Hello

[Erichalfbee]

… oh and what are these Flow hive things? Any good?

Flow Hive on BKF

 

[FidoDido]

NO
You go to bee school and learn how to manage them so that they don't swarm
Are you having us all on?

NO.

No need to shout at me thanks very much. I intend to go to bee school. I’ve just been watching stuff and may well have got the wrong idea from the bits and bobs I’ve gleaned. That’s why I’m asking questions. I thought that’s what the beginners section was for

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ve just been watching stuff and may well have got the wrong idea from the bits and bobs I’ve gleaned

Sorry if I offended you.

 

[FidoDido]

Oh I’m almost possible to offend!

I will probably ask lots more stupid questions. Feel free to ignore me. But I assure you when it comes to live creatures
I take things very seriously. I wouldn’t ever go into this sort of thing half prepared.

 

[ericbeaumont]

the colony gets too big and they toodle off to pastures new

Thought you wanted to sell honey? If you let them swarm then your workforce will be off down the road and no surplus will be produced.

The trick is to maintain a strong colony without losing swarms but at the same time, enabling it to reproduce if it wishes.

 

[FidoDido]

Again, I’m a complete beginner.

 

[pargyle]

Again, I’m a complete beginner.

We all started as beginners - there's no such thing as a born beekeeper ... well there may be a few that think they were but I wouldn't take much notice of them. The first year is easy - you rarely get a new colony that will swarm in the first year - they tend to be small and are intent on getting established and growing in size. It gives you time to get to grips with handling them, understanding what is going on in the hive and if you are lucky, the weather is kind and the forage is available, you may get the chance to stick your fingers into a few cells of your bees honey .. if you are exceptionally lucky you may even get a jar or two of the best honey you will ever taste and if you do - like many on here - you will keep your first jar, uneaten, in perpetuity, alongside the mother in law's ashes on the bookshelf in the lounge. Your first season is all about getting ready for winter - learning about varroa and what you need to do about them, then getting the bees ready to go through winter. There's not a lot of fun spending all that effort in spring and summer to have your bees die over winter.

And if you succeed and you still have bees the following spring - the second year is when the fun starts ....

The Haynes Manual of Beekeeping, along with this forum, are your best friends once you get your bees - but be careful .. beekeeping is addictive and you will become obsessed - your friends will avoid saying anything to you that could be remotely connected with bees or beekeeping for fear that you will drive the conversation towards what you and your bees are up to and you will be well capable to bore for England with your new found knowledge - which, by the end of the second year, you will know is woefully inadequate ! You won't be standing your round in the pub because all your spare cash will be spent on beekeeping kit and consumables - but unless you cultivate a new circle of friends that are all beekeepers - it won't matter as it will be just you left at the bar.

The two things you will rapidly find is that the bees don't read the same books as you do and if you ask two beekeepers the same question you will get three answers - all of them right and sometimes all of them wrong !

Good luck - it's a great hobby ...

 

[FidoDido]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the advice. To be honest it sounds very much like Dog Training. Not in the sense that I can train bees (although the mention of Varroa does conjure up a tantalising image of having to rid them of mites with tiny little brushes) but in a “put 3 dog trainers in a room and the only thing two will agree on is that the third is wrong” type way.

My friends son (14) is very keen on the idea of bees so I think I might see of he wants to join me on a beekeeping course. Because he lives on-site it might be useful to have another interested pair of eyes for when I’m not there.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the advice. To be honest it sounds very much like Dog Training. Not in the sense that I can train bees (although the mention of Varroa does conjure up a tantalising image of having to rid them of mites with tiny little brushes) but in a “put 3 dog trainers in a room and the only thing two will agree on is that the third is wrong” type way.

My friends son (14) is very keen on the idea of bees so I think I might see of he wants to join me on a beekeeping course. Because he lives on-site it might be useful to have another interested pair of eyes for when I’m not there.

eyes on site us always a good idea
When I was reading the attached I was thinking about this thread.
This guy is worth following and occasionally ( although I’ve not seen him post for a while) comes on to the forum.
https://theapiarist.org/beekeeping-backups/

 

[Erichalfbee]

occasionally ( although I’ve not seen him post for a while) comes on to the forum.

Sadly not for four years. this was his last post Winter bees

 

[Moobee]

Hi there.

I’m here to ask advice about beekeeping as a complete beginner!

I’m actually a dog trainer by profession but I’ve long been fascinated by bees and always fancied giving beekeeping a try. I rent a barn from my friend for my dog training business. She’s recently transitioned a large portion of her land to a flower farm and we realised that me having a hive or two on a flower farm would be a match made in heaven!

I’ve just warched some YouTube videos of a young chaps first couple of years keeping bees and he seems to be selling it. He explained about the importance of labels and it being the correct water content etc but is there anything else that’s required before you sell your honey? Don’t they have to come and inspect your kitchen for cleanliness or anything??

Depends on your local councils rules. Ours says we have to register as a food producer if you are selling honey and I had to have an environmental inspection of my process and kitchen (as that’s where I extract my honey). However as most people’s kitchens are cleaner than the average restaurant it was all fine!

 

[SamT]

Hi FidoDido, you mentioned Suffolk. Whereabouts do you live in Suffolk? We have a good beekeeping association here with some lovely members. We meet once a month in Kesgrave and the next meeting is next Wednesday. It’s a good place to meet people

There’s a yearly course ran for new beginners in Dalinghoo village ran over the course of a couple of months, one evening a week. You may have missed the start of it but I’m sure you could go along. You learn some theory behind it all and there’s a hands on day in our training apiary once the weather warms up. A good opportunity to handle some bees and check you’re not put off in any way!

 

[FidoDido]

Hi!

I actually live in Colchester but the flower farm and my Dog Training Barn are on the same plot in Hadleigh!

Thanks for the info that’s much appreciated!

 

[rossbyjove]

We all started as beginners - there's no such thing as a born beekeeper ... well there may be a few that think they were but I wouldn't take much notice of them. The first year is easy - you rarely get a new colony that will swarm in the first year - they tend to be small and are intent on getting established and growing in size. It gives you time to get to grips with handling them, understanding what is going on in the hive and if you are lucky, the weather is kind and the forage is available, you may get the chance to stick your fingers into a few cells of your bees honey .. if you are exceptionally lucky you may even get a jar or two of the best honey you will ever taste and if you do - like many on here - you will keep your first jar, uneaten, in perpetuity, alongside the mother in law's ashes on the bookshelf in the lounge. Your first season is all about getting ready for winter - learning about varroa and what you need to do about them, then getting the bees ready to go through winter. There's not a lot of fun spending all that effort in spring and summer to have your bees die over winter.

And if you succeed and you still have bees the following spring - the second year is when the fun starts ....

The Haynes Manual of Beekeeping, along with this forum, are your best friends once you get your bees - but be careful .. beekeeping is addictive and you will become obsessed - your friends will avoid saying anything to you that could be remotely connected with bees or beekeeping for fear that you will drive the conversation towards what you and your bees are up to and you will be well capable to bore for England with your new found knowledge - which, by the end of the second year, you will know is woefully inadequate ! You won't be standing your round in the pub because all your spare cash will be spent on beekeeping kit and consumables - but unless you cultivate a new circle of friends that are all beekeepers - it won't matter as it will be just you left at the bar.

The two things you will rapidly find is that the bees don't read the same books as you do and if you ask two beekeepers the same question you will get three answers - all of them right and sometimes all of them wrong !

Good luck - it's a great hobby ...

People say to me "Oh you keep Bees, that's interesting..."
I say "Unless you want to hear me 'drone' on about Bees for the next three hours, walk away now!"

 

[Erichalfbee]

People say to me "Oh you keep Bees, that's interesting..."
I say "Unless you want to hear me 'drone' on about Bees for the next three hours, walk away now!"

amazing though how quickly we learn to ignore the glazed look in our victims’ eyes if they aren’t fleet of foot.

 

[rossbyjove]

amazing though how quickly we learn to ignore the glazed look in our victims’ eyes if they aren’t fleet of foot.

I met a women at a party in Frome just before Christmas.
A fellow Beekeeper I was told. I thought great we can share ideas.
"I have two Warre hives and I refuse to treat for Varroa because natural selection will give me Varroa resitant Bees. I'm having trouble getting a mentor and my colonies keep dying"
I told her why she could not get a mentor, I told her why her Bees were dying and she went ballistic.
I am a pragmatic 'old' hippy, she was a dogmatic 'old' hippy.
I just walked away.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ouch.
Maybe she might get lucky in a few years?

 

[ldwgs]

… oh and what are these Flow hive things? Any good?

I was given a flow hive by a very respected Beekeeper who didn't want it. I used it for 1 year to see what it was like even though my thoughts were plastic and Bees do not go together. after that year I never used it again. When I reported back to the person who gave it to me he remarked I knew you would not like it, it is for those who want honey be are not into Bee Keeping

 

[rossbyjove]

Hang around in the hospital car park, cover myself in jam and cross my fingers?

I think Wasps and Hornets maybe your main customers for the jam !