I'd better say Hi

[Mr T]

Hi

At the moment, I'm very much at the beggining of my beekeeping journey.

I'm booked on a taster-day, then a month later a begineers course. In the meantime I've been researching the hobby. I'm finding it rather overwhelming but I'm sure the course will help. I'm already reading the Haynes manual BTW.

I never thought that purchasing a hive could be so difficult? all the different types, different brood depths, then when you narrow it down some, they don't seem to be very popular etc.

I'll probably get a pair of "Nationals" to start with, only wanting one colony. I'm always rather fussy about build quality of anything I buy, so that will be a major factor.

Not made my "final" descision but the "Peak-Hives" look to be very well made and after doing research on here, it would seem that a couple of the members make top-notch hives too, that may be avenue I need to follow now? has anyone got pictures?

The lastest things rolling around and around in my head:-

1/ I'm still interested, despite it seeming very complicated and confusing.

2/ Brood box size, do I need the 14x12 or not?

3/ When's the latest I should be getting some Bee's?

4/ Varroa floor, is that an open-mesh if I leave the board out?

5/ Loads more, I'll save these for the "hands-on" sessions.

6/ Need to get hives sorted.

Sorry, that ended up being the opposite of quick

Dave T
Swindon

 

[Roola]

One bit of advice I'd give not included above is to get 2 colonies rather than 1, it's not really much more work but you have an insurance policy should anything go wrong with the other, could save you money and heartbreak.

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[Roola]

In terms of your questions, a lot of these will be answered or become clearer during/after your beginners course... I'd also suggest it is a good idea to spend some time around bees/busy hives to make sure you feel confident/happy... It can be quite daunting when surrounded by that many bees and you don't want to make the outlay until you are sure. Not sure how long your course is but if it runs over a sequence of a few months you'd probably be better getting to grips with all the theory etc this year, read books/forum.... then plan to get started for next Spring? Don't get bees until you've finished the course and if your local division has someone willing to mentor you that could be priceless, maybe spend some time with them this summer helping them and getting a feel for hive manipulations and the 'calendar'. Welcome to beekeeping though, it's an awesome hobby!

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[psafloyd]

Hi

At the moment, I'm very much at the beggining of my beekeeping journey.

I'm booked on a taster-day, then a month later a begineers course. In the meantime I've been researching the hobby. I'm finding it rather overwhelming but I'm sure the course will help. I'm already reading the Haynes manual BTW.

I never thought that purchasing a hive could be so difficult? all the different types, different brood depths, then when you narrow it down some, they don't seem to be very popular etc.

I'll probably get a pair of "Nationals" to start with, only wanting one colony. I'm always rather fussy about build quality of anything I buy, so that will be a major factor.

Not made my "final" descision but the "Peak-Hives" look to be very well made and after doing research on here, it would seem that a couple of the members make top-notch hives too, that may be avenue I need to follow now? has anyone got pictures?

The lastest things rolling around and around in my head:-

1/ I'm still interested, despite it seeming very complicated and confusing.

2/ Brood box size, do I need the 14x12 or not?

3/ When's the latest I should be getting some Bee's?

4/ Varroa floor, is that an open-mesh if I leave the board out?

5/ Loads more, I'll save these for the "hands-on" sessions.

6/ Need to get hives sorted.

Sorry, that ended up being the opposite of quick

Dave T
Swindon

Take a look at Caddon Hives, too. I recently bought a brood box from them and with the exception of our Tom's, it is quite the nicest put together piece of kit I own, or have even seen.

Of course, I did pay to have them assemble it, but in future I may do this to ensure a really solid piece of kit that is out all year round.

 

[oliver90owner]

1. Good. It is actually very simple. It is just that some try to make out it is very complicated. Options are very few if you draw a time line, list all possible options and disregard those that 'dead end'. You need to keep good records and make consistent observations. The rest will fall into place.

2. If you have decided on National format, you could choose shallows deeps or 14 x 12 as broods. Most, over the years, have used deeps because they were about the right size for the colonies. A lot added a shallow to makea 'brood' and a half' if the colonies became too large for a single deep. Nobody used shallows on their own as broods. The 14 x 12 option is basically the 'brood and a half' in one box , so all the year round at that size which has both advantages and disadvantages. 'Double brood' is also used by beekeepers for strong colonies; that is double deep, because the deep was always the choice as the basic box for brood.
It is purely your choice. I started with deeps and changed to 14 x12. Only one of my boxes was ever bought as an extra-deep (the first) and all others have been made from deeps with an eke screwed onto the bottom. I also changec to top bee space, but that is another story.

3. You can get bees at any time. Clearly some times are more preferable than others. Most beginners start in the spring and very few buy colonies in the autumn. Simple reason is that a small colony can be easier for a new beek and by autumn they should have a strong colony which is best for overwintering and they have a better idea of the bees' needs by that time. Buying in the autumn has the risk of them dying out over the winter before the beek gets any experience of handling them, and certainly no crop! Over-wintering nucs used to be much more difficult than it is now, what with poly hives readily available these days, among several other reasons.

4. Not 'varroa mesh' but 'open mesh floor'. They may help with varroa but that is not the primary reason for their use. They are generally kept open all round the year for better ventilation and heat retention control. Nearly a my hives are fitted with them and they are only closed for checking varroa drops and may be partly closed in very severly cold weather, but never completely.

5. and 6. Good luck. Hope the above explains a few bits and brings up some more questions.

RAB

 

[Mr T]

Thanks for the advice, inc. the PM " I can't reply to PM's as yet"

Req, the floor. If I have the open mesh floor do I stiil need the Varroa floor with slide out board? I assume I leave this board out until I test for the wee vermins?

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hi Mr. T.


Just to say that I'm a fan of Peak Hives.
Ive had 6 hives + extras from Nick.

The quality is very good and prices are reasonable.

Service is excellent tho sometimes there's a backlog of orders of a few weeks.


But i also like to support small cottage industries.
They need all the help they can get in the face of large competitors.

Dusty.

 

[BeeJayBee]

The lastest things rolling around and around in my head:-

1/ I'm still interested, despite it seeming very complicated and confusing.
And you think it'll get easier!

2/ Brood box size, do I need the 14x12 or not?
Probably, it depends on the type of bee you'll be getting. If you get something local to Swindon you might find they need the bigger box, either that or you'll need to use brood and a half (deep + shallow) for brood.

On the other hand, you could use Langstroth.

3/ When's the latest I should be getting some Bee's?
Whenever you want to, but probably not too late in your first year otherwise you'll be getting them ready for winter before you've got used to handling them, and in the following spring you'll probably be almost straight into swarm control - if they overwinter successfully.

Ahem - pedant alert - "bees" is plural, no need for an apostrophe

4/ Varroa floor, is that an open-mesh if I leave the board out?
Ditto what others have said - you only use the 'tray' for counting mites, leave it out the rest of the time. The bees won't mind the ventilation, as long as you use a proper crown board instead of one of those multi-use things with holes in!

6/ Need to get hives sorted.
Look at as many hives types as possible before you buy, otherwise you're sure to spend your money and then a week later see a 'new' type of hive and will wish you'd waited.

 

[Edwardking]

Welcome, and good luck! As you're nearly in the West Country you may like to try commercial hives - you'll need the brood space and it's a size readily available here, new and second-hand.

 

[Mr T]

Thanks again, so much to learn eh?

I have my Beekeeper taster day next week, can't wait