Land available

[Flyboy]

I think it's a good idea to offer land/spaces available. Well done JimmyRiddle!
It will also help a lot of new beekeepers develop skills in those unused corners.

 

[VEG]

I used to have a site that I found through land share.

 

[dpearce4]

I know lots of Farmers offer pollination contracts through the beefarmers association, due to the number of hives needed to give a good pollination rate to a large crop.

 

[Anduril]

I used to have a site that I found through land share.

That was something I looked at but found the little that was offered was too far to travel.

 

[Bates]

Like this idea wish Farmers around Gloucester were more willing to help, we have some really nice ones that have done their best but we are desperately looking for more sites on higher ground due to the last flooding losses!

 

[Tom Bick]

I used to have a site that I found through land share.

I also found my best site through land share and checked out another that I never bothered with.

 

[Excession]

Nice one Jimmy, if you were in my county I would be on your doorstep already with hives!

 

[itma]

Sadly the Co-Op's initiative in beekeeper/landowner matchmaking hasn't come to much -- in my area anyway.
http://www.urbanbees.co.uk/maps/

I don't think the ideal domain name was chosen!




Maybe worth throwing out the question here (I'll post it under Associations also) as to whether your local Association does anything pro-active in beekeeper/landowner pairing?
The Dover Secretary announces correspondence at every meeting, including any messages received about people willing to host hives. There was just one such message posted on the Canterbury members-only forum. .
But certainly, no-one round here is actively saying "if you want to host a hive, contact me and I'll put it to our members".

Does your Association do anything pro-active along these lines, or alternatively does news of possible apiary sites being offered not get out beyond the committee?

 

[beekim]

I think johnandyrobs is a brilliant sugestion and well don jimmmyriddle

 

[tonybloke]

Norfolk Bka pass on available land/sites in their monthly news-letter

 

[richardbees]

James,

I was almost going to reply:

"thanks.....is it ok if my caravans of trainee beekeepers also park there?"

before deciding it was wrong to take the p1ss out of your generous offer.

 

[susbees]

Like this idea wish Farmers around Gloucester were more willing to help, we have some really nice ones that have done their best but we are desperately looking for more sites on higher ground due to the last flooding losses!

We're lucky with much being higher, but finding the two or three new full-time sites we need for this season is proving difficult, especially as our sustainable business endorsement (yes, really HH ) means our apiaries can't be very far away. It's an odd situation where tourists visiting retail outlets only want honey gathered wholly from one side of the border (one way or t'other)...to have the labelling honest and accurate (we do).

 

[RoofTops]

...the problem I have is finding who actually owns the land. Farms near me have long since sold their land and have become just houses unfortunately keeping farm in the name of the house. I knocked on three farm doors last year to ask permission to put hives on rape only to be told they were no longer farms and had no idea who the land belong to.

I have had that problem too. One series of conversations went like this:

Farm house now private dwelling, occupier no idea who owns land.
Went to nearby campsite and discovered location of land owner in nearby village. They warned me owner did not actually farm the land anymore as that was all done by a contractor.
Went to find retired farmer in his very nice barn conversion and obtained address of the contractor.
Visited contractor and got agreement for some hives.

The key to unravelling this chain was the local campsite, i.,e. someone with local knowledge. Could equally have been a local shop or post office etc. Could be more difficult in more remote areas.

Point is land like this will not be advertised so you have to go and seek it out.

 

[Bates]

I have had that problem too. One series of conversations went like this:

Farm house now private dwelling, occupier no idea who owns land.
Went to nearby campsite and discovered location of land owner in nearby village. They warned me owner did not actually farm the land anymore as that was all done by a contractor.
Went to find retired farmer in his very nice barn conversion and obtained address of the contractor.
Visited contractor and got agreement for some hives.

The key to unravelling this chain was the local campsite, i.,e. someone with local knowledge. Could equally have been a local shop or post office etc. Could be more difficult in more remote areas.

Point is land like this will not be advertised so you have to go and seek it out.

Lucky you had a nice encounter, I had the same situation stopped at a farmhouse that I thought owned the land next to it only to be greeted by some very rude snotty people and a big dog trying to chase me. Found the owner eventually but they turned out to be up their own a.. and had so much land when I said where it was they couldn't remember if it was theirs or not.

Waste of time, all appears its about who you know.