New allotment rules

[Monsieur Abeille]

Do you think you'd get away with stacking two?

 

[SteveJ]

Already bought the Horsley Boards.

 

[MuswellMetro]

it all started with the goverment consultation document "can you dig it" ( screen dump attached)

The beekeeping bit grew from city of Birmingham's views

before i was made redundant i was involved in some of the North London discussion

 

[keithgrimes]

I've been involved in three or four of these on behalf of members of our association. Looks like fairly standard stuff for allotments. The only one I've never seen before, and the one I find slightly puzzling, is the requirement for a formal qualification. Most of the ones I have seen require that the local association state that 'Mr X' is a competent beekeeper.

 

[user 6228]

My real concern at the moment is that my plan last year was to keep too two hives, AS once so I had four and then reunite in the autumn and thus back to two. In April I had two by July I had eight.

SteveJ

my impression is that colony numbers are up and down a lot and thats the natural state of bee keeping... and you can aim for x but you will have x plus or minus y.

my impression is if you aim to always have at least one hive you will have at times 4 hives (i'm a beginner but it seems obvous)


so we have the problem is the limit set by persons who understand populations of cats dogs pig hens... but dont understand bees

 

[oliver90owner]

Agree with all Teemore says.... and

If "clause 6" does indeed mean "no selling" then that's annoying,

Impossible to implement. You eat the only honey these particular bees provide (less, of course any sugar that you might need to feed to them), or give it away to family members and you sell only honey from your other stocks (elsewhere) or from other producers.

Your bees on the allotment are, of course, mainly occupied for pollination purposes and do not collect a large surplus (they are also split, on a regular basis, to supply queens for other sites thus they would never be in a position to collect so much of a surplus?).

They are not all honey supers on the hives, but boxes of brood (time to change to OSBs, or at least using deeps as supers?).

Lots of ways 'around' any such rules. Let them try to prove it!

 

[tonybloke]

the standard 'no selling of crops' clause is in most allotment tenancy agreements, and is a most sensible rule.
we had one chap who had his whole plot down to brussels sprouts, all cropped on the same day, and on the market the next day!! ( a few days before x-mas, he made a fortune from his allotment, which ain't in the spirit of allotments)
so, the clause is there to stop folk taking the p*ss.

 

[Beeforest]

It just seems to me to be an awful lot of trouble to keep your bees. I would try and find an association apiary, farmer, or someone with a piece of land and talk with them.

The requirement for a formal qualification is fundamentally flawed and persuades me that whoever drafted these rules up has done a very poor and confused job.

I have no problem with doing a professional qualification for my career - this I do often, but this is a hobby, and always experience counts far more than a piece of paper based on a few hours of handling in-front of an examiner.

I hate the slow slide to elitism and into bureaucracy under the cover of pseudo-sense.


Sam

whole heartedly

 

[Silly Bee]

whole heartedly

Well the Council has to find something for the "Jobsworths" to do.

 

[psafloyd]

None of this looks to be a problem. These may be generic clauses and may be open to interpretation, particularly as you have an association rather than a direct let site, so it should be within the purview of the association first and foremost as lessees.
I would ask the committee whay these have been developed and how you are affected as you ALREADY have bees sited on this land.
However, if people complain, you will be expected to move them in any case, so whether the council says this or your association, it is irrelevant.
As for limited to two hives, ask for clarification, as you may need to increase on a 'temporary' basis and therefore have more hives running. Again, as you already run hives, you may be permitted to keep three.

As for selling, if this is statutory allotment land, the law from the 1860s or whenever precludes any plotholder from conducting commercial activities. However, it is permitted that excess produce be disposed of, even be sold. And what is a honey crop if not excess produce?

 

[psafloyd]

We have a number who we know sell their produce but cannot prove it. Have considered getting tough about rules on diversified crops, but have not done so.
Generally they put a lot of effort into their plots, but the odd one or two set the crops and do nothing else.

the standard 'no selling of crops' clause is in most allotment tenancy agreements, and is a most sensible rule.
we had one chap who had his whole plot down to brussels sprouts, all cropped on the same day, and on the market the next day!! ( a few days before x-mas, he made a fortune from his allotment, which ain't in the spirit of allotments)
so, the clause is there to stop folk taking the p*ss.

 

[steve1958]

I know that several of our association members have Bees on Allotments across the city.
Some are very new to the hobby of Beekeeping, but those that are new do have very experienced 'Buddys' guiding them (and keeping a close eye on the Bees),

It would be awful if things went pear shaped and the council said no to Allotment Bees, which has happened in some areas.

 

[exmoorbee]

No idea what clause 6 is got someone investigating. Why do I get the nasty feeling I won't be able to sell my Honey?

Our Allotment has a clause about not selling the produce grown on the plot, but nectar is not necessarily collected from the plot but the surrounding area, so is the honey from the allotment????

Or only sell honey from your other apiary, you remember the one very productive, in a private garden, owners don’t like strangers going there to look.

Having said that it is good that they are supporting bee keepers at all so maybe best to play nice.

 

[SteveJ]

Our Allotment has a clause about not selling the produce grown on the plot, but nectar is not necessarily collected from the plot but the surrounding area, so is the honey from the allotment????

Like that one.

Emailed the BBKA to find out if they had any guidelines and they sent me the attached docView attachment 5990

Going to arrange a meeting with the person from the council who is drawing up the new agreement so I can suggest some modifications. Apparently she is up for constructive comment because all she knows about bees is that they sting and make honey.

 

[Silly Bee]

Going to arrange a meeting with the person from the council who is drawing up the new agreement so I can suggest some modifications. Apparently she is up for constructive comment because all she knows about bees is that they sting and make honey.


Good luck with that Steve. It's a shame that Councils don't get people who know what they are talking about in the first instance.

 

[isc26]

These are guidelines for Newcastle Upon Tyne


Newcastle Allotments Bee Group (NABG)Final Draft
rules, recommendations and advice for Allotment honeybeekeeping
Introduction
Beekeeping is an intriguing and fascinating hobby. In addition to producing honey, bees provide a highly valuable pollination resource.
Allotments are of course communal urban spaces, they therefore require a responsible and well managed approach to beekeeping. The objective of the information below is to assist such an approach, by reassuring and avoiding conflicts of interest with other users and neighbours.

Background
Newcastle City Council manages allotments in a unique devolved three way decision making process. The three groups are the Council, working through the Allotment Officer, the Newcastle Allotment Working Group (NAWG) and the individual associations. Beekeeping is encouraged by the council through its Bee Strategy. The Allotment Working group has set up the Newcastle Allotment Bee Group to support beekeeping. However individual Associations are the final decision makers about beekeeping on their own sites.

Best Practice Rules
Approval –Prospective beekeepers must consult and seek the approval of their own association before commencing beekeeping and agree to follow any rules stipulated. Associations may need to amend their constitution to allow beekeeping.

British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) Membership – Full Membership of a local BBKA recognised beekeepers association is mandatory. It provides essential 3rd party insurance up to £5 million as well many other benefits. Evidence of membership must be made available on request.

Contacts – Beekeepers should ensure that up to date contact details are easily available to an association, ideally being posted within the site in case of emergency . In cases of absence contact details of competent “cover” should be provided.

Training – Prospective allotment beekeepers should be able to satisfy an association of their competence. Evidence may include completion of a beekeeping course , longstanding experience or supervision by an experienced mentor .

Number of Hives – Each association will determine the upper limit of bee colonies per plot and per site based on individual site conditions. Considerations will include equity, availability of forage and minimizing inconvenience to others.
Hive Location - Entrances should not face onto paths or nearby housing. The site should be agreed with an association and chosen to minimize inconvenience to others. Risks of vandalism and theft should be considered.

Hive Management
Care – Bees should be managed to ensure the well being of both the bees and other allotment holders and neighbours. Competent care and control of bees is expected at all times.
Swarming - Beekeepers should monitor and take prevention measures to avoid swarming. Effective arrangements to promptly deal with a swarm are essential.
Disease – Beekeepers should be able to recognise diseased colonies, treat using latest guidance from FERA’s National Bee Unit and immediately contact the local bee inspector if a notifiable disease is suspected .
Temperament – Beekeepers should ensure that docile strains are kept.

Water – A water source must be available on each plot keeping bees.

Failure to comply –Non compliance with an association’s rules may result in a request to remove hives from a site.

Recommendations
Mentoring – It is highly recommended that novice beekeepers seek a mentoring arrangement with an experienced beekeeper especially in their first year.

Number of Hives - A recommended maximum limit of 2 colonies per full plot with the temporary addition of one nucleus colony is suggested. The number of hives per site is recommended at a maximum of 3 per acre with consideration given to the proximity of other allotment sites. Evidence for this recommendation is based on the experience of several other beekeeping associations working in conjunction with Local Authorities.

Hive Management –
• When acquiring a colony, local bees are often considered most suitable. Beekeepers should ensure that new colonies are disease free to prevent cross infection.
• Potential beekeepers should be aware of the time involved in beekeeping and be able to actively manage hives on a weekly basis between April and September.
• Fencing/screening in order to raise the bees’ flight path above head height is recommended.
• When carrying out hive inspections chose appropriate times and weather conditions when others users are least likely to be inconvenienced.
• Registration with BeeBase is recommended. BeeBase is run by the National Bee Unit on behalf of DEFRA providing free access to the regional bee inspector and other resources.
• Beekeepers should have a clear understanding of the triggers for stinging: weather, clothing and odour can all be factors, and ensure others are aware of this information. Awareness of potentially severe allergic responses to bee stings is needed. Appropriate responses should be clearly understood. However, individuals claiming a severe reaction as a factor in objecting to beekeeping are requested to supply medical evidence of such to an association.
• Risks to bees from spraying herbicides and pesticides should be discussed with association committees.
• Beekeepers should be prepared to work with other plot holders and neighbours to raise interest in beekeeping.

 

[Dishmop]

Any honey produced should be used and consumed in conjunction with clause 6 of the Associations Lease.

Could be some form of Masonic Bee Keepers Lodge ritual. Full moon and leather aprons.