See Other Bees
One of the best ways of learning about beekeeping is to see as many hives opened as possible. This means going to the apiary sessions at the club for starters, and offering to go and see people’s hives when the opportunity arises.
Always have clean gloves and a clean bee suit though. It really is worth having an extra one. Although some of them dry really quickly in summer, I always think it’s better to put on a fully dry bee suit than a newly washed damp one.
Wash your wellies too. It may not strike you as a way of transmitting ‘bee germs’ but you will at some point accidentally drop nectar or even honey on your boots and washing them removes it and means there’s nothing lurking on your boots when you visit another apiary.
Watch how people light the smoker, whether their hive tool is clean, whether they throw the roof on to the floor or place it quietly next to them so they can work the space.
You’ll see different layouts and hive styles. You’ll most importantly see different bees and this is where the magic is of visiting other apiaries.
You might think your bees are lovely. And they might be for you - but there might be much calmer, quieter bees than yours. Ones that meekly sit on the comb when exposed to light, and don’t fly up at all.
And the very opposite is also true. Bees racing round frames, those that festoon on the bottom of frames and drop off into a boiling mess of crossness, ones that crawl on to your hands, bees that ping off your veil and of course the ones you discover when you’re 20m away from the hive.
Experiencing all of these types of bee behaviour will ensure you can grade your own bees properly. Maybe you’ve got the nicest bees of all, or maybe the worst, but if they’re the only ones you ever see, then you just won’t know.
The techniques beekeepers use may vary and you'll learn ways of moving and handling frames that will make your beekeeping more pleasurable. You'll discover that it's not just you who talks to their bees whilst inspecting.
Diane Drinkwater, February 2024