New member

[Ely]

Hi there. I am a new member and I have joined this forum as I am seriously considering keeping bees. I have bought various books to do research before I hopefully set out to start my hobby this spring.

I live on a farm that has been converted into a pub/restaurant and I would like to keep bees for various reasons. The most important being to help the bees themselves. I have various concerns such as the disease that seems to be threatening the bee colonies so seriously lately. Any advice or information you can give on this subject or any other will be greatly appreciated. I do not intend to take this hobby lightly. Thankyou, I hope to enjoy my visits

Ely

 

[tonybloke]

welcome to the forum!! are you living in Ely? (cambs)

 

[Ely]

Hi thanks. I'm living in Burgh Castle Norfolk, on the outskirts of Great Yarmouth. Do you know of any other members of this area?

 

[Frisbee]

Hello Ely and welcome to the forum

Yes do let us know where you are.....................

Read books......join your local BKA and get yourself on a course.....


and finally........don't believe everything you read in the papers.

Frisbee

 

[tonybloke]

yes mate, I'm just down the road from you, in gorleston. I got a mate who's got 2 hives nr belton common, another chap has a dozen hives nr Browston, and there's a beek nr Lynn grove high school, another nr the JPH, etc.

 

[Ely]

Hi frisbee. I see in your photo you enjoy another of my interests. I've been snowboarding a few times. I did think it a little strange that in both of the books I have (that were written post 2008) they didn't mention any decline. Is the media scaremongering as usual?

 

[Ely]

Hi Tonybloke. Quite afew around here then. Do you know of any local associations?

 

[tonybloke]

are you living at 'the farm', nr the castle?

 

[tonybloke]

http://www.waveneybeekeepers.co.uk/

http://www.norfolkbeekeepers.co.uk/

I'm a member of both of them.

 

[Ely]

Yep that's right

 

[Frisbee]

Hi frisbee. I see in your photo you enjoy another of my interests. I've been snowboarding a few times.

Only 8 more weeks to my holiday.....am I counting the days? I did learn to snowboard but decided I couldn't afford to hurt myself that much

I did think it a little strange that in both of the books I have (that were written post 2008) they didn't mention any decline. Is the media scaremongering as usual?

Well, varroa is treatable as are some of the other diseases of bees. CCD isn't in this country although if the press were to be believed all colonies have died of it. Insecticides kill insects, so awareness by the insecticidors and the insectisees needs to be observed.
I'm sure small hive beetle will get here eventually as the country isn't bio-secure, but when it does we will deal with it.

Frisbee

 

[Poly Hive]

Welcome.

Decline? I really don't know where this idea has come from as if anything Beekeeping is very much in the ascendency at the moment.

Therefore numbers are rising it seems.

PH

 

[MrB]

Hi Ely,
Welcome to the forum!
Keep reading, And get yourself booked on a beginers course.
Do you have any equipment/Hives yet?

dig deep into the forum, there are lots of interesting threads holding a mine of information and there are lots of realy helpfull/knowelegable people on here, so ask away!!

 

[oliver90owner]

Decline in honey bee numbers depends a lot on how you look at it. Through rose coloured spectacles or basic down to earth reality.

Very few honey bees would be surviving in the UK if the species were not managed, and kept alive, by beekeepers. That is the true reality of the situation. The cause of the decline? Beekeepers and agriculture.

Regards, and welcome, RAB

 

[Ely]

I did learn to snowboard but decided I couldn't afford to hurt myself that much :hat

Frisbee

I was the same about skiing. My legs just didn't want to go in the same direction. Just couldn't get the hang off it. I could manage to stay upright for more than two minutes at a time on the snowboard.

Is there a problem with the American brood disease?

 

[MuswellMetro]

I was the same about skiing. My legs just didn't want to go in the same direction. Just couldn't get the hang off it. I could manage to stay upright for more than two minutes at a time on the snowboard.

Is there a problem with the American brood disease?

hi welcome Ely

AFB has been found recently in Scotland but it may just be remnants of an old out break that has come to light due to a full inspection of beehives in scotland when a commercial beekeeper found AFB

you get sporadic AFB outbreaks in england but normally limited, possiblely due to imported honey products that the bees have robbed from picnic etc

EFB is more common, we had an outbreak last year in our area, and on my patch varroa infestation is high. this causes bee to be more suspeptable to diseases, i think

first get on beekeeping course and get in may/june/july a Nuc of bees...easier that a full hive in your first year

Hives, decide on what style. BS National, 14x12,smith,topbar, commercial, dadant or Langstroth keeping in line with other in your area then cost it out, New, flat pack or DIY, well that your choice, on here various members like Hivemaker or Tom Bick sell hives that in my opinion are better than the main retailers

wax foundation, i only use KBS of Hastings

and again welcome but remember what the book says may not apply in your area, i live in london's micro climate and it can be 25c in April and no winter frosts (well a few) so my girls go to bed late and wake up early

 

[Chris B]

Decline? I really don't know where this idea has come....

It's been a snowball effect. BBKA selectively drip-feed a few alarming stats to the media. Media paint an entirely different picture for maximum effect. Even beekeepers are starting to believe our bee population is collapsing.

DEFRA/FERA are now spending a fortune, primarily in an attempt to prove our bees are actually quite healthy after all. Personally I wouldn't see that as one of the succesful features of the BBKA campaign.

PH, I suspect you are just too polite to point a finger anywhere.

 

[Poly Hive]

LOL Me polite?

Many would disagree. But thanks anyway.

If beekeepers are beginning to believe it they canna count either. LOL

PH

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Hi Ely,
I'm the beek in Browston that Tony mentioned. I've reduced my hives to 8 at home and a nuc at the office.

Looks like a trip to the pub would be a good idea!

Adam

 

[tonybloke]

Hi Ely,
I'm the beek in Browston that Tony mentioned. I've reduced my hives to 8 at home and a nuc at the office.

Looks like a trip to the pub would be a good idea!

Adam

sounds like the start of a plan!

date/time? adam