Ten mistakes beginners make in the first year

Nearly every first-year colony loss falls into one of these ten. None of them requires money to fix — only knowing in advance.

1. Opening the box every day

The most common error and the biggest killer in the first month. Each opening costs heat and forces the colony to rebuild structure.

2. Siting it in midday sun

Wax softens, the nest risks collapse, and the colony can leave in a single afternoon. Shade from ten to three is not optional.

3. Forgetting to top up the ant-defence cups

In dry weather they evaporate within days. One empty leg is enough.

4. Spraying insecticide near the box

It kills the colony faster than the ants. Water cups and grease bands only.

5. Moving the box a few dozen metres

Foragers return to the old spot and die there. Move under a metre at a time, or over three kilometres.

6. Harvesting too early or too much

Taking honey before the colony has filled its box, or emptying all the pots. Always leave at least a third.

7. Damaging the brood mass

Costs a whole cohort of larvae and months of recovery. Take honey pots only.

8. Scraping off the entrance tube because it looks untidy

That tube is the guard post. Remove it and ants get in far more easily.

9. Using a box that is too big

The colony cannot cover the space, heat and humidity are not held, and empty corners become footholds for ants. Slightly tight beats roomy.

10. Timber stand legs touching soil

Termites hollow them within a season or two, and then it collapses. Use steel, footings or water cups.

What they have in common

Nine of the ten are doing too much rather than too little. Stingless bees look after themselves given the right cavity. The keeper's job is mostly preparing a good site and then staying out of the way.

Frequently asked

Can a mistake be undone?

Most can, if the colony still has a queen and brood. Stop intervening, fix the cause, and leave it alone for a season.

Why do so many guides say to inspect frequently?

Because most beekeeping guidance is written for honey bees, which need active comb management and disease control. Stingless bees are the opposite.

How do I know if I am intervening too much?

If you open the box every month, you are. Every few months is enough for a settled colony.