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A lot more hedgerow back in those days...

My neighbour has kept bees for nearly 40 years and she has detailed records of her hives right from the beginning. We sat down one day with a bottle of homemade wine (fatal!) and went through them with immense nostalgia on her part.
She says that hedgerows are all cut and everything is too tidy. Surrounding fields are treated with herbicides and fertiliser to feed livestock. 150lb per hive was not unheard of when she first started...even varroa at first made little difference but farming practice has had the most significant impact....
And then farms were broken up and sold piecemeal to off-comers to lead the country life with their pet sheep, chicken, pigs AND BEES......lots of them
 
My neighbour has kept bees for nearly 40 years and she has detailed records of her hives right from the beginning. We sat down one day with a bottle of homemade wine (fatal!) and went through them with immense nostalgia on her part.
She says that hedgerows are all cut and everything is too tidy. Surrounding fields are treated with herbicides and fertiliser to feed livestock. 150lb per hive was not unheard of when she first started...even varroa at first made little difference but farming practice has had the most significant impact....
And then farms were broken up and sold piecemeal to off-comers to lead the country life with their pet sheep, chicken, pigs AND BEES......lots of them

How do WE get those flower meadows and abundant hedgerows back........???
One ( government grant funded it seems) local group of "alternative" energy makers is suggesting taking all of the wood cut out of the hedgerows to turn into wood burner pellets.. my presence and questions about the environmental impact of doing this were quite definitely NOT appreciated.

The you have the "Ragwort puller do gooders" also killing nectar and pollen supply plants... still it gives them a day out in the countryside!

Nos da
 
How do WE get those flower meadows and abundant hedgerows back........???
One ( government grant funded it seems) local group of "alternative" energy makers is suggesting taking all of the wood cut out of the hedgerows to turn into wood burner pellets.. my presence and questions about the environmental impact of doing this were quite definitely NOT appreciated.

The you have the "Ragwort puller do gooders" also killing nectar and pollen supply plants... still it gives them a day out in the countryside!

Nos da

We let the foxhunters back on condition they put the hedges back....
And wood burner pellets should only to be made from willow copses that you maintain yourself (dont have to your land though)
 
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I actually think it speaks well of the forum - in that nobody trampled all over a clueless novice's ambitions during the early posts, but tried to be diplomatic instead and steer him towards adopting a more realistic procedure.

For myself, I've now discovered that historical stocking rates at some locations have been very large. Not just Emile Warre's numbers I posted about earlier, but those at Buckfast Abbey (in 1983): 320 full-sized colonies and 520 mating nucs. True - they were using ten out-apiaries, but 40 colonies to each yard was pretty-much standard practice, those being honey-producing colonies, some of which even broke honey weight records.
LJ

The overall tone of the forum seems to have improved over the last couple of months. Almost like the good old days again :)

To answer the OP's question.....7 years in and I wouldn't dream of trying to go commercial. Even if I had the money, I have not gained anywhere near enough knowledge to go commercial. You need to learn your craft thoroughly before even thinking about it. Also If it were me, I would volunteer to work with a beefarmer for a while to see what is involved. Either that or just let the colony numbers grow along with your knowledge over the years. That is what I and many others tend to do.
 
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I have just cured my sciatica by an intense burst of 20 minutes yoga# every morning..for 3 months. Seems to be standing up well to everyday use but it's the beekeeping that does it in :hairpull:

# specifically targetted at spines.

Yes, unless it is serious trauma, many aches and pains can be cured by simply exercising more often. I get sciatica when I haven't been to the gym for a while and have been sitting around too much. Usually when I have university assignments.
 
How do WE get those flower meadows and abundant hedgerows back........???
One ( government grant funded it seems) local group of "alternative" energy makers is suggesting taking all of the wood cut out of the hedgerows to turn into wood burner pellets.. my presence and questions about the environmental impact of doing this were quite definitely NOT appreciated.

The you have the "Ragwort puller do gooders" also killing nectar and pollen supply plants... still it gives them a day out in the countryside!

Nos da

Get rid of the yellow peril but leave the Balsam alone. Damn those Victorian railway embankments.
 
Of all his questions, "7- Do I need to plant flowers nearby. " certainly suggests a wind-up.

LJ

Looks like a cheeky A level student trying to get us to do his project work for him.
 

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