Lessons Learned

Some of the things I have learned:
  1. The pine that BrushyMountain and Mann Lake use for their hive woodenware it not the same as the clear pine that you buy at Home Depot or Lowes.
  2. Trying to paint woodwork in an unheated garage in January is probably not a good idea.
  3. Crylon Spray paint on unprimed wood is like pissing into the wind.
  4. Open feeding in a small apiary is not a good idea.
  5. Box jointed boxes are much better than rabbit jointed boxes.
  6. Having a spare NUC available in the brood chamber size can be real handy and provide more options when problems are encountered.
  7. Keep the bees off of the ground.  They get pissy when you step on them and they like to climb up your pant legs as you walk through them.
  8. If you take off your veil/jacket to take a break, double check that you have zipped everything back up before going back to the hives.  Forgetting a zipper can spoil your plans.
  9. It is a good idea to remove rings before getting into the hive.  It can be difficult to remove them if you (and you probably will) get stung on the fingers.
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