I Need Bees

[James McAllister]

Hi everyone, I am a very new beekeeper, so new that I haven’t got any bees yet. I am a keen gardener with a very large garden in Southern Spain. I have set up my Flow hive, I have all the gear, I am currently taking an online beekeeping course, so I am all set to go; but no bees.

If anyone knows of somewhere I can get a bee package or a Nuc for sale I would be very grateful. I live in Alicante province near the town of Pilar de la Horadada, 03191. I would be willing to travel within a couple of hours to pick up bees.

I did have some bees ordered to be delivered only for the company to say that they would not deliver, but I could pick them up in Zaragoza which is almost 7 hour's away.

So any help would be appreciated. And if anyone lives near me I would welcome meeting an experienced bee keeper.

Thank you.

 

[Do224]

You could put up a bait hive. I imagine there are lots of swarms about where you are

 

[James McAllister]

You could put up a bait hive. I imagine there are lots of swarms about where you are

I have ordered some swarm bait stuff from Amazon and I will give that a go when it arrives. I need to read up a bit more about this aspect. So any advice is always welcome.
Thank you.

 

[Do224]

I have ordered some swarm bait stuff from Amazon and I will give that a go when it arrives. I need to read up a bit more about this aspect. So any advice is always welcome.
Thank you.

You can bait your hive as a swarm trap. Try and get an old brood comb off a local beekeeper. Put it in your hive and put your hive somewhere like a shed roof, facing south. Don’t put anything else in the hive…just the one old brood frame (right ant the edge of the brood box) and your swarm lure. Keep an eye on it and be ready to move it off the roof as soon as a swarm moves in. At that point add the rest of the frames of foundation.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Before you go any further, read the Spanish regs:

https://www.ecocolmena.org/i-want-to-be-a-beekeeper-what-procedures-should-i-carry-out-in-spain/

Try to get in touch with Kevin Quinn, who is in Dolores, Alicante, and in the same boat as you. His question is at the end of that article.

Quick trawl came up with a range of info:
http://www.foroapicultura.com/foro/index.php

https://anaemiel.net/en/beekeeping/#:~:text=The Spanish Beekeeping Cooperative Society,important collection centers in Europe

https://www.euractiv.com/section/en...biodiversity-and-halt-rural-decline-in-spain/

https://abejas.org/reportaje-beefarmer-la-alcarria-asociacion-britanica-de-apicultores-en-espana/

There is a Facebook called Beekeepers of Spain but if it's like the UK sites, stay away, as poor advice will not only confuse but lead you down a fast road to hell.

get an old brood comb off a local beekeeper

Be wary, very wary, unless you know the disease history of said beekeeper. Using old comb from an unknown source may lead to brood disease such as AFB or EFB and will lead to the destruction of your colonies, depending if Spanish regs. are similar to those in the UK.

https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/diseases-and-pests/foulbroods-notifiable/

https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/dis...s-notifiable/how-to-spot-european-foul-brood/

Have you been inside a beehive?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Try and get an old brood comb off a local beekeeper.

No. Never. Never trust somebody else’s comb.

 

[Do224]

No. Never. Never trust somebody else’s comb.

I see your point and I agree. I suppose I was thinking of it like this. The OP has no bees. If a local beekeeper offered him a free nuc I guess we’d all say ‘go for it’, wouldn’t we? But couldn’t the nuc just as easily harbour disease as the single brood frame…?

That was my logic anyway.

 

[ericbeaumont]

local beekeeper offered him a free nuc I guess we’d all say ‘go for it’, wouldn’t we?

No. James has zero experience and won't have any idea of what to look for, good or bad, and it seems that foul brood is not uncommmon in Spain.

One year I went out with an SBI and looked at an apiary from which the beekeeper (he'd been keeping for years) intended to sell a couple of nucs. The SBI opened one, checked it and asked me to have a look: poor brood pattern, sac brood, DWV, chalk and wax moth, all in 5 frames.

If James gets past the red tape I suggest he buy bees from a reputable supplier. After all, prices for a nuc are less than half of those in the UK.

 

[ericbeaumont]

very new beekeeper, so new that I haven’t got any bees

Have you been inside a beehive, James?

 

[fian]

I live on the other side of Spain, with a climate much more British than the sunny Mediterranean coast.
In Almería or Valencia you can find many beekeepers and any of them can sell you seasonal nuclei (generally they are ordered a year in advance) and it is very important that they have the corresponding registration because when purchasing it they must issue you a guide for the transfer from their apiary. to yours (without this guide in a traffic control you can get an unpleasant surprise in the form of an administrative notification with its corresponding financial penalty).
In Spain there are 2 mandatory actions:
-Having the apiary registered in accordance with regulations regardless of the number of hives, less than 15 is self-consumption.
-Obligation to treat varroa at least once a year and with one of the products prescribed or authorized by legislation. This treatment must be noted and signed by the local veterinarian in the farm book that you can obtain at the regional agricultural office closest to your address.
Although you should already know the latter because your Flow Hive already constitutes an apiary for administrative purposes.

 

[James McAllister]

Have you been inside a beehive, James?

Yes, I currently have a Flow hive, but as yet no bees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, I currently have a Flow hive, but as yet no bees.

He means a hive with bees in it. A colony.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Yes, I currently have a Flow hive, but as yet no bees.

Yes, but have you had your hands inside a hive of bees? Have you done any practical training (online will teach you almost nothing) or at the very least, have you attended an experience session?

 

[James McAllister]

Yes, but have you had your hands inside a hive of bees? Have you done any practical training (online will teach you almost nothing) or at the very least, have you attended an experience session?

I would love to, but unfortunately, as yet I have no one near me in Spain. Hopefully this will change as I am doing my best to reach out to anyone locally.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Ah. Well, before you get any more fired up with buying into beekeeping, book an experience day and get into a hive. All well and good to imagine what it might be like, but you'll either change your mind rapidly when confronted with 50,000 insects, or you'll be hooked. Better find out sooner than later, when bees are in the post.

These are reasonably local to you; the last may sell you bees.
https://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/en/travel-proposals/apivillores
https://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/en/experiences/become-a-beekeeper-for-a-day
https://greentravelspain.com/viaje/apitourism-in-alicante/
https://puramielcruda.com/en/about-us/

 

[James McAllister]

Ah. Well, before you get any more fired up with buying into beekeeping, book an experience day and get into a hive. All well and good to imagine what it might be like, but you'll either change your mind rapidly when confronted with 50,000 insects, or you'll be hooked. Better find out sooner than later, when bees are in the post.

These are reasonably local to you; the last may sell you bees.
https://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/en/travel-proposals/apivillores
https://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/en/experiences/become-a-beekeeper-for-a-day
https://greentravelspain.com/viaje/apitourism-in-alicante/
https://puramielcruda.com/en/about-us/

Thank you Eric,

That is very helpful, and I appreciate you taking the time to research organisations near to me. I will definitely be following one of them up in the near future.

Your kindness and knowledge will undoubtedly assist me.

God bless.

 

[philat98]

Have you looked at this website?
https://www.latiendadelapicultor.co...een.html#/369-pick_up_date-last_week_of_april

 

[James McAllister]

Have you looked at this website?
https://www.latiendadelapicultor.co...een.html#/369-pick_up_date-last_week_of_april

Yes. I had ordered my bees with them, and then two weeks before delivery they phoned and said they no longer did deliveries, but that I could pick them up from. Zaragoza, which is 7 hours away from me.

Thank you for taking the time to research this, I appreciate your kindness.

God bless.

 

[philat98]

What about this? There must be someone in Alicante.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/599761657434625/?locale=es_LA

 

[James McAllister]

What about this? There must be someone in Alicante.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/599761657434625/?locale=es_LA

Thank you for this. I have joined the group and hopefully something will come of it.

Much appreciated