Hello from the Midlands

[invisibee]

Hi,

I just wanted to say hello, been browsing the forum for a few weeks and thought it was time I registered.

I have been thinking about keeping bees for a few years now, more as an abstract idea than anything. For some reason I never twigged that I didn't have to put them in the garden which meant I didn't seriously consider it.

However I turned up at my local BBKA meeting last September and am now 3/4 way through there beginner's course (1 lecture left then handling experience ) It has been very interesting and I'm quite fired up about having my own hive(s) now.

I spoke to the secretary of my allotment this morning and got the go-ahead to put a couple of hives on a patch of badly overgown brambles in one corner out of the way. She said yes immediately, I didn't even need the various leaflets I had printed out! So much for Proper Planning

So I have a site and a little knowledge (dangerous I know) - now all I need is a hive and some bees. I'm hoping the local BKA can help with the bees - I'll be speaking to the secretary there about the swarm list at the next lecture. I browsed through some of the old posts looking for recommended suppliers or hives and could only find one (which was quite surprising) so I've I've sent Hivemaker a PM about a National. I was quite tempted by Thorne's "Bees on a Budget" as it works out a lot cheaper than any other supplier I've seen, but there have been some negative comments about it so maybe a decent quality one is the way to do.

There we go, a bit of a ramble but I'm all fired up with the allotment site approval and can't wait to get going

 

[Wildwood]

Hi!

I'm also on allotment/bee high. I got my allotment on Wednesday and went from no animals allowed to we'd love to have hives on the plot by this morning .

 

[hedgerow pete]

where abouts in warwickshire are you, I am a south warks man myself, shipston on stour from birth

 

[invisibee]

Hi!

I'm also on allotment/bee high. I got my allotment on Wednesday and went from no animals allowed to we'd love to have hives on the plot by this morning .

The annoying thing is I've had the allotment for three years, so I could have been doing this ages ago if I'd thought about it. Good turn around in rules at your plot

 

[invisibee]

where abouts in warwickshire are you, I am a south warks man myself, shipston on stour from birth

I'm at the north end, in Rugby.

 

[hedgerow pete]

dont we need a passport to get to rugby from my old town to yours

 

[cstroud]

Hi invisibie,
I'm not too far away, in worcestershire- but I am a membert of Solihull beekeepers and am a regular at Solihull association. Good news about the allotment- my local council are fine about bees, it depends sometimes on whether there is an allotment association or if the site is managed by the local council.

regards
Chris

 

[invisibee]

dont we need a passport to get to rugby from my old town to yours

Heh, we certainly don't see many from your end of the county

 

[invisibee]

Hi invisibie,
I'm not too far away, in worcestershire- but I am a membert of Solihull beekeepers and am a regular at Solihull association. Good news about the allotment- my local council are fine about bees, it depends sometimes on whether there is an allotment association or if the site is managed by the local council.

regards
Chris

It's an association run one and when I go to the AGM every year there's always a lot of bickering over petrol money for the strimmer I was expecting to have to fight my case a bit. But the secretary takes no crap from anyone and made the decision there and then.

 

[andypigeon]

i have heard of hivemaker and his hives from what i gather there top knotch as for the thornes ones i have two and there good and you can get everythink you need, suit and so on. well good look in keeping bees.

 

[hedgerow pete]

you never see many of us , because the stage coach dont go that way anymore, the edge of the world to us is coventry,lol