L.b.k.a.

[daza]

Hi does any one know when the liverpool beekeepers association starts thier yearly membership? I don't want to miss out on anything important before getting my bees.

Thanks

 

[ericbeaumont]

Contact here: http://www.liverpoolbeekeepers.co.uk/contact/
Beginners Course runs on 8 and 15 March: http://www.liverpoolbeekeepers.co.uk/beginners-training-course/

Those dates trouble me, because they will give no experience inside a hive, where learning is most rapid.

Membership usually runs from January, though some may vary.

 

[daza]

Thank you, are you a member or in liverpool area?

 

[ericbeaumont]

Thank you, are you a member or in liverpool area?

No, but BKAs are pretty similar, except mine. Epping Forest worked out years ago that training inside a hive in May taught the basics far better than inside a church hall in January.

Getting yours hands dirty inside a hive is the best lesson.

 

[daza]

No, but BKAs are pretty similar, except mine. Epping Forest worked out years ago that training inside a hive in May taught the basics far better than inside a church hall in January.

Getting yours hands dirty inside a hive is the best lesson.

Ok, was going to ask if local could I tag a long with you sometime, looking fir my mentor

 

[Bounce]

If you contact them via their website (http://www.liverpoolbeekeepers.co.uk/contact) they will tell you everything you need to know and help with mentors etc - a very friendly branch!

 

[ericbeaumont]

looking fir my mentor

Uh-oh.

There is no obligation to have one and in some cases beginner learning & independence can be suffocated by a mentor that may give out-of date info., lead by the nose, spoon-feed, or even abandon the beginner in mid-ocean.

On the other hand, if you make your own mistakes & successes you will learn faster and have more fun. For sure, you won't always know which method to use when, or what to do if it all goes sideways, but so what: bees will sort out most mistakes.

Certainty is elusive in beekeeping, so don't chase it. By all means hoover up info. and advice that crosses your path, but let it stew awhile until a plan arises that makes sense to you, and not to someone else.

Best book to start you off.

 

[daza]

Uh-oh.

There is no obligation to find a mentor and in some cases beginner learning & independence can be suffocated by a mentor that may give out-of date info., lead by the nose, spoon-feed, or even abandon the beginner in mid-ocean.

On the other hand, if you make your own mistakes & successes you will learn faster and have more fun. For sure, you won't always know which method to use when, or what to do if it all goes sideways, but so what: bees will sort out most mistakes.

Certainty is elusive in beekeeping, so don't chase it. By all means hoover up info. and advice that crosses your path, but let it stew awhile until a plan arises that makes sense to you, and not to someone else.

Best book to start you off.

Thank you, I'm reading that at the moment

 

[drex]

It is good to have someone with more experience to fall back on when really needed. I agree you need to find your own path, but start with conventional teaching and make your own choices as you go along. I am part of teaching newcomers, but I try to encourage them to be " thinking beekeepers " rather than " spoon feeding "
By conventional I do not mean old fashioned bbka dogma

 

[Macbear]

Certainty is elusive in beekeeping, so don't chase it. By all means hoover up info. and advice that crosses your path, but let it stew awhile until a plan arises that makes sense to you, and not to someone else.

Spot on advice. Regarding "plan" one thing that maybe worth considering is to make out a calendar-type planner using soft pencil - but not immediately! There are predictables - such as regular inspections, roughly when you plan to harvest honey, varroa treatment times [if needed/wanted] etc. A beekeeping manual [e.g. Haynes] and advice can help sketch that out. That way there will be reduced surprise about workload/jobs. It also gives an overview - soft pencil allows amendments: variables such as weather make for the uncertainties Ericbeaumont refers to.
Even after about a decade of keeping bees I have my own planner which is mixed in with my allotment planning - so I remember to spread jobs out and reduce forgetting to do essentials.

 

[Sutty]

My best bit of advice would be to really learn the life stages; eggs, larvae, when they are capped, and when emerge for each caste.
When wondering what's going on it will be invaluable & lets you look back in time (eg only capped drone brood remain, or worker plus drone brood).