Bees? I could be persuaded either way...

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Bees? I could be persuaded either way...
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dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45472
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 4:05 pm Post subject:
bees are stealing my sugar

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 4:12 pm Post subject:
Bees? Nasty stingy things. They get stuck in your hair and then people smack you around the head for your own good. Don't do it

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45472
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 4:21 pm Post subject:
gentle critters who do good work and the fun of a bee suit for parties

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 4:32 pm Post subject:

Chez wrote:

Definitely, the local association thing. Go along and make friends even before you finally decide.

This the best advice. Go and get your hands on them, get stung. See all the different type of hives etc before splurging. Also you will be able to get a nuc (starter colony) from a reputable source. Swarms are all very well if you know where they've come from, but equally could be ridden with all sorts of nasties.

I am just coming to the end of my beginner's course and will be getting my bees soon. They are sitting in the nursery at apiary waiting for me to bring them home. I have my hive in the shed and Sean is making a stand for it, so in a couple of weeks it will be all systems go.

The course started in February BTW. This is what we have covered.
https://www.northdevonbees.org/member_pages/training.htm

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 4:50 pm Post subject:
My better half is very keen on getting bees. Secretly I am too, but she's more keen on getting bees and me doing the work, than getting bees.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 5:02 pm Post subject:
Definately, go for it. Producing honey & being less dependant on refined sugar should be the aim of just about everyone here apart from those with a bee sting allergy IMO. Try this site for an alternative take on beekeeping. https://www.biobees.com/ Fascinating little creatures.

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 5:32 pm Post subject:

Even really skillful beekeepers with 40 years experience still occasionally get swarms---and the honest ones admit it

If you keep bees on an allotment you can't have long breaks in the swarming season and try to get bees from someone with a nice non"following" strain-----I had one of these and had to requeen---you just can't have them round people. Apart from that I'd go for it----honey for the plotholders round you should keep them sweet

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 5:34 pm Post subject:

lottie wrote:

a nice non"following" strain-----I had one of these and had to requeen---you just can't have them round people.

One of ours was a rotten 'follower' last year. Not so bad, this, for some reason.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 5:44 pm Post subject:
The two offputting things are swarming and time. I've really run out of free time. Theres not a lot left, with the plot, foraging, preserves, soap, wine, DIY, and a whole pile of non-downsizerish occupations. Something would have to give, and I don't know what. But dammit, bees are great.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 5:48 pm Post subject:
I would say, don't do it, then, until you can. Based on our experience - we just have too much on to give them our best and although we are valiantly making time, it's not doing them justice. But, perhaps, join the association and get the knowledge together ... and then you'll be ready to pounce if your circumstances change .

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 5:49 pm Post subject:

Chez wrote:

But, perhaps, join the association and get the knowledge together ... and then you'll be ready to pounce if your circumstances change

Theres sense in that, I'll get a good idea of the time input I'll need that way.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 5:52 pm Post subject:
Yes, and you'll be more confident when you do get some - we spent a lot of last year faffing and having 'shall we shan't we' conversations with each other. This year we are more confident and doing much better.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 6:00 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

The two offputting things are swarming and time.

I've really run out of free time. Theres not a lot left, with the plot, foraging, preserves, soap, wine, DIY, and a whole pile of non-downsizerish occupations. Something would have to give, and I don't know what. But dammit, bees are great.

Doesn't require much time once you know what you are doing. You should visit them once a week in the Summer and go through the frames, which takes about 1/2 hour. In the Winter you leave them to their own devices. Just make sure they have food.

This is my understanding. Someone else may think otherwise. One thing you soon learn is that there are as many ways of doing things as there are beekeepers.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 6:08 pm Post subject:

bees are addictive and wonderful and I think you'd enjoy the challenge Cab.

Apart from all the good words from the others upthread about local association etc I think the first thing you should do is go and speak to this person on your site with bees. Just get talking and watching; he may have a spare suit so you could look in a hive together so that you get a feel for the hobby before splashing out.

Having someone experienced close at hand is something we have missed in our first year. Our bees haven't in any ways suffered but our knowledge and confidence have shot up 10 fold since getting to know Steve on our plot in the last month.

bees - you know you want to..

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 08 6:09 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

Pretty much. My Ma says once a fortnight - think that is based on the 16-days-to-make-a-queen thing. But also, she is a bit of a guerilla bee-keeper and hasn't quite caught up with the post-varroa world.

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