Poltrygeist suggested that I post this here rather than on the frugal living pages:
I’ve been meaning to start keeping bees again for sometime. I sold my stuff before I went to 'varsity well over 20 years ago, and am now shocked at the price of equipment.
After trawling the net it seems that there is a movement towards top bar hives. This low-tech option is extensively elsewhere in the world, and indeed on my travels I’ve seen them hanging from many a tree in sub-Saharan Africa, often consisting of no more than half an oil drum covered in short poles and hessian sacking. Moreover they are quite easy to make (there are enough plans on the net), which will reduce the costs considerably, and I’ve got plenty of time to get things ready in time to house an early May swarm. For personal consumption I'm quite happy to have honey in the comb and wouldn't be bothered that I couldn't extract it properly.
I wouldn’t mind hearing from anyone who’s had experience of this type of beekeeping, pitfalls, warnings, problems with disease control (I gave up before varroa) etc. Or even just a pointer to some good publications/ websites/or a more appropriate discussion forum.
Any takers?
Regards,
SS
