newbie introduction

[stubby]

Hi all, quick intro on myself, Im married and living in grays,essex, a full time pest controller, working nights for london underground, as a pestie the firms I work for have always had a "no killing bee's" policy, and I'd never really taken much interest in them, not many swarms on the underground, can only remember one in the last 3yrs, anyway, got mates with a local bee keeper who wanted to get into ferreting, and last week I helped him go and collect a swarm, total eye opener to me, amazed at how friendly 15000 bee's can be

anyhow, I now want to get on a course, and learn more, so if anyone can point me in the right direction, please do so,

we have a very long garden, 135yds, is it thesable to put a hive at the bottom of garden, as a start up/learning curve etc, before go out and try finding better areas to put hives

 

[merylvingien]

Hello Stubby, i recognise the username from another forum

Best suggestion is to hang about with your mate till you decide bees are for you!
Learn what you can before getting a colony.

 

[tonybloke]

'thurrock bees' on here is from grays, essex, give him a p.m.?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Welcome to the forum...i wish all pest control officers liked bees...there are some around north london who seem to like to kill swarms rather than phone or BKA swarm officer


get a simple book like Bees at the Bottom of the garden off Amazon and try to get on a course, then read more

now getting on the course is the difficult bit our course for 20 new beginers is book up until Nov 2010. the recent publicity on TV has raised interest

contact all the local BKA ( and thurrock on this site, he did do private lessons) try a taster weekend ( you could book a omlet beehaus taster...but dont take the hard sell for the Beehaus it is quite new and exspenive...buy what Hive your local BKA uses..in essex probalble 14x12 national or 16x10 commercial hives

...and ask as many question on here as you like...that is what the forum is for...even if it seem a silly question ,you are not the only one who wants that question asnwered....and of course never never buy Bees like i did without a course...but they lived and so did i where did i keep them..in my small back yard.....now they are in a large walled private garden...much easier on the nerves in the May swarming season

 

[stubby]

'thurrock bees' on here is from grays, essex, give him a p.m.?

yup, thats my mate, ferreting and shooting buddie, but he's sodding off on his hols on wensday for two weeks, so I'll look for the amazon book to start

 

[trapperman]

Hello Stubby, it seems we`re all getting on here now wont be long before theres threads on, what do you think of my bullx

 

[oliver90owner]

Stubby,

Welcome to the forum, but what a first question.

The answer is maybe. As you will very quickly (I hope) realise we need more than that meagre information to possibly comment sensibly.

Just short of 125m should be OK from your dwelling, but we have absolutely no idea of what is 'next door'!! If there happens to be a busy footpath the answer would be 'no'.

To be honest, for a starter, bees are probably better away from home. As a beginner you can easily get into trouble with them, until more experienced. An awful lot do keep them in their gardens with absolutely no back-up site should things go wrong (and it can!). So the answer to your first question is 'it depends'.

Regards, RAB

 

[MMJ100]

Stubby,
Very good luck to you. I read a couple of books and was hooked and went straight into it. But, I do have a large garden. Beekeeping for dummies is a good referance type book too.
May I suggest a web site. If You google "Linda bees Atlanta" you will find Linda she has a wonderful site with pics and videos of everything she has done. Well worth some time looking at that
Good Luck
Michael

 

[iamduvern]

Hows the new gun going Stubby??

 

[Queens59]

Good Luck Stubby - I was a newbee this year and it is indeed a VERY STEEP learning curve!! Also be prepared for 20 answers (all different) to every question, but boy is it fun!

 

[Poly Hive]

Yes Queenie but how many are actually useful? LOL

PH

 

[louiseww]

Hi Stubby
Also suggest you join a local group and go along to their meetings, workshops, this is the cheapest way to do it and you get lots of perks - cheap nucs (basic nucleus of bees to start you off) and other things. Presume you live in the London area which is apparently great for bees
Good luck