By Dana Stahlman

What every beekeeper should know about beekeeping -- There are going to be up's and down's.

What are the Down's:

1) The biggest item on my list is the loss of a hive of bees due to winter loss.

There is nothing more discouraging than checking a hive of bees in late February or early March only to find a hive you though was doing well dead.

• The beekeeper usually goes through a thought process which includes something like I should have:
• I should have left more honey on them in the fall.
• I should have fed them in the fall.
• I should have spent more time taking care of them.
• I should have wrapped them
• I should have tried some other treatment for mites.

2) Worse yet might be the loss of all you your hives or most of them from winter loss. Lets say, 19 dead out of 20.

• What did I do wrong? Why? I am really depressed! I am thinking about quitting

3) Worse than winter loss of a hive is to have a hive with American Foulbrood.

The bee inspector said to burn everything!

• What should I do?

Statement: We can not go back in time to correct or try to correct our beekeeping actions or non actions.

4) I bought a package of bees -- They all died!

• What did I do wrong? I did just what the book said to do!

5) I bought a package of bees (or my bees) -- The queen is a drone layer!

• The Person I bought them from said he has no queens to replace my queen. Suggested I order one fast!

6) I bought a package of bees (or my bees) -- They did great but swarmed and now I don't have any queen or very many bees.

• I was told that new queens never swarm!

7) The neighbor kids will not leave my bees alone. They throw rocks at them all the time and they are now into the paint gun thing.

• What happens if I get my shotgun out and shoot at them?

8) My neighbor called the mayor and filed a complaint saying my bees were harmful to her and her children. She is afraid to use her hot tub. She also suspects that my bees are causing the brown spots on her bed sheets that she hangs out on the cloths line to dry.

• Do I need a lawyer? Should I get rid of my bees? Should I tell her to take a flying leap!

9) I think I have Africanized bees. They are really nasty and I don't like working with them!

• I am either going to kill them or get out of beekeeping! Is it possible that my bees are related to the African bee?

10) I went out to my hive today and found it filled with cobwebs and little white worms crawling all over the place.

• It is possible to get rid of these rascals? I don't see very many bees in my hive either.

11) I bought all new equipment this year for my one hive of bees and a package to start it with. I spent well over $200.00. I only got about one gallon of honey?

• I thought bees were supposed to make a lot of honey! I was hoping to make my investment back in a year or two.

12) My wife has given me an ultimatum. It is the bees or her!

• And you thought the previous eleven items were bad!

Beekeepers need to be an optimist rather than a pessimist.