Hello from Wiltshire

[Swift Nick]

Hi,
I am Nick (probably not that swift in reality), I am just starting to learn about Beekeeping. I hope to get started with a nucleus this summer. We have a lot of flowers in the garden, a veg garden too and have been planting fruit trees. So hopefully the bees will be happy here.
I have been reading books on Beekeeping, but I like to read the forum also to get another view.
Thanks for reading.
Nick

 

[Curley]

Hi Nick
Welcome to the forum. It is a great learning resource, and as long as you take the rough with the smooth and learn to sort the wheat from the chaff you will get a lot out of this site. I'm not too far from you(Chippenham side of Devizes) . If you haven't joined a club yet, might I suggest that Kennet Beekeepers is the one to go for, but I hear Melksham is on the up as well. Members of both in Chippenham. Good luck with your new venture.
ps I though Swift Nick hung around on the Great North Road not the Great West Road !

 

[For want of a better word]

There was a beekeeper from Devises
Who had hives in two different sizes
One was so small it had few bees to call
And the other one was so big it won prizes!

Enjoy

Yeghes da

 

[Curley]

Why don't Wiltshire beekeepers eat fried potatoes?

Because they have no Devizes for Chippenham.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Welcome
You can see we have no bees to play with at the moment

 

[Swift Nick]

Hi Nick
Welcome to the forum. It is a great learning resource, and as long as you take the rough with the smooth and learn to sort the wheat from the chaff you will get a lot out of this site. I'm not too far from you(Chippenham side of Devizes) . If you haven't joined a club yet, might I suggest that Kennet Beekeepers is the one to go for, but I hear Melksham is on the up as well. Members of both in Chippenham. Good luck with your new venture.
ps I though Swift Nick hung around on the Great North Road not the Great West Road !

Thanks Curley, I do want to join a club, I also wanted to take some lessons. They is a lot to learn & I intend to start this summer.

 

[Curley]

Hi Nick

Good to get a course under your belt - they mostly run in the springtime.
Ours starts in February and has 5 theory sessions and a couple of practical sessions in May.
http://www.kennet-beekeepers.co.uk/introduction-to-beekeeping
If you haven't already, do make sure you handle bees before you splash any cash as some people find its really not for them when faced with an open colony of bees for the first time.

 

[Swift Nick]

Thanks Curley,
That looks like a good course. The Melksham club course is held in Lacock, which is only a couple of miles from where I live, so quite convenient, I mailed them previously but haven't had a reply yet.
This one isn't too far, so maybe as all the info is available I will book up with this one.
I have splashed out on a hive already, it arrived yesterday and I am going to put it together in the Christmas holiday, I have also put a deposit on a nuc of bees. I know most clubs & people say get hands on first, but I have read up a bit & jumped in.
I am an outside person, do a lot of gardening, veg & flowers, I am also planting fruit trees & enjoy a bit of carpentry. I am OK with handling animals & insects, so I think I will be OK with the bees. But I guess you never know, so the course will be good for hands on as well.
I have the BBKA guide to beekeeping, if you had to recommend one other book to suit a beginner in their first year what would it be?
Thanks Nick

 

[B+.]

if you had to recommend one other book to suit a beginner in their first year what would it be?

You could try the Haynes Bee Manual

 

[Cussword]

You could try the Haynes Bee Manual

very good book to get you started.

 

[Swift Nick]

Book Recommendation

Thank you for the Haynes recommendation, I will order a copy.
Cheers Nick

 

[theeggman]

To the forum Nick.
As an ex. Wiltshire resident, Winterbourne Bassett, it's a nice part of the UK.

The climate is more friendly than down here near Dartmoor, here it just rains and then rains some more, BUT we do do have the views and the walks which we can't avoid.

 

[Hachi]

Bath have a really good BKA and well worth a serious look if your considering Kennet as a BKA.

 

[bpmurray]

Thank you for the Haynes recommendation, I will order a copy.
Cheers Nick

Good choice - it's used as the textbook for our local beginners course