Monty Don't

[MartinL]

It has always seemed illogical to me that bees should be hived in a horizontal formal cavilty. Their natural tendency is to move vertically.
The only reason I can see for adopting a different format is if they are in danger of attack on the ground or the materials necessary to build a vertical format aren't available (e.g. log hives suspended in trees in Africa).
Perhaps I am missing something though. I have only ever used Langstroth and Nationals.

I'm all for nationals or WBC myself, but each to their own.
Maybe it's the hippy alternative?
It was always illogical to me that some chose to drive the 2CV but it still sold!

Suppose nowadays it's Toyota Prius or RangeRover Sport??

 

[pargyle]

It has always seemed illogical to me that bees should be hived in a horizontal formal cavilty. Their natural tendency is to move vertically.
The only reason I can see for adopting a different format is if they are in danger of attack on the ground or the materials necessary to build a vertical format aren't available (e.g. log hives suspended in trees in Africa).
Perhaps I am missing something though. I have only ever used Langstroth and Nationals.

Yes ... you are missing something .. I'm about to split my Long Deep Hive which has bees covering over 20 frames and brood on 13 of them. It's overwintered successfully for the last two winters without needing feeding, no disease whatsoever and very low on varroa (and they are untreated) ~ the bees are lovely to hande and appear to like living in a horizontal box. It's a heavily insulated box however ... there are downsides for the beekeeper - supering is not easy but I tend to take a few 14 x 12 frames full of honey out when they can spare it - they tend to store at the ends of the hive and there's never any brood in the end frames - and it's very heavy if I wanted to move it. But .. I don't have to lift boxes when I inspect - just pull the frames out or slide them along. HInged roof and clear crownboards provide hours of entertainment.

Most people on here will have seen the photos but here they are again ... it's coming out of use for a bit more modification very soon .. but it will be back ! It's still a work in progress ...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99514363@N06/sets/72157634865981506/

I like it a lot and I will have another one as well before much longer - I like my Paynes 14 x 12 Polys as well but there's a real nice feel to the long hive.

 

[drex]

I mainly run Nationals, but my two long horizontal TBH's have taught me an awful lot about bees and beekeeping. I do inspect them occasionally, mainly to check their well being, and steal little of their honey. Inspecting is areal pleasure as they barely know I am there, and behave accordingly.

 

[madasafish]

I mainly run Nationals, but my two long horizontal TBH's have taught me an awful lot about bees and beekeeping. I do inspect them occasionally, mainly to check their well being, and steal little of their honey. Inspecting is areal pleasure as they barely know I am there, and behave accordingly.

Yes + 4 (TBHs)

 

[BrianO]

OK, lets back off good old Monty.

Apart from the minor blip , Monty in my books is beyond reproach.

Would view him in the same light nearly as David Attenbourough, really fantastic presenter, great voice to listen to and a great program.

Which I am thrilled to see is beginning more and more to feature aspects relating to gardening for pollinating insects and wildlife friendly gardening.

So Monty, top marks !!!

 

[Russel]

I'm all for nationals or WBC myself, but each to their own.
Maybe it's the hippy alternative?
It was always illogical to me that some chose to drive the 2CV but it still sold!

Suppose nowadays it's Toyota Prius or RangeRover Sport??

Did you mean RangeRover evoque??

 

[isc26]

So the transcript goes

Programme time 16.00 - As well as encouraging bees by planting I’ve gone one stage further.

I’ve got a simple beehive. It’s called a top bar hive and it’s really just an elementary box to encourage the bees in.

Now if I take the lid off here for a minute you’ll see what looks like a series of bars across the top. If you lift one off you can see it’s simply that, you rub beeswax on here and that attracts the bees in. There a little door down there through which they enter & they make their honeycombs attached to these bars so they hang down like that and in time they can fill a whole hive with a whole row of them and then if you want to you can simply lift them out & take the honey from it.

But actually you don’t even need to do that, you can just regard it as a home, a living space for wild bees. Just set it up & leave it.

And you can contact your local bee association and they will provide you with a swarm and you can learn how to beekeep and make honey. Either way you are going to do an awful lot to help the bee population.

And the beauty of this is you don’t need an orchard to place it in, you don’t need to be in the countryside, this works just as well in a small suburban garden or even a roof garden as it does in the countryside

17.40

 

[Teebeeaitch]

When I read that transcript I see no reason at all for the hysterical rantings found on page 1 of this thread. For me it's good to see an item promoting the simplicity of having bees. Too many want to portray it as a craft when actually it really is very simple if you just want bees and don't want to go into honey production and micro manage a hive.

 

[MartinL]

Did you mean RangeRover evoque??

NO!
Surely, that's a hair dresser's, not an environmentalist's car!

Do they do an electric one?

 

[Edwardking]

OK, lets back off good old Monty.

Apart from the minor blip , Monty in my books is beyond reproach.

Would view him in the same light nearly as David Attenbourough, really fantastic presenter, great voice to listen to and a great program.

Which I am thrilled to see is beginning more and more to feature aspects relating to gardening for pollinating insects and wildlife friendly gardening.

So Monty, top marks !!!

In my opinion Monty is the worst presenter in the history of GW. His over-pronounciation of vowels (just like Carol Klein, the worst guest presenter) is annoying, his patronising manner, his inability to use words longer than six letters, the list goes on. To name him in the same sentence as Attenborough would function only if it were to illustrate how far apart they are. I stopped watching GW regularly because of him and will not watch again until he has moved on - hopefully soon.

 

[itma]

... For me it's good to see an item promoting the simplicity of having bees. Too many want to portray it as a craft when actually it really is very simple if you just want bees and don't want to go into honey production and micro manage a hive.

Keeping bees - keeping them from swarming and keeping them alive (healthy and surviving winter) - isn't rocket science, but it isn't entirely simple either.

But it is easy to throw bees into a box and leave them to it.
Which is what leads to the problems.

 

[madasafish]

When I read that transcript I see no reason at all for the hysterical rantings found on page 1 of this thread. For me it's good to see an item promoting the simplicity of having bees. Too many want to portray it as a craft when actually it really is very simple if you just want bees and don't want to go into honey production and micro manage a hive.

and round here, they will die in winter. Two years ago,I stopped supplying TBH nucs to people who think natural beekeeping is an excuse for being pig ignorant about how to keep bees.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I stopped supplying TBH nucs to people who think natural beekeeping is an excuse for being pig ignorant about how to keep bees.

I thought it was compulsory!

I was asked to be on the panel of gardener's question time at the Royal Welsh Spring fair today. Munty Don came up in conversation. I quickly stated that he was talking a load of tripe last night and that he was a complete eejit - a lot agreed with me - even the other panelists!!

 

[pargyle]

I actually like Monty Don's presentation of Gardeners World ... dropped a bit of a b......k with the idea that you can just put a TBH in the garden and let them get on with it - the idea even offends my liberal ideas of beekeeping - but, I think his hearts in the right place ... and he's got a fantastic co-star in Nigel.

Now ... as for Carol Klein ... her of the voice that would decoke an engine ... the sooner she falls off the trolley the better ...

But ... if you want a REAL gardeners programme you have to go north of the border ... have you come across Beechgrove Garden ?

http://www.thebeechgrovegarden.com/

You can catch 'clippings' on the web site - the best bits of past shows.

 

[Edwardking]

I actually like Monty Don's presentation of Gardeners World ... dropped a bit of a b......k with the idea that you can just put a TBH in the garden and let them get on with it - the idea even offends my liberal ideas of beekeeping - but, I think his hearts in the right place ... and he's got a fantastic co-star in Nigel.

Now ... as for Carol Klein ... her of the voice that would decoke an engine ... the sooner she falls off the trolley the better ...

But ... if you want a REAL gardeners programme you have to go north of the border ... have you come across Beechgrove Garden ?

http://www.thebeechgrovegarden.com/

You can catch 'clippings' on the web site - the best bits of past shows.

Bring back Matt James and Sven Womwell. Class acts, modern ideas, design skills and plant knowledge. Monty is a one trick pony, carrot and veg man. These days gardening is more than a lawn and grow your own.

 

[pargyle]

Bring back Matt James and Sven Womwell. Class acts, modern ideas, design skills and plant knowledge.

Can't disagree with that ... Chris Beardshaw is another one I like .. trouble is with Gardeners World is the same with a lot of BBC programmes .. dumbed down so the masses can understand it ... in small bites. It's all about ratings ....

 

[conner]

Thank goodness I checked here first.

Due to lack of time to look after it properly I have not become a beekeeper and started a hive. I just do what I can in my garden to provide bees with a pollen rich and chemical free environment, leave areas where wildlife is undisturbed and pile woody prunings behind rows of trees for habitat.

When Monty Don described the top bar bee hive as something that could just be left alone as a home for wild bees I jumped up and went to the computer to order one.

Thankfully when I Googled it, this forum showed up near the top of the search and reading your member's posts halted me in my tracks.

Maybe in ten years when I retire I will take up beekeeping but thanks for making it clear that this type of beehive is not something to be erected and left to it's own devices.

Edward King - So I am not the only one who finds Carol Klein irritating ! The way every sentence of hers has to include a laugh comes across as so falsely "jolly hockeysticks" that I often mute her or go and make a cuppa during her section of the show.

 

[B+.]

I always though it was a pity that Pippa Greenwood never took the reigns. Her knowledge of pests and diseases was second to none.

 

[Bosleeu]

Maybe in ten years when I retire I will take up beekeeping but thanks for making it clear that this type of beehive is not something to be erected and left to it's own devices.

Such a hive is unlikely to ever exist, but I do hope you get your bees one day.

 

[rolande]

In my opinion Monty is the worst presenter in the history of GW. His over-pronounciation of vowels (just like Carol Klein, the worst guest presenter) is annoying, his patronising manner, his inability to use words longer than six letters, the list goes on.

Rich, coming from a man that uses 'pronounciation'.