New bees?

[exilejohn]

Hi Everyone,

I have just got my first hive and I'm looking to get a nucleus (when the weather is ready)

Would you guys suggest that I pre-order from a website or are there better ways of getting them ie. the section on here or local associations?

Cheers,

John

 

[theeggman]

Preferably "Local Association". The bees will be local and you will have met a possible source of advice when you have a question.

 

[Swarm]

The bees will be local ...

No guarantee of that, they could easily be bought in from anywhere as a job lot for new beeks.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi Everyone,

I have just got my first hive and I'm looking to get a nucleus (when the weather is ready)

Would you guys suggest that I pre-order from a website or are there better ways of getting them ie. the section on here or local associations?

Cheers,

John

No offence, but by the wording of your question you seem to be a complete beginner to this game (If I'm wrong - I'm sorry) have you joined an association yet? there may still be time to get on a beginners course which would put you in good stead and put you in touch with more experienced beekeepers - no real hurry to get them first thing in the spring for one thing the website sellers will fleece you on the price for what are probably made up nucs anyway, you'll probably get them much cheaper locally or at a bee auction.

 

[Chris B]

Your local beekeepers may well be an excellent source of well bred bees, but equally they may just want to pass on splits from their swarmiest colonies late in the season when it's too late for them to make surplus honey. Some groups also pass on swarms for little or nothing, which can be great or not, a bit of a lottery really.

There is a lot of nonsense preached about local bees, as if local is a guarantee of quality. Your local bees are as good as your local beekeepers, who provide the main selection pressure on the local gene pool, whether they realise it or not. Join the local group and see how well run and helpful they are - I think it's a good guide to how good their bees will be.

If in doubt there is a good professional nuc supplier near Banbury who you can easily find via google. It will cost you more though, but a good nuc in May is likely to give you a super of honey the same season.

My only other recommendation is get 2 hives - maybe even hedging your bets by sourcing 1 nuc professionally and the other from the local BKA. That will be an interesting comparison, but the main reason for doubling up is that a colony can save another colony if you are unlucky enough to go queenless for any reason, which will happen sooner or later in your beekeeping career.

Good luck.

 

[jonnybeegood]

I think the idea of buying local bees is because they are used to the locsl climate & foraging surely? If the locsl Bka is just wanting to get rid of splits from their swarmiest colonies then they arent worth joining, they should look after new members better than that.

 

[MikeT]

I would firstly join the Local Bee Association, I believe there are 2 in Oxfordshire. Do a Google search for "Bee Associations in Oxfordshire" or use the search in the BBKA web site. Do not buy your bees off the Web, buy them from either the local Bee Assoc. apiary or from a respected member. You will get advice on establishing the colony in your own hive. The bees will be local and will have been bred from known attributes and you will pay a fair price and possibly get a warranty.

 

[Chris B]

and you will pay a fair price.

In the old days that would be a "load of hay". Mike, your avatar suggests you might be able to translate that into sterling for us?

 

[MikeT]

In the old days that would be a "load of hay". Mike, your avatar suggests you might be able to translate that into sterling for us?

Equivalent to 5 or 6, 4 foot round bales of hay @ £15/bale for a 5 frame Nuc.

That's what I paid for my hay this year.

Mike

 

[alanf]

Make contact with a local association. You might have more than one at a convenient distance, entirely your choice which to join. Almost certain that one within a reasonable distance has places on a beginner course.

Most around here start with a collected swarm, maybe not a perfect strategy but it's a simple and cheap introduction to what you are taking on. After that, if you're not happy with any trait they have inherited, changing the queen replaces the entire genetic make up of the colony.

 

[Moggett]

Hi Everyone,

I have just got my first hive and I'm looking to get a nucleus (when the weather is ready)

Would you guys suggest that I pre-order from a website or are there better ways of getting them ie. the section on here or local associations?

Cheers,

John

Hi John. From your intro on the welcome forum it appears that you have not done a course or experienced a full colony up close and personal.

If that is correct I would recommend waiting until you have experienced how intimidating a full colony can be before committing to any of your own. Watching videos is no substitute for hands on instruction by a competent beekeeping mentor, nor does it prepare you for dealing with thousands of annoyed bees!

Be prepared to buy more gear this year too - one hive is never enough!

 

[BeeJayBee]

I have just got my first hive and I'm looking to get a nucleus (when the weather is ready)

Would you guys suggest that I pre-order from a website or are there better ways of getting them ie. the section on here or local associations?

Just a quick post to introduce myself, I'm John, I'm 29 and I'm from Oxford. I have been thinking about keeping bees for a few years now and after a good six months of research on the internet (pretty sure I have seen every beekeeping video on you tube twice now) I have ordered my very first hive today.

I am looking forward to many years of enjoyment and would like to thank you all for the information I have found here already and for answering my many questions.

If you scroll through some of the other posts within this section of the forum you'll see advice about getting bees, about taking a beekeeping course of some sort, and about joining a local association.

Try reading this post for starters, and follow some of the advice http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=14770

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

pretty sure I have seen every beekeeping video on you tube twice now

That's not a very good grounding for a start - seeing some of the clowns that post on youtube

 

[jignog]

I am quite lucky, I have a very reputable bee equipment seller several miles away from me. I also have a great local club near me that i must make more use of. I would only get my bees from either of these two sources.