Do you plan to start Beekeeping this year ?

[BKF Admin]

I see we have a few new members who are starting out this year.

Do you plan to get your first hive and bees during 2009?
What hive type are you looking at,do you have a place lined up to keep them ?

What are your plans?

 

[Jenxy]

I am hoping to get started this year... I was going to ask about the politics of asking a landowner if there was a possibility of keeping bees on their land. I mean, should you offer payment? If so, what is the going rate? Do you offer honey? What if you don't get any? I am just not sure what the usual approach is.

 

[Polyanwood]

It depends on what kind of land it is. i don't know anyone who pays. After all you are providing free pollination services. If it is mostly livestock and you are a beginner, or even if you aren't, you will want a quiet corner.. and with just livestock and grain and hay, you are doing the farmer less of a favour as grasses don't need bees. But with fruit, legumes, oil seed rape - your beehive means money in the bank for the farmer.

Mostly people are happy with honey.

You do need to check whether the farmer sprays crops with insecticides though , or you'll be in trouble

 

[BKF Admin]

From my experience its best to approach with an idea of what area you want to use,you have much better luck saying "over there" rather than "what do you think".

Regards payment a few jars of honey is the norm.

I give a bottle of single malt when setting up the first hives as well as it shows your appreciation but its up to the beekeeper.

 

[Polyanwood]

And we forgot to mention that beekeeping kit is heavy - especially supers full of honey - so you want to have easy vehicular access (even if it is your bike and trailer)

 

[BKF Admin]

And we forgot to mention that beekeeping kit is heavy - especially supers full of honey - so you want to have easy vehicular access (even if it is your bike and trailer)

Last year I could not manage 2 full supers more than a couple of feet.
I have just got another out apiary for this year and have purchased a set of sack trucks to help me.

 

[darrenperrett]

I`ve just picked up some national hives from Hivemaker and have 2 nucs on order. I`ve got plenty of room for them but nowhere out of the wind so I may have to erect a windbreak of some kind.

 

[Poly Hive]

Aberdeen and District have wait for it, a beginners class of 60!

PH

 

[Polyanwood]

great news. See what happens when the doom mongers say all the bees are dying out and that keeping them alive will save the planet? If they are all going on courses though it means that they will probably be responsible beekeepers though!

 

[Jenxy]

60??? Blimey, that is a lot of new hives. The whiskey sounds like a good bet Admin....
I am waiting to hear back from a mate who is going to ask a couple of people for me, so I might be ok. I didn't take into account the weight of moving gear tho... How heavy roughly is a super full of honey??

 

[David P]

I`ve just picked up some national hives from Hivemaker

You wont go to far wrong with them, vastly better quality than some of the suppliers.

Regarding finding a site, i found mine through a combination of yell.com and google maps.
Bonus turns out to be the farm is open to the public, (my hives are in an out of the way private bit) and has a restaurant and gift shop, so weather permitting i have a outlet for honey as well.

David

 

[jimbeekeeper]

ALL farmers like Whisky, but combine that with a jar of honey and they are like putty in your hands.

I shot on my neighbouring farmers land and I am considering setting up addtional nucs there.

 

[Hombre]

I have ordered two 14 x 12 Nationals with Carniolan queens which will be situated towards the bottom of the garden.

I will look to establish (in principle) two Out-Apiaries this year for future expansion and as a hedge against plan Bee unexpected levels of antisocial activity.

A sack truck with big wheels also sounds like a must have item. Haulage capacity (family car) is limited with no trailer option or off-road capability. This will influence O-A options in terms of distance and degree of access.

It's also an ideal opportunity to engage in bit of woodwork and produce supers and basic kit from suitable 18mm ply. The object is to make the interest self-financing or profitable in the longer term, give me exercise, fresh air and keep me from being under foot.

I like the way you start new threads Admin; with a sweeping question. I bet you use lots of foundation, in starter strips of course!

 

[Poly Hive]

A FULL national super is roughly 50 lb.

So yes access is very important.

However many fail to realise the sheer flexibility that 2 out apiaries give. I have mine of course over three miles apart...

PH

 

[MrTrueman]

I have just finished our local BKA theory course and will shortly be starting their practical course.

I intend to get two hives going this year, both nationals.

I will be keeping them at the back of our commercial premises where we have no bother from neighbours. It also looks like a nice setting with a nice river and lots of willow and ivy. Although after reading some thread I am a little bit worried about too much ivy?

We plan to plant the garden up with crocus and snow drops.


Best regards,

MrTrueman

 

[Poly Hive]

Every little helps but consider the flight area the hives will cover, some one mile radius. Then apply the formula and you may be surprised at the square mileage under their wings.

PH

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Its is nice to think your bees will forage freely in your garden, but it is realy only this time of year I see the odd one in mine (see pic)

other times of the year, a garden (unless you have 60 acres of OSR) can not sustane them

Plus in peak population I would not want them all in my garden!

 

[Hombre]

I hope that they will live in the garden and look for their forage largely largely elsewhere. I certainly don't want them to have too many coffee mornings. The garden isn't exactly Eden. And Mother Hubbard has a thing to say about garden content.

"And when they got there, the cupboard was bare,
Wise advice, go forage elsewhere"!

Thanks PH for confirming the 14 x 12 brood box weight estimate. I had an idea of around 50lbs, but it was very much an unqualified guess until now.

 

[MrTrueman]

Yeah I know they forage far and wide but I figure it is good to have a little bit near by.

Best regards,

MrTrueman

 

[Ando]

Hi All

I am also hoping to set up my first hives this year, I joined the LRBKA towards the end of last year and have been researching keeping bees for the past 6 months, I'm doing a beginners course at the mo and picked my first hive last night (secondhand), it a National, I'm hoping to buy a couple more and am going to set them up at the top of the garden, 2 to start with and maybe see about setting up some away from home in the future.

Cheers

Mark.