New colony this year

[Honey badger]

Hi all.
So this year I have just gotten a bee plot at our allotment and am completely new to bee keeping. The guy next to me with a bee plot whom knows his stuff says that he will provide me with a new colony in and around March.
Does he mean that he will provide me with a nucleus box that will sit there on my plot for a year or for a month or so ready to put into my new hive ( once I buy one)?
As his hives are only 20 feet from mine is there some issue with such a short distance to look out for?

 

[Roger.Wilco]

Does he mean that he will provide me with a nucleus box that will sit there on my plot for a year or for a month or so ready to put into my new hive ( once I buy one)?

You will need to ask him what he means by "provide a new colony"... He may have a heart of gold and provide you with a cortex NUC box with frames and bees... or he might be thinking that he'll just provide frames and bees as he may expect you to already have a hive with frames at that time. What is the "guy next to you" charging? Real money or a beer at the local?

As his hives are only 20 feet from mine is there some issue with such a short distance to look out for?

If he is providing the NUC of bees from his allotment hive... then yes - all the forages will fly back to his hive; and you'll be left with none for a while as the nurse bees age into the foraging role. You either move bees 3 feet or 3 miles.

Is the allotment a local council run allotment? For all the allotments around my neck-of-the-woods in both my village and surrounding villages the allotment rules requires beekeeper(s) to have 2+ years of experience and membership of the BBKA. Maybe, it is different for your allotment?

I would be making local inquiries and signing yourself up to the local beekeeping associations beginner beekeeping course.

 

[pargyle]

Hi all.
So this year I have just gotten a bee plot at our allotment and am completely new to bee keeping. The guy next to me with a bee plot whom knows his stuff says that he will provide me with a new colony in and around March.
Does he mean that he will provide me with a nucleus box that will sit there on my plot for a year or for a month or so ready to put into my new hive ( once I buy one)?
As his hives are only 20 feet from mine is there some issue with such a short distance to look out for?

Best get reading the book you have ordered ...

If the plot holder next door is amenable you can use the 3 feet or 3 miles rule - you start with the colony he is providing where they are at present on his plot and just move them three feet each day until you get them into position on your plot. As it's only twenty or thirty feet it's not a problem - will just take a couple of weeks. Heed the warning that if you do it in one go you will lose a large portion of the bees he is providing as they will return to the site of their original hive.

Beware though - most allotment associations insist on beekeepers having some level of experience - the lowest qualification is the BBKA Basic exam which you can't take until you have kept bees for a year. There is more to beekeeping than sticking a box of bees on a plot for a year ... they are wild creatures that can sting, they require regular inspections for disease and other things, they will swarm and cause a nuisance if good husbandry does not predict and prevent it.

You have much to learn if you anticipate getting your own bees in March...

 

[Amari]

Providing the reservations above are sorted there's no better way to start beekeeping than having a keen mentor on the same site. Important that you do some homework too e.g read Haynes Bee Manual to learn some theory. Your mentor should hopefully put you in touch with your local beekeepers association re beginners' courses etc.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bee-Manual...=1737368775&sprefix=haynes+bee,aps,103&sr=8-1

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

membership of a BKA is a must - unless you want to go to the expense of finding your own Public Liability Insurance

 

[ericbeaumont]

knows his stuff says that he will provide me with a new colony in and around March.

You are not in a position to determine whether he is a skilled and conscientous beekeeper or knows only marginally more than you. Length of experience is no guide to skill because a beekeeper with 20 years experience may have stopped learning by year 3.

This beekeeper intends to give you a colony: what price has he set?

 

[Macbear]

You will need to ask him what he means by "provide a new colony"... He may have a heart of gold and provide you with a cortex NUC box with frames and bees... or he might be thinking that he'll just provide frames and bees as he may expect you to already have a hive with frames at that time. What is the "guy next to you" charging? Real money or a beer at the local?

If he is providing the NUC of bees from his allotment hive... then yes - all the forages will fly back to his hive; and you'll be left with none for a while as the nurse bees age into the foraging role. You either move bees 3 feet or 3 miles.

Is the allotment a local council run allotment? For all the allotments around my neck-of-the-woods in both my village and surrounding villages the allotment rules requires beekeeper(s) to have 2+ years of experience and membership of the BBKA. Maybe, it is different for your allotment?

I would be making local inquiries and signing yourself up to the local beekeeping associations beginner beekeeping course.

My parish council landlord imposed conditions without consultation and retrospectively. Anyone putting up a hive without their consent would likely receive notice to quit pronto, so tread carefully on that part.
It may be worth seeing if your friendly neighbour would let you work alongside for a while. If you simultaneously attend a BK course and read decent manuals you will soon assess whether his offer and practice is viable. A split in a nuc kept within his set up and delayed for a month may be worth considering. The only problem is he may be limited to the number of colonies he can keep on his plot - I'm under such a restriction. He may be keep to part with a "new colony" as part of his plans for swarm control.
Best of luck!

 

[Honey badger]

So he’s a bee keeper with lots of experience so ya I guess I should just ask him directly. In return he said it’s normal to repay with new frames ( he’ll tell me how many come the time).

I’ve signed up to the BBKA and am going attending meetings aswell as after doing some online course so I know I’ve loads to learn but hopefully with mentoring I can start slowly this year.

 

[Honey badger]

Providing the reservations above are sorted there's no better way to start beekeeping than having a keen mentor on the same site. Important that you do some homework too e.g read Haynes Bee Manual to learn some theory. Your mentor should hopefully put you in touch with your local beekeepers association re beginners' courses etc.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bee-Manual-Complete-Step-Step/dp/0857338099/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MEIJ0OMUR94D&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Wk2jIuYQsgQ30ZU3egFmlwAMwBzUCHmS-7dBLFVfYpQ7Bp8NyvPF0qeuTCHmED12IJjsxEqopb6W0DRM396laghUg8Vi58W_0GncnFeEe_laN81frbG_rhYNPOiQ6-sCvx-gKILmwy7F2lcUbrBsySH1QENz5eafb-1SjQfTnP3ysRdgMmnUDoVFPmcy34Sf2zZr74_IXDuDMSHizZwYqJWVRwpJaOiOx7v66tf3kO4.GR2bnfqjtmyCmb3MpIMUthP2Hpyje-eYUQVZmJ7A1Ss&dib_tag=se&keywords=haynes+bee+manual&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1737368775&sprefix=haynes+bee,aps,103&sr=8-1

Thank you, yes I have done a couple of courses but no l direct mentorship yet but hopefully this year after joining our local association and potentially with help from my neighbour I can start to grasp the task at hand.

 

[ericbeaumont]

normal to repay with new frames

He's a very generous beekeeper because essentially, he means to give you £250 in March and in return you'll give him about £7.

with mentoring I can start slowly this year

A mentor is not always the bonus it seems, so don't believe that one is essential. Bees will teach you fast & well, and because seasons are short and they get on with it, you'll learn a lot if you pay attention.

 

[Swarm]

So he’s a bee keeper with lots of experience so ya I guess I should just ask him directly. In return he said it’s normal to repay with new frames ( he’ll tell me how many come the time).

I’ve signed up to the BBKA and am going attending meetings aswell as after doing some online course so I know I’ve loads to learn but hopefully with mentoring I can start slowly this year.

Sounds like a decent bloke.

 

[Macbear]

He's a very generous beekeeper because essentially, he means to give you £250 in March and in return you'll give him about £7.


A mentor is not always the bonus it seems, so don't believe that one is essential. Bees will teach you fast & well, and because seasons are short and they get on with it, you'll learn a lot if you pay attention.

A good mentor is incredibly valuable, however, beekeeping is open to "interpretation" so it is best to interact with a number of BKs - preferably face to face [I recommend BBKA introduction and improver courses] and engagement with forums - such as this one. Together with what the bees teach you you will develop your own practices. "We learn from our mistakes" is important - but hopefully none of those mistakes will be disastrous!