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Lesley

Bee Chat

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My course included an apiary visit at the end, and I think this was quite important - it was really useful to see real live bees in action, but apparently some people find they just can't cope with being surrounded by lots of bees buzzing around and decide it's not for them. Better to find out first.

 

I have certainly found my local association very helpful. I'd have thought that if you find your local one and speak to the secretary or chair, they will be able to advise you and they may well suggest someone local who you could visit. You'd need to borrow a bee suit if you were going to look at a hive but I bet they could organise that (my association has a set of smocks and veils for learners to borrow).

 

If you want to do it this year, May is a good time to start apparently. However it's definitely worth getting some more info and seeing a hive in real life first.

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I keep reading that bees need water nearby, how much water would that be? I have a drainage ditch which runs along the side of my garden fairly near where I would plan to site a hive, and the birds have their bath about 10 yards away too. Would I need to dig a small pond or would what is there already be sufficient? The ditch rarely dries up, even in the hottest summers there is usually sludge in the bottom.

 

Sha x

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I was a bit shocked - the Australians were quite brutal as well! - but I guess if you're doing it on a commercial basis you have to do it all quickly and without much finesse. A really interesting programme, I'm going to watch it again as I don't think I took it all in the first time.

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I thought the way the bees were handled was terrible. As well as the stress of the long journeys every couple of months, the rough handling, what I thought was really poor was the terramycin powder "carefully measured" with the back of a hive tool and chucked onto the top of the brood chamber, with no check on wether it was needed or not, nor any consideration given to wether the bees should be mvoed or not.

My, I wonder how chemical resistance develops so fast these days...?!

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Hi all, thanks again for answering my questions.

 

 

It seems a shame not to put a hive in our garden as, really, it's perfect for bees.

 

 

When I lived in the London suburbs my neighbour had two hives on the flat roof of her kitchen extension. It was nice and quiet for the bees and their flightpath avoided the garden entirely, at human level anyway.

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Having watched that programme last night, I am now wondering whether to bring forward my plans to get a hive - originally planned for next year, with this year gaining knowledge and experience.

 

I would of course have to do it will a local mentor as I have only a limited knowledge at the mo. Maybe I should make enquiries with the local association........

 

Sha x

 

 

I've emailed her with a whole heap of questions....I'm awaiting her reply!!

 

Sha x

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I was thinking of waiting till next year, but I concluded that the best way to learn was to get a hive and get stuck in - there's a limit to what you can learn from books, and you have to have kept bees for a couple of years before you can do a beekeeping qualification.

 

Having said that, my hive has still not arrived and I have no bees in sight yet ...

 

Our local association does a 'mentor' system - worth getting in touch, as you will probably find they are very keen to help.

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Well, my hive has arrived! :D Flatpack, and I'm already wishing I'd heeded your advice, Lesley!

 

The box was so big I couldn't lift it, I unpacked some of the bits and pieces and the frames, wax etc and then managed to lift the rest of it into the garage. I want to start making it up but I am not going to have a chance this week. Brother-in-law is coming at the weekend and I'm tempted to ask him to do it (he's an engineer) but on the other hand, I want to do it myself. Despite being an engineer he's got a bit of a track record with me for offering to fix things and then managing to break them ...

 

As I don't have any bees in view yet, there's no rush. I'll post some pictures of the construction when I do it.

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I've just filled in the form and cheque to become a County Member of the local BKA, which means I have all the same access to info, meetings, could stand on a committee should I so wish (and I so DON'T :roll: ) and voting rights as a full member I just don't have all the insurance etc needed for the bees. I'm so excited :dance: .

 

Pam, if you read this, I'll zap the email over which I sent/received from Christine. Are you ok hon, not seen you on here for a while.....

 

Sha x

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I hadn't seen this thread!

 

Just to reinforce some of the things which have been said - I would recommend going on a beekeeping course if one is near you. I've learnt so much. I would definitely join your local bk association, and take them up on the offer of a mentor. However, for me most of it didn't make too much sense until the apiary visits. On the first one we all just observed.

 

I can't imagine many places would be happy for a complete novice to go and capture a swarm? Our BKA has a 'swarmcatcher' - I assume most do? or at least experienced keepers who don't mind helping out?

 

I've now bought a bee suit and at the weekend I helped a neighbour as he investigated his hives for the first time this year. Yes I know it should have been done before :o . I watched him smoke, open and inspect the first hive/frames, deal with queen cells and treat for varroa/mites and add a super. Then I did the second one all by myself.

 

So now I am feeling 10 times more confident and ready to purchase a hive. I'm doing this with another neighbour and I think we'll get a cedar national from a local supplier. Then join the queue waiting for a swarm :D

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Is there an echo on this thread :lol: ?!

Sha x

 

I've removed the duplicates of Martin's posts - I should imagine he was victim of the slow forum problems :lol:

 

Sounds like you had a great time going through the hive Daphne - we need to go through ours properly this weekend.

 

Sha - we were so pleased to find assembled hives at a good price after we'd had one to put together! :lol:

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I have a very elderly hive and a second which I've bought flat-pack... so far, it isn't too bad to put together.

Sha, I think it's a really good idea to wait.... but honestly, the big acid test is whether you enjoy going through the hive or not. And IMO it's difficult to be sure how you'll feel about it until you're actually doing it. Personally, I LOVE having bees, I find them endlessly fascinating creatures and enjoy everything about it (except for the occasional stings) but my OH is much less keen on being in a cloud of stingy-insects: he now stands well back when am inspecting hives!

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Ooooo I am so excited...I've just had a call from a lovely sounding old gent who's going to come over this afternoon & check the suitability of my garden for a hive :dance::dance::dance::dance:

 

Apparently there's a young (well younger than him!!) chap who's got a hive about 300 yards down the road from me, who he is tutoring, so I may get the chance to "shadow" him too!

 

Got to calm down now & go off to do some crafting at the Hospice!

 

Sha x

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He's been & says if my garden was his garden he'd have at least 6 hives in it :dance::dance::dance::dance: !!!!!

 

He also said get a hive, then if anything came up he'd very happily be my mentor too. He's getting to the stage in his life where he can't do the physical part of beekeeping, but still wants bees in his life, so by being a mentor he has the best of both worlds.

 

Now I just have to convince DH that it's a really good idea :roll:

 

Sha x

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