Bees

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carlrmj

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Bees
« on: January 10, 2013, 19:57 »


     Hi , I've never been on this part of the site before.

    The question I have is this, on the plot I have (approx 1/3 acre ) I have noticed lots of
   bees   going into several different places ,tops of wall ,base of wall and inside old
   brickwork.
    Would it be worth considering getting a beehive or two and how much work and   
  knowledge    would be involved, and the difficulties involved.

   Thanks Carl

 

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surbie100

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Re: Bees
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2013, 21:21 »
There are lots of different types of bee, not all need to live in hives so there are other things you can provide to encourage them:
http://www.bbka.org.uk/learn/bees_for_kids/other_bees

If your site rules allow you to keep bees, it would be worth either looking for a local course, and/or to see whether there is someone local who needs a hand, so you can see what you'll be getting into. The hives and gear aren't cheap.

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DaveJNeal

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Re: Bees
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2013, 11:24 »
in addition to the above, these guys might be worth calling, we're all a friendly lot ( just all full of our own opinions :-) )

http://www.warwickshirebeekeepers.org.uk/rugby

this is for keeping honey bees, who will obviously provide you with honey, wax and pollenate any flowers/fruits you may have.

now is a good time to look at starting, the local associations generally run beginners courses about now and the bee keepering suppliers generally all have sales on at the moment ( pm me if you want a few to look at, dont thing rules and regs allow me to post direct links ).

the hardware costs about 200 a hive ( althought there are plans out there if you're the handy type ), then you'll want to get the bees too ( a colony ). sometimes you get these free, when a swarm is after somewhere to live, else you might need to buy one. I'd recommend buying from your local association, then you've got a local point of contact. I'd also recommend getting more than one colony, in case you lose one.

you're looking at about an 15 minutes a week per colony once you're up and running, then at the end of september you'll be investing some serious time if you're collecting the honey.

this site wil have plenty of pointers too, http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/

the year just gone was dreadful for beekeepers, rain and frosts as the blossoms came out so the bees got hit hard early in the year so a lot of beekeepers are having to feed their bees over the winter. over all though, for what is generally a free crop, I love my bees and I'm grateful the ladies all stay with me over the year.

best of luck, shout if needed.

Dave



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Yorkie

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Re: Bees
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2013, 19:00 »
now is a good time to look at starting, the local associations generally run beginners courses about now and the bee keepering suppliers generally all have sales on at the moment ( pm me if you want a few to look at, dont thing rules and regs allow me to post direct links ).

Just to clear this particular point, the site policies say that you are not allowed to promote or mention companies with which you have a commercial or personal interest - whether on the main forum or through PM.

If you have no involvement with a company and are just mentioning it for others' reference,  then it is fine to mention on the public forum.
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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carlrmj

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Re: Bees
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2013, 22:03 »


     Thanks for the information, I might pop along to one of the Rugby meetings just to give me
   an idea of what is involved .
     I have tried to make the plot as insect and bee friendly as possible ,and it is always
   fascinating  to watch them go about their business. I think there are several different sorts,
   as I've seen some go underground ,some are in the old stables (bumblebees I think)
   although I not sure  if any are honeybees.
       I've bookmarked the sites and will look at them later.

 Cheers Carl



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