra honey to fill orders. Grow slow is great advice.
Thanks Russell. That's such an interesting point and shows the dramatic variation across the UK and the world. We find the the runny outsells all other honey by around 8 to 1 ratio, but I know others, like you, where the ratio is actually in favour of a decent soft set (my fave). Its all about tweaking to find out what works for you 😀
@@BlackMountainHoney Right now it seems the flavoring is what makes it standout. Blueberry is king and Elderberry with its medicinal properties is going fast. I think I have 6 flavors now so there is one that almost everyone likes.
@@BlackMountainHoney This weekend my wife went to two craft fairs and sold $950 worth of flavored creamed honey and $50 of runny honey. They were in small towns of 1,000 to 2,000 so it wasn't a huge event.
thank you! very refreshing attitude and energy, even after 15 years of 'hobby' beekeeping I learn new things every week... but only from keepers like you who are willing to accept diversity in practice & approach. Can't tell you how many times I've been smacked down by 'experts' or Master Bee Keepers - when I knew direct from experience and repeat success that what I was doing worked for me, and could possibly work for others. Just happened on your video while looking for advice on the difference between swarm cell and supercedure cell (queen) and so happy i found you! best of luck in all your endeavors
Yep - I am doing exactly what you are warning against, at least 6 of the 10. The way you explain it makes sense. In all honesty, this is the most helpful video I have seen all year. Thanks for the great insight.
Ah that's very kind. Thanks Joe. Honestly - its easy in hindsight. I made all those mistakes and I regret them. I will make another 10 mistakes next year (i'll be sure to keep you all informed) :D
Thanks again video is great. So right about spending money on good suit. As a new bee keeper It just made the whole experience so much nicer and I was able to feel more confident inspecting and helping out at our local bee group. Our Isle of Wight bee keeping group is great and has helped me but I am very open minded and that’s why I follow your channel as you just make so much sense. Thank you for your time and enthusiasm.
Really enjoyed that, thanks. I suppose my main one is not starting earlier, no you tube when I started, its great there are so many helpful beekeepers out there! I think its takes everyone a while to find a style they are comfortable with and to find their own direction. Have a good evening with your family.
I've only been keeping my bees for about 3 years now and I have not done anything yet for any desease and my one hive is so far been doing good. In fact I got 4 and a half gallons of honey from them this fall harvest. I am in the middle of the desert and I have nut orchards and hay fields nearby besides the desert plants that they work. I use the Nordstrom hives and I am wanting to get another wild swarm this year and move them out here and hopefully they will do as good as my older colony is doing. I still am definitely a beginner and have lots to learn. But I am glad I found your video and will be looking at others in the future.
@@BlackMountainHoney I have a problem now. It's been over a month since I harvested my honey. The bees had plenty to last the winter and 2 weeks ago I went out to check on them and they were all gone. All the winter honey was still there but I can tell they were moving it out also. I pulled the rest of the combs out and they have really been busy coming and cleaning them out but I can't find where they are going to with it. So after being in my hive for abo 3 years now they just all took off. I have heard from a few others around here and they said that they have had a lot of theirs take off around the same time. What can I do.
Really enjoyed this video, I’m in a similar stage where do I expand and really start to push honey production. We are lucky enough to live on a farm so space is good, also have Balsam on our land as there is beck that runs through. So I’ve sat down and done the “bee maths” really would love to do it. Channel is great 👍 Cheers Andy
Love the channel Laurence. As a 34 year old guy with a full time job and keeping bee's in my spare time videos like this have helped me a lot. I've ordered a few nuc's from you to say thanks 👍
Cheers PR1M8 and THANK YOU for ordering nucs from us! 'As a 34 year old guy with a full time job and keeping bee's in my spare time' Like two peas in a pod :D
The one characteristic Brother Adam was not influenced by was colour. I often wonder, if the Buckfast Bee has evolved to be a jet black bee, how many people who are anti Buckfast today would have a different view! 🤔 Over many years I’ve had lots of different bees but my current Buckfast stock are the best all round bees I’ve ever had.
Another interesting point is that I have some buckfast bees that are dark. I mean really dark. They are all ginger little bees. But you are right, it's the colour that people identify as foreign and they don't like it 😞
Bee maths dos not work as a lot of pro bee keepers here in Germany found out this year (no honey but they must feed all year thats alot of money with 1000s of hives)
Ours probably isn't a good yardstick as I work a FT, demanding job outside of beekeeping. We have around 120 production colonies and loads of nucs - circa 200 but they will be gone in April. Most bee farmers work on the basis of 400-500 colonies per FTE
Great subject mine would have been I wish I had started of with langstroths and used only one size box it would have been so much easier and cheaper. Totally agree with you on hobby beekeeping associations.
Amazing! Just subscribed as ie got a course booked for the new year and looking to have bees next year. Can’t find the top 10 mistakes vid you keep mentioning? Keep up the good work buddy 👍🐝🐝🐝
Had two hives last year, one swarm one split and then we have four.I love having them at the bottom of the garden but definitely no more hives, I've found someone who will take them next year.
I started bee keeping by getting an abandoned hive of 12 months or more so who knows what they are. I make my own langstroth 8 frame hives and I dont treat them.They seem to do ok. up to 5 hives in 2 years. Have you tried the intrances mr Salbany came up with I use them and forget the wasps. Really enjoy your have a go attitude and I much prefer to make my own stuff.
Great video. In your time working with Bee’s how mine years are you getting out of your queen’s before you think she needs replacing to keep the productive hive up and strong . ?? How long have you been a bee keeper. ??
Thanks Kathy. Around 8-9 years a beekeeper. It depends massively on what you are looking for in your colonies. If its maximum honey production I would say every other year. If its just to keep them strong enough to protect themselves, I would let them go ahead and supersede themselves
@@BlackMountainHoney upto four hives and two nucs at the moment. Aiming to get to eight next year and stick at that for a while….. Also waiting for bees to decide it’s time to cluster! Also have dozens of your videos to catch up on over winter!
I've made so many mistakes in the 19 years since I first started with bees that I'm surprised I've still got any colonies! Thank you for a great, honest video. Ps I'm one of those who, like you, does things a little differently to the expected norm.
Hello Lawrence, do you prefer plastic foundation or wax foundation? Could you make a vid about it cause i noticed that no one made a vid about it even if it is crucial to new beekeepers
hindsight is a wonderful thing.....but this should help and I know there are a few of these I have not had to deal with so at least I have the info for a more informed decision
From Georgia, USA- very good video. I really enjoyed it.
"The First Law of Beekeeping: For every beekeeping idea, there exists an equal and opposite idea.
The Second Law of Beekeeping: They’re both wrong."
LOL. Love it! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Thanks for watching Joel
😂😂😂
Thanks Laurence. This video ought to be shown at bee keepers meetings. It could give rise to hours of discussion. I have learned so much from it.
I am bee keeping in the West of Ireland .
Argh! :D
It could make many (more) enemies. Just show it up until point 8 LOL
Cheers Gerard ;)
I watch a lot of videos and yours are up there with the best beekeepers around. Great info, thanks.
Hey 👋 Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad you like the videos 😀
Totally agreed with your last regret ! Well done you 👏
Thanks Barry :D
Some very good points you brought up. You regretted not having a robust plan but at least you had a plan. Not having a plan is one huge mistake. The second biggest mistakes I see with hobby beekeepers is what do you do with 500 or 1,000 lbs of honey. You can't give that much away to relatives and so how do you sell your honey. My runny honey wasn't selling as fast as I thought it would but once I started making flavored creamed honey now I'm having to buy extra honey to fill orders. Grow slow is great advice.
Thanks Russell. That's such an interesting point and shows the dramatic variation across the UK and the world. We find the the runny outsells all other honey by around 8 to 1 ratio, but I know others, like you, where the ratio is actually in favour of a decent soft set (my fave). Its all about tweaking to find out what works for you 😀
@@BlackMountainHoney Right now it seems the flavoring is what makes it standout. Blueberry is king and Elderberry with its medicinal properties is going fast. I think I have 6 flavors now so there is one that almost everyone likes.
@@BlackMountainHoney This weekend my wife went to two craft fairs and sold $950 worth of flavored creamed honey and $50 of runny honey. They were in small towns of 1,000 to 2,000 so it wasn't a huge event.
Laurence, enjoyed the video. We live and learn. Thanks for sharing this.
Cheers CH! 🍻 👏 ✌️
thank you! very refreshing attitude and energy, even after 15 years of 'hobby' beekeeping I learn new things every week... but only from keepers like you who are willing to accept diversity in practice & approach. Can't tell you how many times I've been smacked down by 'experts' or Master Bee Keepers - when I knew direct from experience and repeat success that what I was doing worked for me, and could possibly work for others. Just happened on your video while looking for advice on the difference between swarm cell and supercedure cell (queen) and so happy i found you! best of luck in all your endeavors
Yep - I am doing exactly what you are warning against, at least 6 of the 10. The way you explain it makes sense. In all honesty, this is the most helpful video I have seen all year. Thanks for the great insight.
Ah that's very kind. Thanks Joe.
Honestly - its easy in hindsight. I made all those mistakes and I regret them.
I will make another 10 mistakes next year (i'll be sure to keep you all informed) :D
Thanks again video is great. So right about spending money on good suit. As a new bee keeper It just made the whole experience so much nicer and I was able to feel more confident inspecting and helping out at our local bee group. Our Isle of Wight bee keeping group is great and has helped me but I am very open minded and that’s why I follow your channel as you just make so much sense. Thank you for your time and enthusiasm.
Thanks for your kind comments Heather 😀 It's my pleasure 🙏 ☺️
Really enjoyed that, thanks. I suppose my main one is not starting earlier, no you tube when I started, its great there are so many helpful beekeepers out there! I think its takes everyone a while to find a style they are comfortable with and to find their own direction. Have a good evening with your family.
100% agree, Peter. You soon find what works for you year on year and it always seems so much easier in hindsight! :D
I've only been keeping my bees for about 3 years now and I have not done anything yet for any desease and my one hive is so far been doing good. In fact I got 4 and a half gallons of honey from them this fall harvest. I am in the middle of the desert and I have nut orchards and hay fields nearby besides the desert plants that they work. I use the Nordstrom hives and I am wanting to get another wild swarm this year and move them out here and hopefully they will do as good as my older colony is doing. I still am definitely a beginner and have lots to learn. But I am glad I found your video and will be looking at others in the future.
Hey Kenneth. Glad to hear! Sounds great. Would love to be that isolated 😀
@@BlackMountainHoney
I have a problem now. It's been over a month since I harvested my honey. The bees had plenty to last the winter and 2 weeks ago I went out to check on them and they were all gone. All the winter honey was still there but I can tell they were moving it out also. I pulled the rest of the combs out and they have really been busy coming and cleaning them out but I can't find where they are going to with it. So after being in my hive for abo 3 years now they just all took off. I have heard from a few others around here and they said that they have had a lot of theirs take off around the same time. What can I do.
Really enjoyed this video, I’m in a similar stage where do I expand and really start to push honey production. We are lucky enough to live on a farm so space is good, also have Balsam on our land as there is beck that runs through. So I’ve sat down and done the “bee maths” really would love to do it. Channel is great 👍
Cheers
Andy
Business plans are brilliant for the first year. I'm expecting mine to go out the window by this time next year.
Ooh yes but you have to continually update them as you grow 😀
Love the channel Laurence. As a 34 year old guy with a full time job and keeping bee's in my spare time videos like this have helped me a lot. I've ordered a few nuc's from you to say thanks 👍
Cheers PR1M8 and THANK YOU for ordering nucs from us!
'As a 34 year old guy with a full time job and keeping bee's in my spare time'
Like two peas in a pod :D
Make that 3 of us! 🤣
The one characteristic Brother Adam was not influenced by was colour. I often wonder, if the Buckfast Bee has evolved to be a jet black bee, how many people who are anti Buckfast today would have a different view! 🤔
Over many years I’ve had lots of different bees but my current Buckfast stock are the best all round bees I’ve ever had.
Another interesting point is that I have some buckfast bees that are dark. I mean really dark. They are all ginger little bees. But you are right, it's the colour that people identify as foreign and they don't like it 😞
i have ginger bees and have just extracted 120 Ib of honey and are so easy to inspect
Very. useful informstion
Thanks a lot
Bee maths dos not work as a lot of pro bee keepers here in Germany found out this year (no honey but they must feed all year thats alot of money with 1000s of hives)
That's bee math to the power of 0.1 :D LOL
Appreciate this a lot there’s a lot of keepers who stick to it and in my view beekeeping is diverse I keep bees different from most common practices
All about finding what works for you through trial and error (and RUclips!) LOL
How many hives have you got in total Lawrence?, Just wondering what a good aim would be if I wanted to go commercial 🙂
Ours probably isn't a good yardstick as I work a FT, demanding job outside of beekeeping. We have around 120 production colonies and loads of nucs - circa 200 but they will be gone in April. Most bee farmers work on the basis of 400-500 colonies per FTE
Great subject mine would have been I wish I had started of with langstroths and used only one size box it would have been so much easier and cheaper. Totally agree with you on hobby beekeeping associations.
Ooh forgot about the single size boxes. That's a great one. Wish I'd done that as well 😃
Amazing! Just subscribed as ie got a course booked for the new year and looking to have bees next year. Can’t find the top 10 mistakes vid you keep mentioning? Keep up the good work buddy 👍🐝🐝🐝
Thanks Russell
ruclips.net/video/iVY5TREMHTg/видео.html
I live in the state all my bees are dark but this year I had some was orange and black l see what they do this year
Just out of curiosity do you have a flashlight or a torch. LOL
Had two hives last year, one swarm one split and then we have four.I love having them at the bottom of the garden but definitely no more hives, I've found someone who will take them next year.
Yeah. Its so much better having them on someone else's land. Gardens are for pizza ovens and padding pools 😉
Now I recognise a true Welsh man
Ha - who's that then? I'm about as Welsh as Macbeth :D
Heh, Bee math is worse than chicken math I think. Beekeeping offers so many challenges and we learn nonstop. Going to share this on my Community.
Hey thanks CH. Bee maths is the best maths! Just remember to divide by 3! :D
I started bee keeping by getting an abandoned hive of 12 months or more so who knows what they are. I make my own langstroth 8 frame hives and I dont treat them.They seem to do ok. up to 5 hives in 2 years. Have you tried the intrances mr Salbany came up with I use them and forget the wasps. Really enjoy your have a go attitude and I much prefer to make my own stuff.
Great to hear Jeremy. I've not heard of these entrances. Do you have a link by any chance?
I agree
😀
Great video. In your time working with Bee’s how mine years are you getting out of your queen’s before you think she needs replacing to keep the productive hive up and strong . ?? How long have you been a bee keeper. ??
Thanks Kathy. Around 8-9 years a beekeeper. It depends massively on what you are looking for in your colonies. If its maximum honey production I would say every other year. If its just to keep them strong enough to protect themselves, I would let them go ahead and supersede themselves
Really enjoyed that, thanks Laurence
Thanks Rob. Glad you enjoyed it. Can't wait to see how things go next year (for me and you!). Love watching people's progress
@@BlackMountainHoney upto four hives and two nucs at the moment. Aiming to get to eight next year and stick at that for a while….. Also waiting for bees to decide it’s time to cluster! Also have dozens of your videos to catch up on over winter!
I've made so many mistakes in the 19 years since I first started with bees that I'm surprised I've still got any colonies! Thank you for a great, honest video.
Ps I'm one of those who, like you, does things a little differently to the expected norm.
Thanks GG. You've got to try new things hey? :D
Thank you so mush for this video . I will keep this video in my beekeeping playlist and also in the back of my head .Really helpful tips.
Thanks DWS. Just my musings on the regular mistakes that I make! I could probably do a new one each year!
Hello Lawrence, do you prefer plastic foundation or wax foundation? Could you make a vid about it cause i noticed that no one made a vid about it even if it is crucial to new beekeepers
Hi CC, I dont actually have any experience of using plastic foundation over the course of a season. Ill do some comparisons this year :)
hindsight is a wonderful thing.....but this should help and I know there are a few of these I have not had to deal with so at least I have the info for a more informed decision
Cheers John. It certainly is. Ill revisit this next year when I make another 10 mistakes :D
like you have said before you learn from mistakes it's just a case of not repeating them.....and I'm sure you will be hard pressed for 10 more
Hey man! Thanks for sharing always good to see that others have made the same mistakes as me :) hope you are well
Like a game of SNAP