[SnooziSuzi]

Question's in the title folks!  

[Kate and her Ducks]

Don't know when's best but my mum got hers last weekend.

[richyrich7]

No idea but this may help LINKY

[SnooziSuzi]

Great!  Thanks Richy.  LOVE the bee cursor!!

[richyrich7]

I can't see the Bee cursor  

better have a look using IE

   just seen it  

[Kate and her Ducks]

Have you contacted your local Bee Association? My mum has been going to Bee School for a couple of months. They are really helpful and offer loads of advice and practical help for beginners. She also got her nucleus from one of the local keepers so they are around for help and advice if there are any problems. At one point it looked like she was going to have to wait till next year as there is such a shortage with all these horrible bee bugs and stuff :?

[SnooziSuzi]

yes, I'm going to get in contact with them, I just figured that if this is the wrong season to start a hive off then it gives me time to get prepared.   I've got somewhere in the corner of my allotment for them to go, but will need to check with neighbouring gardeners first in case they are allergic  :?

[BarnBrian]

My Grandfather used to keep bees and used to recite the following.
"A swarm of bees in May is worth a cart of hay, a swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon but a swarm of bees in July isn't worth a butterfly"
Sounds to me like spring time is the best, I know my local beekeepers society do their begginers classes in March ready for spring time.

Brian

[Debz]

I was talking to a man at the weekend and he collected his swarms for his colonies in June because that is when they swarm best!

[Roughlee Handled]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr SnooziSuzi now you have me thinking about mmmmmm
Honey and bees.

[Kate and her Ducks]

If you have the space it is apparently your DUTY to get bees!  
They are under threat for reasons known and unknown and we will all die within 4 years of the death of the bees according to Einstein (I think) :shock:  Might be being a little melodramatic (on nights, always sends me a little doo lally).

[Roughlee Handled]

And they also take very little time to maintain!!!
If your hive produces at the lower end you could get 20 pounds of honney a year!!! This equates to 26 340g jars of honey.  Ok from now on call me pooooo.

Better ask the OH about the bees not the new name. But then one would be useless with out the other.  The bees and the name pooooooo. Er ok may be the OH as well.

Lack of natural light sends me nutty!!

[Kate and her Ducks]

And I thought I wqas going peely wally!
Am really tempted by bees but do live in a small semi in suburbia. Know its possible but not sure it wouldn't be pushing my neighbours a little far. Maybe I just don't tell them :oops:

[BarnBrian]

A friend of mine keeps bees out in the country and also at his parents home in suburbia.
The honey that he gets from the suburban bees is much better than the rural stuff, mainly due to a larger variety of flowers in towns and too much rape and monoculture in the countryside.
The bees don't cause the neighbours any problems, just give them a jar of honey every so often.
Ormskirk appears to have a very good Beekeeping Association, they will run a beginners course in March, they very often have second hand equipment for sale, might be worth contacting them Kate.

Brian

[Kate and her Ducks]

Definately thinking about it (well more dreaming) but might look into it next spring. Sure I could find a little corner in the garden.