Classic roosting bars

[Lesley]

A chat thread for all things to do with bees - there seem to be quite a few keepers and keepers-to-be now.

[Lesley]

Olly - I thought you may as well start us off.......

 

ooh good, a Bee sticky is probably all we need - it will ensure it's easy to find.

 

I've just been to the local meeting; I keep wavering between really wanting bees, and thinking I'm too busy, but everyone there was so encouraging and friendly that I am swinging back towards getting some now.

 

Haven't even got a hive yet, but then again I haven't got any bees in view either! I really want to get some local bees if I can, which might mean waiting for a swarm. I'm going to visit someone's hives in a week or so, and then she'll come and advise whether my possible site is suitable. I need to do some major clearance work at that end of the garden before she visits!

[Olly]

ha, I was just going to be the first on here - and I'm already there!

 

I have been for the final session of my 'Introduction to Beekeeping' course today, a visit to an apiary. I did have a quick visit earlier in the year, when the tutor was putting a feed on the hives, but today we all got kitted up and we spent about an hour looking at the hives frame by frame, and identifying larvae, brood, stores, etc and playing 'spot the queen'!

 

It was absolutely brilliant, and it has really made me want to do this now - once I'd got over the initial 'eek! bees - thousands of them!' I got used to it and didn't feel nervous. I have done some internet research, and I'm either going to get a hive from the chap you recommend, Lesley, or I may get a Thorne's Budget kit, they do 'seconds', however they are flat-pack. They do include all the kit, though - I need to do a final pricing-up.

 

Before I actually buy, I'm going to go and visit the hives of another local beekeeper, as she keeps them in her garden and I want to see what the set-up is like, and she's kindly offered to come and inspect my proposed site to see if it's suitable. After that, I think I need to put my name on the list and hope a swarm comes along! Everywhere that I have looked that sells nuclei seems to have sold out, and I'd like to get local bees if I can.

 

Lesley, a do you have a smock and veil, or just a veil? One of the guys today had an ordinary boiler-suit on with a sort of hat and veil over it. I'm thinking of getting khaki or green or something, just so it's a bit less obvious to the neighbours!

[Lesley]

Olly - we have the full boiler suit with hood type from BBWear. We have white because no-one can see us from the road and if visitors arrive they can see us easily!

 

The green or camo ones are a good colour to have if you have neighbours.

 

We had a discount for being members of a beekeeping association - it's worth asking.

 

I wear.....white suit......pink Crocs wellies....and bright pink Marigolds

Carl wears kid gloves with thin latex gloves over the top - and his beesuit as well of course (apart from the time he wore shorts - which I think I've told you all about )

[Lesley]

Bees on Countryfile.....NOW!!

[xChicken04x]

Watching it now- very interesting.

 

Am I alowed to ask bee related questions on this thread? Or is it more aimed at experienced bee keepers?

[Olly]

Ask away - my experience is all of six weeks, one apiary visit and a couple of books! I don't even have a hive yet, let alone bees - it's for anyone who wants to talk about them.

[chickenanne]

Well, I'm an absolute EXPERT now, as I've had bees for ages.... I may not stoop to discussing them with other non-experts.... OK OK, I've had one colony for three weeks.

 

I wear a smock and veil, which is OK except that the smock does gape at the back when you bend over.... I'm pretty tall and will fix this easily enough. I wear kid gloves with long gauntlets, but plenty of people recommend marigolds etc: I wanted something a bit thicker, and if you can get gloves that fit you well then they're not particularly cumbersome.

All the bee keepers in our Assoc seem to recomment Sherrif bee suits, which are overalls with the veil zipping to them, they do look very secure.

 

It's amazing how many people suddenly seem to be interested in keeping bees; our local assco usually have beginners courses where they get about 10 people, this year they had about 35. They were also amazed that there were far more women than men, and some were even -gasp - young (ish).

 

So, confess all: why this year? For me, I moved house a couple years ago to a more bee-freindly place, though have wanted to keep them for ages.

[snowcloud]

Great to see some posts about bees - I am on an introductory course on Saturday and hope to get some bees soon after, but it sounds like they are few and far bee-tween ( ) as lots of people are taking up bee-keeping. Good news for the bees and us if more people are taking responsibility for looking after such important little creatures though .

 

Will let you know how it goes - have Omlet considered a Beelu? Maybe not...

[Olly]

My grandfather kept bees, and it's something I've always wanted to do, although I can barely remember him and he gave up beekeeping when he retired in about 1940. Last year a friend gave me a set of three little books for my birthday, one on henkeeping, one on vegetable growing, and one on beekeeping and it sort of triggered this long-held interest - I Googled for a course, found the local one and now I'm hooked!

 

The course tutor recommends those disposable latex gloves, he said the other ones get too sticky. I was thinking just a top with a hood and veil, and then I'll wear trousers tucked into wellies.

 

I'm torn between the Thornes budget kit (flatpack cedar) or Lesley's supplier (ready-assembled in pine) as the chances of me finding time to put it together are about as good as the chances of me finding time to paint/Cuprinol a pine hive!

 

I'd love to know what sort of hives my grandfather used, my uncle is still alive and would probably know. I must ask him next time I'm in touch.

[snowcloud]

... not 100% decided, but rather like this hive from http://www.beekeeping.co.uk/profile.htm here.

 

 

It's a National style with a fancy roof, but looks a bit nicer than the basic National box shape if you have it in your garden. It's made out of Cedar too, which I believe is traditional as it lasts so long. Aesthetics less of a problem if your hives are sat out in the heather, or something, though!

 

Good tip about the gloves, will get some of those...

[chickenanne]

I'd like to use latex gloves further down the line - I think when I get more profficient at handling them then I would make the move. They don't protect you from stings much though, only proplys!

Thornes do a similar style National roof /stand, to make it look more like a WBC and less like a stack of old boxes. Becuase of where mine is, I'd rather it didn't look too much like a beehive though, so stack-of-old-boxes it is!

I bought a flat-pack super from Thornes, it's not really hard to put together (no worse than flatpack furniture really), and I know cedar will last much longer than pine.

[xChicken04x]

Hi Guys, putting up with my questions .

 

I suppose my questions will be standard novice ones, but I'll ask away:

 

First question- can you keep bee's in your garden (my garden is about 80ft by 40ft)?

 

2. If you can keep them in your garden, where do you position the hive?

 

3. Do you have to have some form of certificate to keep bees?

 

4. Do I have to attend a bee keeping course? It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I'm not too well at the moment (M.E) and due to the unpredictability of my illness, I'm not sure when I'd be able to attend.

 

5. Where do I get the bees from?

 

6. What do you give them to eat? Stupid question, I know, but they don't eat pollen do they?

 

7. Do they sleep in the hive?

 

8. When do you get honey?

 

I'll appreciate any answers to my slightly stupid questions .

[snowcloud]

Don't Bee shy to ask (sorry - that was awful ) - this is what the forum is for.

 

Your questions and my barely-more-than-a-novice answers:

 

First question- can you keep bee's in your garden (my garden is about 80ft by 40ft)?

 

Yes - that's a good size too. Some people keep bees on a balcony at their flat - as long as they have a straight view into the hive, they will be fine.

 

2. If you can keep them in your garden, where do you position the hive?

 

They need to have some shelter from the elements, no-one likes the cold or wet! But also make sure the hive won't get hit by falling branches / footballs / etc. Ideally, they like a little peace too, so the back of the garden is a good idea, if it suits the other criteria.

 

3. Do you have to have some form of certificate to keep bees?

 

No, but it is a good idea to get some training from your local Bee Keeping Organisation and some good books - I recommend this one:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keeping-Making-Honey-Alison-Benjamin/dp/0715328107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240238426&sr=8-1

 

... its clear and full of pictures - a perfect beginners book.

 

4. Do I have to attend a bee keeping course? It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I'm not too well at the moment (M.E) and due to the unpredictability of my illness, I'm not sure when I'd be able to attend.

 

OK, well, join your local Bee Keeping group and explain - I have found they are really keen to welcome new people and they are likely to find someone close to you to mentor you through your initial months - I bet they will find a way to help you. Worth asking - I could not attend local courses as they ran in the week while I was working, but members have been great to offer advice and help - that's what they are there for!

 

5. Where do I get the bees from?

 

Bees swarm when there are too many bees for the hive they are living in; the bee keeper calls the local swarm officer and they come and take the extra bees away. They are put in a temporary hive and taken to someone who wants to fill an empty hive. The swarm officers are going to be found through your local bee keeping group - so get onto them and ask them who your swarm officer is for your area and they should be able to supply you with bees. If you are impatient you can but them from a commercial bee supplier who can supply them to you (even by post !).

 

6. What do you give them to eat? Stupid question, I know, but they don't eat pollen do they?

 

Yup, they get all they need from flowers; they turn that into honey and that feeds them. The trick is to not take the honey from them that they need to eat. But in the winter they don't have enough flowers available to get the nectar from, so you can supplement their honey stocks with very sugary water (a bowl of 1 part water, 4-5 parts sugar) which will keep them going until spring.

 

7. Do they sleep in the hive?

 

Yes; the hive caters for them entirely in terms of living arrangements, until they outgrow the hive size and some of them decide to move on. But they don't all go!

 

8. When do you get honey?

 

Once they have built up their stocks of honey they need, you give them more combs to fill; as they fill these, you can take honey. You might not get much in the first year with a new hive, as they will be developing their honey stocks and bee numbers, but after the first year you should be getting plenty from them as long as they have lots of access to flowers from the local area.

 

Hope that helps - I really recommend the book - it totally convinced me that the whole idea was not beyond me and that I could do it. Go to google and type in your local area and 'bee keeping' and your local group is bound to be close, or try here and go through the links to find your local group...

 

http://www.britishbee.org.uk/local_associations_about_us.php

 

... Good luck and ask more questions if you have any!

[snowcloud]

... I just noticed you are in Cheshire - you need these guys...

 

http://www.cheshire-bka.co.uk/News/News.php

 

... let us know how you get on!

[sam42]

I've ordered a jacket and veil from BBwear. I went to the Spring Convention and they had a lovely lilac suit on display so I have ordered a lilac jacket as I think this will be less obvious to neighbours.

 

I have a hive that was a flat pack, which I have put together and coloured with cuprinol. We have cleared the area we want to put the hive in but need to put some fencing along the front to hide them from the neighbours and also to encourage them to fly straight up. I'm going to as many practical sessions as I can, to get some experience before I get some bees.

 

The local association had a stand at a village show yesterday and it was amazing how much interest there was from the public, which can only be a good thing.

[Lesley]

BBWear and Sherriff are pretty much the same - two daughters of the Sherriff owner.....one started her own company called BBWear, the other stayed with Sherriff.

 

Carl wears latex gloves ove the kid gloves so that he can throw away the latex. If you get bees stinging the leather or kid gloves, it will not hurt but bees will know they have bee stings on them and it may encourage them to sting more in the future as they will see it as a threat.

 

We're planning to get the roofs to go on the Nationals to make them look a bit better!

[Olly]

Snowcloud, I've been warned that the WBC Hives look nice but are darn heavy to lift especially when they're full of honey! That one looks lovely - as you say, a bit smarter than the National Box but without the extra lifts that make a WBC heavy. I think I'm going to go for cedar as it will last longer, Thornes budget kit includes some of the equipment as well and overall I think it's probably the best deal.

 

Chicken04x, I'll answer your questions as my answers are slightly different to Snowcloud's, although I don't claim any expertise (see above).

 

Hi Guys, putting up with my questions .

 

I suppose my questions will be standard novice ones, but I'll ask away:

 

First question- can you keep bee's in your garden (my garden is about 80ft by 40ft)?

2. If you can keep them in your garden, where do you position the hive?

 

I'm planning to keep mine in the garden, but in addition to what Snowcloud said, you have to consider if there are children in neighbouring gardens, whether the flight path might lead straight to them! They're not necessarily going to get stung but their parents will probably be alarmed. Also if they have a sandpit or paddling pool, the bees may head there for water.

 

3. Do you have to have some form of certificate to keep bees?

Nope! You can do beekeeping exams, but you have to have kept bees for a year or two first.

 

4. Do I have to attend a bee keeping course? You don't have to - I've just done six weeks of 1.5 hour evening classes, but to be honest most of what I learned I could have got from a good book anyway. I think Snowcloud's suggestion is a good one, and even if you've done a course, you would still probably need help from your local association. My local association is really friendly and they are keen for more people to join.

 

5. Where do I get the bees from?

You might get a swarm, but when bees swarm they don't create a whole new colony, they leave the hive empty - so quite often they are collected back by the beekeeper who owns them. You can buy a nucleus, which is a good way to start, but a lot of the sites I've seen say they are sold out for this year. I'm going to get a hive and cross my fingers, but at the moment I've got no bees in sight.

 

6. What do you give them to eat? Stupid question, I know, but they don't eat pollen do they?

Pollen gives them protein, and nectar gives them calories, as Snowcloud says they turn it into honey for storage and that's what they live on. If you take the honey out then you need to feed them sugar syrup to keep them going through the winter.

 

7. Do they sleep in the hive? Yes

 

8. When do you get honey? Every summer once they've built up some stocks. I really recommend a book I got given on my course, it's Bees at the Bottom of the Garden by Alan Campion, only £6.99 and very good for beginners.

 

I'm really pleased to find so many other people who are keeping, or thinking of keeping bees. My friends think I'm bonkers, but then they thought that when I got chickens ...

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Hope all you bee keepers spotted this thread ? Even though we won't be actually keeping bees, we'll be encouraging them .

[Lesley]

Good news ANH - most people can plant the right plants to help the bees even if they can't find room or the inclination to keep bees - we're adding more bee friendly shrubs and flowers as we've always concentrated on just fruit and veggies in the past ( )

 

I will add to the above info.......

 

When bees swarm they don't always leave an enpty hive - they may have produced new queens and the existing queen will fight newcomers and newcomers will fight newcomers......you may find that a new queen leaves with a small swarm and the old queen or another new queen will be left in the hive. Beekeepers will usually keep any of their own swarms if they are on their own land other swarms may go further afield - the public panic and call the beekeepers Association, someone will be sent to collect the swarm and these swarms are usually given to new keepers who are on the waiting list for a swarm.

 

We started with a bought nuc but they were not native dark bees and they didn't survive the first winter. The ones we acquired last year were a swarm which we went to collect (not as scary as we thought it might be - and no-one was available to help!). They appear to be the darker type and hopefully, native bees. They are easier to handle than the ones we started with and we can do some work without even lighting the smoker!

 

You take honey in late summer but then will need to feed the bees - syrup is used in late summer and early autumn but then change to fondant to feed over the winter as...

1. syrup can go mouldy in damp and cold months and...

2. fondant can be left and you don't need to open up the hive during the cold weather.

 

Thornes sell the fondant - the Associations usually have one person who will bulk buy and sell it on to keepers. We were asked by email if we needed any and we went to collect it locally. It is importnat to buy fondant which doesn't have a list of ingredients.......no glycerin. Fondant for cake decorating often has glycerin and other things added to them and they aren't suitable. A local baker may be able to get you a big box of catering fondant - just check the ingredient list.

 

Water. If you provide water next to the hive then your bees shouldn't go to nextdoor's paddling pool full of children!

 

We have the lightweight suits which are lovely to wear but it is better to wear a long sleeved T shirt underneath.

 

The most useful part of the courses on beekeeping for beginners is the apiary visits. You could read a good book and attend the apiary meetings instead of going on one of the courses.

 

Beekeepers are delighted that so many people are now interested and especially that younger people are joining. They are a friendly lot and are only too willing to help out newbies.

[helenarees]

Hello,

 

This seems really interesting, anybody else know about this? I haven't got any bees and I'm considering getting some for next spring but not totally convinced myself yet.

 

http://www.biobees.com/

 

Helena

[chickenanne]

I would really recommend a course or at least a local mentor.

My thoughts:

Bees in a garden is fine, except that;

a) When you want to inspect the hive - on mild days - will be same type of weather your neighbours willl want to be in their garden. You can fnd ways around this, but you need to think of it in advance.

b) You need to be really confident of your swarm-control, as many people are terrified at the thought of swarms: they're actually really peaceful, but they can then take up residence in cavity walls etc. It would be very unfair to neighbours to expect them to deal with that. Allowing your bees to swarm is irresponsible (sometiems unavoidable, mistakes happen etc, but really it should be something all beek's try there very hardest to prevent)

c) They hate the smell of bruised vegetation and vibrations: so mowing the lawn will get them good and angry.

None of these things rule it out, but it does mean that you would need to be very sure that your bees will never be a nusance or danger to others.

There are plenty diseases and pests bees can suffer from, some of which are legally notifiable. All of which can be passed to other colonies. Therefore you have to be able to recognise and treat these.

Honestly, I would say you'll get much more out of beekeeping if you've got good support and if you can do a decent course before you start. Without this IMO it would be difficult to make a good go of it.

[Lewis]

Have any of you spotted this :

Anybody want some Honey Bees?!

 

Ange1 has a freind who has some bees he needs to get rid of

[Lesley]

Hello,

 

This seems really interesting, anybody else know about this? I haven't got any bees and I'm considering getting some for next spring but not totally convinced myself yet.

 

http://www.biobees.com/

 

Helena

 

Hi Helena

We asked at the Association course but the .....erm......more experienced....beekeepers were not sure and had no experience of them. We decided to go ahead and keep bees in the way being taught so that we could make an informed decision about Topbar Hives.

 

We're still interested - but still learning.....

[Lesley]

Have any of you spotted this :

Anybody want some Honey Bees?!

 

Ange1 has a freind who has some bees he needs to get rid of

 

They'll have a job getting them out of a wall

 

......and I see people are pointing at Carl and me......I'd better go and say 'No thanks'