> I don't know what I don't know and at my advancing age it would
 > be nice to limit mistakes.

The most basic and essential advice for anyone with hopes of becoming a 
successful professional beekeeper is to _ignore_ the ideas and advice 
commonly circulated by small-time beekeepers, especially those who try 
to be different and make things more complex than necessary and follow 
only advice and suggestions from successful professional beekeepers. 
That good advice is generally offered quietly and without the evangelism 
that accompanies the propaganda circulated by the various beekeeping cults.

---
The main keys to achieving success in any business that depends on 
livestock are very simple.

The first rule for anyone who keeps livestock and is serious about doing 
a proper job, with profitability and success as the goal, is to ensure 
his/her livestock is properly fed at all times, with feed reserves on hand.

The second rule is to keep all livestock in good health and avoid 
wasting time and resources on livestock which does not show promise. 
Culling losers promptly is essential to success.

Colony starvation begins long before the bees run right out of feed.  As 
the amount of stores in the hives dwindle, bees forage more desperately 
and brood rearing is cut back, resulting in disease and reduced populations.

---
Failure to feed livestock that is approaching starvation is an 
indication of the worst sort of ignorance and lack of competence.  In 
advanced societies, starving livestock is illegal, and even criminal.

For some reason, bees seem to be an exception and many incompetent 
beekeepers promote various abuses of honey bees.  Maintaining inadequate 
reserves in hives is one of the most widespread abuses and the cause of 
a great deal of colony loss and disease.

---
Beekeeping basics are really simple -- too simple for many it seems.

* Keep the colonies healthy and treat or eliminate any which are not.

* Provide good housing for the colonies with appropriate room for the 
population and time of year.

* Feed any colonies that may come anywhere close to running out during a 
dearth generously, and well in advance.  The time to feed for dearths 
and/or winter is as soon as any honey flows are over and any surplus is 
removed.  The weights should be checked again after several months.

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