All new beekeepers make mistakes, it’s part of learning the craft. Here are some of the most common beekeeping mistakes to try to avoid:
Beekeeping Mistakes: What are they?
- Putting your hive in an unsuitable location – make sure your hive is in a nice, flat area, with plenty of space around it for easy access when you work. Also, make sure there’s not too much activity close to your hive.
- Not wearing a bee suit when inspecting the hive – it’s best to stay safe and always wear a beesuit, as bees can be unpredictable. They may be very calm one day and less so on another.
- Not using a smoker – don’t be overconfident. Use your smoker to calm the bees when inspecting the hive, and remember to check that the smoke is not too hot.
- Not feeding a starter colony or package colony (depending on your climate and available forage at the time of year) – ask your breeder or supplier for advice on this, and keep an eye on the colony to make sure they are growing and building comb.
- Starting with a single colony – having more than one colony does not require a lot of extra effort, and it allows you to learn about bees much faster.
- Not inspecting hives frequently enough – it’s a good idea to regularly open up and inspect your hives when starting out. How often you should do this depends on your region and climate, and varies throughout the year. When you’re getting a hive established, you’ll usually need to inspect them a bit more often. It’s good to talk to beekeepers in your area to get a sense of how regularly they inspect their hives throughout the year.
- Not recognizing that a colony has become queenless – if your colony is without a queen for too long it will collapse. Make sure to check for eggs during inspections.
- Leaving empty space in the hive between frames or at the edges – this will cause the bees to build comb in the wrong places, always fill your hive with frames.
- Not learning enough about bees – one of the most rewarding aspects of beekeeping is learning about bees, their behavior and biology. The more you know, the better beekeeper you’ll be.
These beekeeping mistakes are often made by newbies. By listing them all here, we hope that you will learn from the mistakes of others to avoid. If you have more to add in this list, please do not hesitate to drop us a line below.
Originally posted 2020-08-11 19:51:00.
