honey bees

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honey bees

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giraffe

Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 272
Location: Nottingham

Posted: Mon Nov 14, 05 12:27 pm Post subject: honey bees
after weeks of persuasion and talk of the many uses of delicious honey, I have worn down OH. I am finally allowed to have honey bees! I am going to join the local beekeeping club and chat to people first and get a bit of practice handling them, but does anybody have bees on here? What do you find most difficult and what do the neighbours say?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45669
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Nov 14, 05 12:31 pm Post subject:
No experience at all, but they will be my first livestock (probably in 07) so I want to know everything about your experiences

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Mon Nov 14, 05 12:54 pm Post subject:

I've kept bees now for about a yer and a half or so. Very easy, fascinating, and addictive. Sited at the top of my garden, they fly up and over into the field, so well away from neighbours and footpaths across the fields. Make sure you have all the gear before you start (eg suit, veil, gloves, smoker, tool, etc), and have access to an experienced beekeeper who can advise youa t short notice. I don;t belong to any association, but have an experienced friend who has been very helpful. I've had no problems with mine yet. Honey harvest this year was about 38lbs which was excellent for a first year. I would advise starting with just one hive.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Mon Nov 14, 05 12:55 pm Post subject:

I've got bees. We started off with intentions of checking them regularly, looking for queen cells and all the things the books say you should do, but after I had a bit of a nasty episode after several simultaneous stings to the face we now go for 'minimal intervention' beekeeping, just opening the hive when we need to, and I invested in a posh beesuit which has meant no more stings!. I love my bees, (little buggers made no honey at all for me this year), but they are no trouble really.
Joining the local group is a very good idea, I'm endlessly impressed with how efficiently some of the old beekeepers handle the hives, whearas we faff around and probably annoy the girls more than we need to!

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Mon Nov 14, 05 1:27 pm Post subject:
Agree with the minimal intervention bit; I only open when necessary, but do talk to them all the time when I'm up there. Theya re definitely best left to their own devices. Would love to get to the stage of no gloves, but that is a wee while off yet.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 05 8:19 pm Post subject:
can i get back to you , i have so many questions . i want to do bees ,i have a place , i think i may have the kit available , i may have advice from a beekeeper or i can find one here maybe ?, i was totally impressed by the beehive with a glass wall in cardiff museum (is it still there ) when i was little , my ex uncle in law had several hives in a village so ..... what do i need to know ?

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 05 8:51 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

i was totally impressed by the beehive with a glass wall in cardiff museum (is it still there ) when i was little

'Fraid not, it went when the courtyard was built over, though the 'bits' are still around. As a matter of fact I salvaged the old and very rusty honey tank from those bees when it was eventually retired and now grow geraniums in it in the garden. People ask about that hive all the time, even after all these years. they still have bees at St Fagans though.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 05 9:28 pm Post subject:

I'm going to sponsor a beehive, untill we have a more permanent home - my dad's going to have them when he moves to his smallholding in france in the spring. He hasn't kept bees before, and his birthday's in april - can anyone suggest a good present for a virgin beekeeper? Perhaps a good book to start with, or some of the kit (suppliers on the web? Sadly, their isn't one of Sarah D's tips round here.....)

Can you buy bees with vouchers, a bit like you do with worms, and the person sends off for them when they are ready?

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 05 7:58 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

can anyone suggest a good present for a virgin beekeeper?

Can you buy bees with vouchers, a bit like you do with worms, and the person sends off for them when they are ready?

Suggest a top notch set of gloves with gauntlets, or a full suit with integrated veil if you can run to it (about �100), thay make for a lot more confidence in handling the bees, fewer stings and therefore faster learning. I think Thornes do vouchers!

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 05 1:33 pm Post subject:
Have ordered a catalogue - oh dear!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 05 1:20 pm Post subject:
oh well , i guess i will have to study my ones .im not surprised people still ask though , the inside of a hive is amazing . ta .

Acorn

Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Oxfordshire

Posted: Sun Dec 04, 05 5:22 pm Post subject: Re: honey bees

giraffe wrote:

what do the neighbours say?

Its always better if the neighbours don't know you have them if its at all possible, otherwise every insect sting or bite is your fault.

Keep the hive facing a fence or hedge so that the bees flight path is lifted above head height, Bees tend to fly in a straight line and when returning full of nectar they are not very manoverable in flight and can fly into people stood in the way. They don't normally sting but it can be a bit disconcerting for person and bee!

A jar of honey occasionally also tends to keep neigbours sweet

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Mon Dec 05, 05 8:35 am Post subject:
Not a good idea not to tell your neighbours. They should be informed in case of allergies to bee stings which can be fatal; also if they have livestock/pets.

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