chickenanne Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 .... Well, I will have next week, anyway. Second hand, Smith hive, a full colony, through the local bee keeping association (who I've been doing beginners course with) I'm insanely excited!!!! So, advice comments thoughts....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Wonderful! I am so Would love bees, but maybe next house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy chickens! Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I'm very too! Bees are my next 'most wanted' now I have my chickens!! Let us know how you get on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katehicken Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Ohh how exciting!! I too am very , congratulations though, keep us posted when you get them Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Exciting!!!! The only advice I can think of is don't think you have to keep checking - if bees are bringing in pollen then all is well........ (but you do need to check once a week once the season is in full swing!) .....and, keep a little book recording what you do, dates, state of the hive etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Wow! Hubby would love bees...he calls it his retirement project. Pity we are so far away from actually retiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 I know, I'm just so pleased! I was indecisive for ages then the option of a full colony came up and seemed ideal. Think it will be difficult to not check them constantly: the guys doing the course likened constant checking to diggin up seeds to see if they'd germinated yet, so if I keep that vision in mind I should almost manage to restrian myself. I am going to get a book to record everything in: I spent ages deciding between tacking a bit of paper to the underside of the roof and keep records on that, and a proper notebook. I think needing to check my notes would become an excuse to check the bees otherwise! Now, do happybeekeeper floors fit a Smith hive.....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Good for you CA ! I've decided to use this year as my "getting veg patch etc up & running & concentrating on my chookles" year, and next year's project will hopefully be bees ! DH did type of faces when I got my intro to bees book...I think he may just have a fit if I went further than reading this season! I spoke to a friend yesterday, who had 6 sheep for her birthday.............. ....now that would be an undertaking! Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 How wonderful Chickenanne :D I'm very Sha.......I'm thinking Bees aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 We could find a class & attend together....hee hee, always better to have a friend to go to unknown places with Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 We could find a class & attend together....hee hee, always better to have a friend to go to unknown places with Sha x Absolutely :D I think the BKA do a course somewhere north of us ......... not very helpful......been a long day.......I want to say Wisborough Green but I'm sure there was another beginners day a bit nearer..........oh how I wish my brain would work properly sometimes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I have to say WG rings bells with me, the Brinsbury campus of the college is near there isn't it..... I think........! Snap on the brain cells!!! Going to have to go & look it up now to get it straight in my bonce! Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 one of the ladies that helps at the BHWT rescues has bees and goes to the WG meets which is why that pops into my head Although I'm sure that I bookmarked a local BKA course....but I can't find it.......of course it might be on my other computer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 a ha found it it would appear that the one I was thinking of was at Pulborough last weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Ahhh - the Law of Sod! The one I had bookmarked was an 8 week course at Westergate School, so really easy for us both to get to....started 3rd March !!! More of that Law again! Maybe a call to the man on this list would be in order http://www.britishbee.org.uk/local_associations_about_us.php .........but not til tomorrow morning at the earliest, I can't see him being very impressed at this time of night !! Sleep well, Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Ahhh - the Law of Sod! The one I had bookmarked was an 8 week course at Westergate School, so really easy for us both to get to....started 3rd March !!! More of that Law again! isn't it always the way .........but not til tomorrow morning at the earliest, I can't see him being very impressed at this time of night !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 If you manage to find a course run by your local beekeepers association (look on the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) website) then it's a fantastic source of contacts as well as information: ours even has a mentoring system which I'm sure will be incredibly handy. And also a brilliant source of local bees (nucleus/nuc) which (apparantly) should be loads easier to keep than ones sent from a completely different area (climate, disease, etc). I think most of the BBKA-affiliated courses seem to start Jan /Feb time for the theory, with hive visits later on when the weather is better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I think most of the BBKA-affiliated courses seem to start Jan /Feb time for the theory, with hive visits later on when the weather is better thanks for the info chickenanne :D will remember to plan ahead and look later in the year for courses starting early next year :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Ooh congratulations, chickenanne! I'm - I've got the last class of my beekeeping course on Thursday, and then there's a hive visit in April. I've decided not to do it this year, I have a history of taking on too much so I'm trying to be sensible. Chickens, full-time job, choir, charity work and looking after the house and garden on my own means I don't have much spare time, and I've got quite an active social life on top of all that. It's not the bees themselves, as I understand they only need checking every 9-10 days, but it's the point you made above about local associations - I would need the support and advice of my local bee-keeping association and I don't have time to go to the meetings at the moment. Maybe next year ... let us know how you get on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Well, I will have bees on 4th April!!!! Spent the weekend building a stand for the hive, and faffing about generally. Olly, I have my last class tomorrow (Tuesday) which is the optimistic one: how to harvest your honey. Am glad they end with that and not the diseases.... I am beginning to get nervous about it, but no second thoughts yet. And I gaurantee you'll all be sick hearing of them over the next few weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Is it as easy to get bee-obsessed as it is chook-obsessed ? Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I fear it may be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Oh yes!!! - I buy little 'bee' items now as well as chickeny ones....and cow....and sheep..... and pigs..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 As I suspected.........although I just don't think I have room for any more bee/sheep/tractor/chicken....nalia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Ahhh - the Law of Sod! The one I had bookmarked was an 8 week course at Westergate School, so really easy for us both to get to....started 3rd March !!! More of that Law again! isn't it always the way .........but not til tomorrow morning at the earliest, I can't see him being very impressed at this time of night !! Weeeeeell, I rang him Pam....................and left a message!! Have said that I and a friend (that's you Honey!!!), are interested in finding out more about bees & beekeeping with a view to probably next year getting our own, please call back! I await his call with excitement I'm 2/3 of the way through my "Starting with Bees" book...... Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
