New to Bees (Welwyn Garden City) Hertfordshire.

[Ashley Moore]

Hello everyone,

I’m Ashley, I found an absolute bargain online late last year. I purchased a complete hive with x2 honey boxes, frames complete, stand, suit and all other equipment to get started. Never ever been used. £30

I’m very new to Bees and hoping for some advice where to start? Lessons to do, clubs to join, Further equipment required etc.

I haven’t setup the hive yet due to winter, it’s currently sitting in storage but hoping to set it up April/May time.

All advice is welcomed. I’ve included a few images of what I have.

Thank you

 

[enrico]

That was a brilliant buy. Join the local beer keepers association and book a course for next year. It will give you some idea of what you ate letting yourself in for. It is a fun hobby but they are live animals so to speak and need to be treated properly. Buy a few good books. A very simple one is Bees at the bottom of the garden. But welcome anyway.

 

[ericbeaumont]

complete hive with x2 honey boxes

Welcome, Ashley.

Looks like you have a Smith hive in cedar (top quality, expensive) which is a top beespace hive with shorter frame lugs than the National. The lack of frame lug rebate (as necessary to allow for the long lugs of the National frame) results in shallow exterior hand-holds which make for awkward work when lifting heavy boxes.

The two boxes shown are brood boxes, so if that is all you have I suggest you prepare to buy honey supers - at least 3 - because a strong colony will use those two broods for the nest.

The bee brush and frame holder are particularly useless items: bees dislike hairy things and become agitated when caught in the hairs; use dry cow parsley or similar, or shake bees off frames.

The frame holder is another toy the suppliers sell to beginners and is a clumsy way to remove a frame. Keep your frame lugs reasonably clean during the season and learn to use the short lugs to pull frames from the box.

Best book for beginners:
https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/...WJb-c5S1mjsBn6aDapntKqiOtLpgFqn8aAv2VEALw_wcB

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/bs_smframes.html

https://www.thorne.co.uk/hives-and-...-assembled/smith-hive-complete-assembled.html

 

[Erichalfbee]

Welcome from me too. I was brought up in Welwyn Garden City