Synopsis: Brace your self, 2024 is nearly right here. Time to begin making ready for the ‘unknown knowns’ and maybe planning to strive one thing new. Glad New Yr!

Introduction

Incrementally, however imperceptibly, the times are lengthening.

The winter solstice (from the Latin sol = ‘solar’ and sistere = ‘to face nonetheless’) was at 3:28 am on the 22^nd. A debilitating cocktail of Covid, Lemsip, honey and Glenmorangie conspired to make sure I missed it, although I’m undecided it could have been notably memorable because it was very moist and windy.

And the nighttime.

Now, a full week later, the day size – at my latitude of ~56°N – is nearly 4 minutes longer.

To be sincere, I’ve not seen.

The will increase, day upon day, are so small that will probably be weeks earlier than they accumulate sufficiently to make a significant distinction to what I can obtain on these days dry sufficient to work outdoors.

Nevertheless, by the tip of subsequent month these will increase shall be galloping alongside at over 4 minutes per day, and can proceed till the spring equinox within the third week of March, when the speed begins to sluggish.

Though the present will increase in day size are of little quick profit, they’re a welcome reminder that the beekeeping season is getting nearer.

With no sensible beekeeping to be accomplished for no less than 2-3 months we’ve bought no excuse to not plan for the season forward and begin to make the mandatory preparations.

In fact, that ‘2-3 months’ very a lot relies upon upon your latitude.

The beekeeping season began in early March in some years once I lived within the Midlands, nevertheless it might be early Might in a chilly Spring right here in Scotland .

The unknown knowns

Whether or not it’s just a few quick weeks – or just a few lengthy months – till the season begins, the occasions it’s essential to put together for within the coming 12 months are just about the identical no matter your latitude.

These are the knowns.

Whether or not you reside on the Channel Islands or Shetland Islands the bees nonetheless must construct up in spring, broaden sufficiently to swarm (or no less than give it some thought) and accumulate sufficient shops to get via subsequent winter.

However, overlaid on these occasions within the lifecycle of the colony are the extra issues we impose on our bees; splits, queen rearing, honey harvests and Varroa administration.

Extra knowns, no less than when you’ve saved bees for greater than a 12 months.

Clearly, because the latitude will increase these are all shoehorned into an ever shorter season.

These of us dwelling within the north most likely have much less time throughout the season, although that is compensated by having extra time earlier than the season begins.

This explains why I’m all the time so well-prepared for the season when it does finally begin .

So what’s it about these knowns which are unknown?

Each season is completely different. You already know what to anticipate, however you don’t fairly know when to anticipate it.

Sure, queen rearing most likely overlaps with the tail finish of the OSR nectar circulate, however that may differ by 2-3 weeks relying upon the climate (or the actual pressure planted by the farmer). Maybe extra in a very hot or chilly spring.

Moreover, the occasions can get ‘disconnected’. The OSR will flower, however it may possibly nonetheless be far too chilly – and the colonies insufficiently sturdy – to consider queen rearing.

You need to use a mixture of expertise, good judgement, native recommendation, detailed statement … and a beneficiant sprinkling of guesswork.

And it’s not simply latitude …

My east and west coast apiaries are nearly on the identical latitude. These on the west coast are lower than 25 miles additional north than my apiaries in Fife.

Nevertheless, the seasons are essentially completely different.

Nearly nothing occurs on the west coast till mid/late Might. In fact the bees are out and about, however colony build-up is sluggish and regular. I often do my first spherical of grafting within the first week or so of June. Round me there’s no vital nectar circulate till the heather in mid-August. There’s all types earlier than then, however none produces an extra … and the lime has by no means yielded something vital.

In distinction, with a heat spring, colonies in Fife could be swarming by late April and I’ll begin queen rearing as quickly as I can.

Central Fife has plenty of wealthy arable farmland and so there’s often fairly a little bit of OSR about, that means the spring honey should be harvested in early June. ‘Should be’ as a result of any vital delay and it crystallises within the frames, making extraction a nightmare.

It’s lucky that the beekeeping season on the east and west coasts aren’t in good lockstep. With my notorious organisational abilities – and incapability to be in two locations on the identical time – it could be chaotic.

Getting ready for the season forward

What it is advisable do earlier than the season begins very a lot relies upon upon:

• what you ran out of final season
• your plans for this season
• how properly organised you’re

It’s uncommon that I don’t run out of frames through the season. In actual fact, regardless of the quantity I put together upfront, I typically discover myself nailing a few dozen extras up on June evenings. It’s nearly as if the presence of ‘spare’ frames within the shed someway encourages colonies to make swarm preparations, or subconsciously influences my grafting success price, that means I’m making up extra nucs than deliberate.

Body constructing will begin as soon as it’s heat sufficient to work within the shed; expertise exhibits that it hurts like hell when you inadvertently hit a calming fingertip with a wayward hammer.

This 12 months I want extra frames that ordinary. I’ve been tardy rotating outdated brood frames out of some colonies and so am planning on doing some shook swarms (or maybe Bailey comb adjustments) to get the bees onto contemporary comb.

Most different issues are nearly prepared. I’ve nonetheless bought just a few bins to scrub and a few nucs to color.

I additionally found a tin of white gloss paint (really off-white it’s so outdated!) and am utilizing it to color the polystyrene Varroa trays which are equipped with Thorne’s Everynucs and the Abelo poly flooring. These trays rapidly discolour if used unpainted, making it almost not possible to identify any dropped mites.

Portray them makes them a lot simpler to make use of. Inevitably, most of mine are already discoloured, so that they want an intensive scrub earlier than portray … after which a number of coats.

For as soon as I’m not constructing any new equipment this winter … I’ve bought greater than sufficient already.

Queen rearing and honey manufacturing

These are the 2 fixtures in my beekeeping season. Fixtures as in I all the time do them, although the timing might differ a bit.

As I found in 2023, honey manufacturing generally is a full washout if the summer time is especially poor. Since there’s nothing I can do to affect the climate, and it’s not often as poor because it was in 2023, I’ll simply cross my fingers.

Not a lot a fixture as a ‘hoped for fixture’.

Through the years I reckon about one 12 months in 4 is significantly better and one a lot worse than common. This appears to use to every of the 2 honey harvests a season. Happily it’s uncommon that each spring and summer time are poor in the identical 12 months.

Not solely can I not affect the climate, however I additionally don’t have any management over the forage obtainable. I don’t transfer my bees about. All I can hope for is sweet sufficient climate in order that the nectar flows and the bees can fly to gather it.

By way of preparation for honey manufacturing, it principally occurs as soon as the season begins; uniting any weak colonies, or giving stimulative skinny syrup feeds or protein sub patties to spice up others and many others.

If the bees are prepared and the climate performs good then every little thing ought to be OK.

In distinction to honey manufacturing, I all the time really feel as if I’ve a bit extra management in relation to queen rearing.

Delusional maybe, however that’s the way in which it’s.

Little and sometimes

There may be nothing that beats summer time day in Scotland.

Nevertheless, I acknowledge that the summers listed here are a bit much less reliable than these additional south.

It subsequently is smart to make use of queen rearing strategies that don’t commit vital assets or that produce massive numbers of queen cells .

Much better to provide a trickle of queens over an prolonged interval so that you’ve not bought ‘all of your eggs in a single basket’.

Keep in mind, a newly emerged queen has a finite interval (about 28 days from emergence) earlier than she is too outdated to efficiently mate. Two to 3 weeks of unhealthy climate might be terminal. The identical awful situations can even make for many further work managing mini-nucs, and it’s potential that each the virgin and the employees within the mini-nucs are successfully ‘wasted’.

For that reason I attempt to produce just a few queen cells each fortnight or so. If the climate is poor I (attempt to) discover the outdated, unmated, virgin and change her with a contemporary cell …

If at first you don’t succeed, strive, attempt to strive once more!

Morris boards and the Ben Harden system

For the final couple of years I’ve been dabbling with a Morris board for queen rearing on the west coast. It’s functionally equal to a Cloake board besides the bees are concentrated into solely half a brood field above the excluder.

For my native black bees – which usually by no means broaden a lot past a single brood field – that is helpful, although maybe not very completely different from my favoured Ben Harden system.

Utilizing a Morris (or Cloake) board the cells are began in a hive that’s quickly queenless, whereas the Ben Harden setup is queenright all through.

Beginning cells might be barely extra environment friendly utilizing the Morris board, however I can’t say I’ve seen any actual variations within the high quality of the ensuing queens.

One drawback of the Morris board is that you must redirect the bees from a decrease hive entrance to an higher one, and from an entrance behind the hive to 1 on the entrance. In unhealthy climate this can be a recipe for confused and chilled bees … by which case the Ben Harden system could also be a more sensible choice.

The plan for subsequent 12 months is – as ordinary – to organize sufficient queens for my very own requeening, plus just a few extras with any spares getting used to make up nucs for overwintering.

These overwintered nucs are nice to have within the spring to:

• change any overwinter losses (although fortunately my current losses are negligible)
• unite with underperforming manufacturing colonies that want boosting in spring, maybe as a result of the queen is ageing
• promote … overwintered nucs have ‘proved themselves’ and, since they’re obtainable earlier than queen rearing begins, they go for a premium worth

Strive one thing new

I’ve repeatedly instructed that success in beekeeping includes studying a way sufficiently properly that you would be able to completely rely on it.

Don’t chop and alter till you grasp the strategy.

For me, the nucleus technique of swarm management and queenright queen rearing are my “outdated faithfull’s”.

However that doesn’t imply they’re the finest manner of stopping swarming, or rearing queens. In actual fact, there most likely isn’t a finest manner; it relies upon upon what you need to obtain, the tools obtainable, the time concerned, the part of the moon.

Nicely, maybe not the final of these.

So, having mastered strategies that work, it’s attention-grabbing to strive one thing new.

Though I’m tempted to have a go on the Taranov technique of swarm management (which I briefly described just a few weeks in the past), the fact is that it requires fairly a little bit of preparation and a few new tools. I’m solely more likely to get spherical to it if I’m so much higher organised than I’ve been in earlier seasons!

Nevertheless, in relation to queen rearing I’m already planning to have one other (third?) go at cell punching. This includes slicing out complete cells from the comb containing suitably aged larvae and mounting them vertically on a cell bar body (in distinction to only grafting the larva right into a Nicot plastic cups). My first two makes an attempt have been, at finest, underwhelming … one other case of “If at first you don’t succeed, strive, attempt to strive once more.”

I’m additionally going to have one other go utilizing the Hopkins technique, described final June.

Each these strategies keep away from grafting … I’m planning for the years forward when my eyesight is so unhealthy I can’t see the larvae.

The digital future

I arrange The Apiarist web site a decade in the past in 2013.

It began as place to submit my rambling ideas on DIY for beekeepers which I’d written for my then affiliation’s month-to-month publication.

In 2013 this web site had 26 guests.

I used to be happy. That most likely doubled the readership of my publication articles.

In contrast to a paper publication (which could, unread, be used to line the cat’s litter tray), you may ‘rely’ the variety of instances a webpage is accessed. Though that’s not the identical as realizing the submit was really learn, it’s a little bit extra tangible … and subsequently reassuring.

For about 5 years the web site was relatively chaotically up to date; frequent although not common posts, no clear home model.

Really, little model in any respect.

However, guests – reassuringly amazingly – did seem to learn a few of the stuff that was written. Fairly just a few individuals. Feedback per submit elevated. I ‘met’ (nearly or in particular person) some attention-grabbing individuals. Some even stated some flattering issues in regards to the writing. Talking invites elevated at associations and beekeeping conventions.

Web page views elevated … and carried on rising.

The massive time

In 2019 my aim was to achieve 1 / 4 of one million web page views … from people, not robots, although distinguishing between the 2 might be difficult (each on-line and elsewhere).

In spite of everything, if I used to be going to hammer out a submit each week, utilizing time I may simply as properly spend within the pub, or watching “I’m a star”, or enjoying golf, I needed the damned factor to be learn.

I missed that concentrate on, although not by a lot.

Within the final 4 years I’ve written extra, I’ve posted common as clockwork and readership has elevated considerably. Typical web page views per day in midwinter exceed one thousand with two to 3 instances that quantity through the peak of the beekeeping season.

Issues

The studying round a subject and the writing are pleasurable. I’ve had enjoyable.

Undoubtedly the related pondering has helped my beekeeping and I hope it has additionally helped you and people who additionally attend my talks.

However, as I indicated final week, the positioning attracts some undesirable consideration; hackers making an attempt to regulate the positioning, thinly veiled ‘adverts’ masquerading as feedback, and guests – human or automated digital ‘bots’ – intent on stealing the content material.

A whole lot or 1000’s per day.

Some are comparatively innocuous; a hard-pressed affiliation secretary trying to find one thing for the month-to-month publication, just a little CTRL-A, CTRL-C, CTRL-V motion and voila, sorted.

Some are cautious to attribute credit score, just a few exit of their method to disguise the origin.

Imitation is the sincerest type of flattery, however this web site is learn broadly sufficient now that I’m generally forwarded the article … Oops!

In case you are a hard-pressed affiliation secretary tempted to do that, please write to me and ask upfront … requests to duplicate occasional articles, or for photos, are not often refused so long as credit score is correctly attributed. I solely ask for a PDF copy for my data.

The rise and rise of ChatGPT

Far more regarding is ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is certainly one of a slew of comparable software program functions which are educated on massive language fashions (LLM). Basically which means that they scour the online for content material, catalogue matters and phrase associations, after which can produce ‘novel’ output when requested for it.

For instance, ‘describe a queen cell within the model of a limerick’ :

Within the hive, a cell match for a queen,
A royal abode, not often seen.
With waxen grace,
In a regal area,
A monarch-to-be, in yellow and sheen.

A trivial instance, however there are complete weblog pages on beekeeping ‘written’ by ChatGPT. Some are on websites promoting beekeeping tools and most are ‘business’ in a technique or one other .

Not one of the content material on The Apiarist is generated by ChatGPT … however you may simply discover them elsewhere when you search.

Search for superficial protection of a subject, refined non-sequiturs, repetition, cursory introductions with – usually – little private perspective or sturdy opinions.

They’re apparent in the mean time, however they are going to enhance as they’re additional ‘educated’ by scalping the online for content material to include into their LLM.

And that ‘content material’ doubtlessly contains all of the posts that I’ve written for The Apiarist.

That’s a dark thought for these of us making an attempt to write down novel and interesting content material.

Because the content material ‘improves’ i.e. fewer errors and higher punctuation, although most likely no much less vapid, you’ll see but extra of it. In time this ChatGPT-generated content material shall be integrated into LLM’s.

It should feed itself.

Authentic writing will get more and more uncommon and ought to be more and more valued. However, as quickly because it’s produced, there’s a hazard will probably be scalped, mushed-up and regurgitated by ChatGPT.

New Yr, new begin

I already ban ChatGPT bots from this web site, however I can solely block those who declare the aim of their go to.

Most don’t.

Sooner or later in January I’m shifting the positioning to a brand new, managed software program platform.

All present subscribers – these of you who’re signed as much as obtain a ‘new submit’ announcement – shall be transferred although it’s doubtless you’ll need to re-verify you need to proceed to obtain emails from The Apiarist web site.

New posts can even seem as an e mail ‘publication’ – you’ll be capable to learn the content material with out visiting the web site. Nearly all of readers use a telephone/pill relatively than a pc. I compose the submit on two massive screens, however you learn it on a handheld system.

The brand new software program will enable me to enhance the format and the graphics. It should additionally present some future-proofing for article sorts I’ve deliberate however which the present software program platform doesn’t assist. Some content material will solely be accessible to these registered to obtain e mail notifications of latest posts (i.e. not ChatGPT).

The remark system will change and ought to be a lot improved. The categorisation and tagging of posts – ignored by most readers – shall be rationalised and made extra helpful.

There’ll undoubtedly be some teething issues. There are ~550 posts totalling ~1,000,000 phrases and containing ~900 Mb of graphics … inevitably there shall be some incompatibilities someplace.

Bear with me!

Glad New Yr

I’m penning this in the previous couple of days of the 12 months. 2024 doesn’t look too interesting in the mean time; extra political upheaval, battle, environmental injury and local weather extremes.

Extra of the identical after which some.

I hope your beekeeping supplies a rewarding focus of peace and happiness regardless of the 12 months produces.

Might your supers be heavy, your queens fecund, your bees well-tempered and your swarms … another person’s

Glad New Yr

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Word

It seems that the long run was already right here final week … I’ve solely simply realised that the submit on the 22^nd was titled The Apiarist in 2024 when it was really a retrospective evaluate of 2023. D’oh! I blame it on Covid. I used to be completely worn out. I’ve now mounted that and all the inaccurate dates inside the physique of the submit (with thanks Archie and Axel 😉 ).