gongladosh Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 All I need now is: 1 - build it 2 - my bees to turn up (it's looking like March at the moment) 3 - find an imminent beekeeping course in the North West - that's the tricky bit... It's really exciting!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Congratulations! I think (1) is probably the easiest bit! Have you found your local beekeeping group yet - even if there isn't a course available it's probably worth joining and going along to their meetings as you'll pick up all sorts of information and get to know some local beekeepers. Joining them will also usually give you insurance cover against disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 There's a local beekeeping group not far away - I'll look them up, cheers. Would you recommend joining the British Beekeepers' Association? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 If you join your local group, they are almost certainly affiliated to the BBKA so you'll be joining it as well. There is a lot of information on their website, and some of it is only available to members, so you'll get the benefit of that too. To my mind, I get more benefit from the local group, but you can't usually join one without the other and the BBKA does a lot of lobbying for research grants and the like. There are differing views on this, and no doubt someone else on here will come along to tell you why you shouldn't join them, but I would say yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 It was the promise of the insurance cover that sounds interesting. I wonder if affiliate national members qualify for that also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8landy Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 It was the promise of the insurance cover that sounds interesting. I would not get your hopes up over the insurance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted January 21, 2011 Author Share Posted January 21, 2011 is it not much cop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Perhaps I should clarify - its Bee Disease Insurance, and if you were unlucky enough to get Foulbrood in your hives and your bees had to be destroyed, you would get some compensation for the loss of the colony and the frames. It's not a huge amount, but it's one of the benefits of membership. If you did get EFB or AFB, then the bees and frames would be destroyed, but the hives can be sterilised - and can we please not revisit the 'sterilising Beehauses' debate, which has been extensively explored elsewhere on this forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8landy Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 and can we please not revisit the 'sterilising Beehauses' debate, which has been extensively explored elsewhere on this forum! Has anyone revisted the 'sterilising Beehauses' debate? NO. As an owner of the beehaus (and many other tradtional wooden hives) I am more than aware of chemical sterilisation for all types of beehives be that wood, plastic or poly. My point was as you breifly mentioned Olly that you get "SOME compensation for the loss of the colony and the frames. It's not a huge amount, but it's one of the benefits of membership" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 v8landy, my comment was not aimed at you. There are other people who read this forum! I just anticipate that the mention of disease/destruction is likely to raise this debate again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 v8landy, my comment was not aimed at you. There are other people who read this forum! I just anticipate that the mention of disease/destruction is likely to raise this debate again. Haha........BBKA might open up a similar can of worms (sorry Olly ........couldn't resist it ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
