Bee Keeping in South Italy

[zoedeluca]

Hi Everyone, I need lots of advice, no matter how bizarre, all will be considered.

Some background for you guys to mull over:
1. I'm a newbie - have read books attended lectures and beginners courses

2. I'm in South East Italy - Weather - Summer up to 50 degrees July /august Winter -1 or 2 frosts per year snow once every 25 years Temp at time of posting 25/11/13 15 degrees - any advice on keeping these ladies cool in summer and warm in winter?

3. Living in the countryside half way between 2 towns - any advice on anything

4. Objective is to start small (2 -3 nucs) and build up to about 20 hives - Advice on: where to buy hives, equipment, anything in fact

thanks in advance looking forward to heap of replies Zoe

 

[victor meldrew]

Hi Zoe good advice is international.
My advice is for you to make contact with local Beekeepers !
This way you will find out the type of hives used in the area . I take it the nucs you obtain will be on local frames, therefore it will help greatly to use the same type hive .
Also you will have a pool of help and advice local to your area?
Welcome to the forum
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Luminos]

Get a good, bee-proof beesuit

 

[pargyle]

Welcome Zoe ... I'm sure you will find some good advice here but bear in mind that your climate is very different to the UK and you will face some very different patterns in your bees. For instance, the warm climate could see you with a colony that has brood all the year ... this is good in some respects but in the fight against Varroa has some disdvantages.

The fight against Varroa is one thing you will share with beekeepers in the UK ... but what you do about it may have to be different in some respects. Make it one of your learning priorities. VM is right ... local knowledge is good. There are a number of Italian Beekeeping Associations and I'm sure one of them will be appropriate for you and your location. Best of luck.

http://www.honeytraveler.com/honey-by-country-region/italy-honey/beekeeping-associations/

http://www.dw.de/italian-beekeepers-battle-virus-spreading-mites/a-16041719

 

[Erichalfbee]

We have a resident pathologist who keeps bees in Italy....I'm sure he'll be along soon.
Welcome to the forum

 

[user 6228]

We have a resident pathologist who keeps bees in Italy....I'm sure he'll be along soon.
Welcome to the forum

there's italy thats almost austria and switzerland and italy thats almost Africa, a lot of diferent climates there

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bit like here in the UK then, I guess

 

[Smokeyred]

Welcome to the forum. You are very lucky to be in such a beautiful country. Are you in a wine growing area? The reason for asking is that i read somewhere that bee numbers in Italy have been reduced by the sprays applied to the vines. Notwithstanding I wish you the best of luck. My daughter lives in rural northern Italy, and it is my crazy idea to go out there and help start a beekeeping enterprise for her one day soon.....

 

[Norfolk]

Hi Zoe

Welcome and I must compliment you on your English.

 

[Midland Beek]

Ciao Zoe. Ci sono un sacco di apicoltori in Italia. La maggior utilizza l'arnia Dadant o Langstroth. Vi è una grande azienda di apicoltura Italiano, chiamata Lega: http://www.legaitaly.com/en/

Venti colonie è un progetto ambizioso. Penso che ci sarebbero persone nel Regno Unito che vogliono aiutare in cambio di alloggio, se il vostro italiano non è buono. Hint, hint, hint.

Been a while since I studied Italian.

And hey, if you go with Italian-style Dadant hives, note that the UK Dadant standard is not the same as the European Dadant standard, at least I think so. The frames are slightly different size.

That said, I use the UK Dadant hive standard here in the UK - I've only ever had a max of six colonies/hives - and weights of both individual frames and hive parts can be heavy. Dadant - whether UK type or European type - immediately strikes me as being too heavy for a girlie, so Langstroth might be a better choice.

 

[Norfolk]

....immediately strikes me as being too heavy for a girlie....

Standby for Incomming...

 

[Luminos]

The very reason I didn't go for Dadants.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Dadant - whether UK type or European type - immediately strikes me as being too heavy for a girlie, so Langstroth might be a better choice.

Standby for Incomming...

I've got Jumbo Langs, which have almost the same frame size as Dadant. They are heavy, but don't need to be moved very often and it's easy enough to work around.