I fear that if every lurker here responds to this thread it could prove
tiresome but here's my contribution anyway.
I started beekeeping 3 years ago when I was offered some waistland space
to establish a small apiary.  I subsequently removed my bees from there
when I discovered that the owner's wife was terrified of my bees and
they wanted to plant an orchard there.  By then I was hooked on
beekeeping and now have 21 hives in 3 out apiaries and 2 in my garden.
I started with 3 colonies and have built up the numbers by swarm
prevention, making increase by a method described on Dave Cushman's site
and by catching a few swarms.
Because I have been finding my bees do not behave as the books
predicted, I am now at the stage where I question everything I read and
am carrying out my own tests (albeit not scientifically)to try and sort
out fact from fiction and establish a method which I can depend upon and
which suits me and my strain of bees (local mongrels).
I have just finished building the equipment to do some simple queen
rearing by grafting in accordance with the Ben Harden method, again
described on Dave's site (thanks Dave).  I don't really need further
increase but I would like to encourage the traits I favour by breeding
from my favourites and requeening the colonies that, to me, exhibit the
worst traits.  I fear I may do a worse job of it than nature has been
doing but I would like to give it a try.
I am based in Derbyshire, England.

Best wishes to all

Steve Rose

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