No beginner course available - now what?

[-Ryder]

Hi,

Just tried to book onto a beginner beekeeping course for next month with my local BBKA but it is fully booked. Next one is not until Feb next year, and I can't wait that long.

I have looked into basics (the very basics) of beekeeping through articles, youtube and a book I bought. So I was thinking of just diving in at the deep end (hope that's not a bad move) and getting a couple of hives (and other equipment) and maybe a nucleus or a swarm if I meet someone that can offer me one at a honey show I am planning on going to next month.

What I'd like to know is that it is legal for me to just get a couple of hives and put them in my garden, right (with bees of course)? There's not something about the law I'm missing is there?

Also, it's not vital I join BBKA is it? At the moment it all seems to me that beekeeping is pretty much a social thing, not something you can do or keep to yourself. Seems as if your not in touch with a good few other local keepers or BBKS then you are on the road to failure?

Thanks.

 

[Moggett]

Hi,

Just tried to book onto a beginner beekeeping course for next month with my local BBKA but it is fully booked. Next one is not until Feb next year, and I can't wait that long.

Why not?

Perhaps better to do the course first, especially as the preparing of colonies to get through winter is fast approaching. You could loose the lot if you get it wrong.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi,

Just tried to book onto a beginner beekeeping course for next month with my local BBKA but it is fully booked. Next one is not until Feb next year, and I can't wait that long.

I have looked into basics (the very basics) of beekeeping through articles, youtube and a book I bought. So I was thinking of just diving in at the deep end (hope that's not a bad move) and getting a couple of hives (and other equipment) and maybe a nucleus or a swarm if I meet someone that can offer me one at a honey show I am planning on going to next month.

What I'd like to know is that it is legal for me to just get a couple of hives and put them in my garden, right (with bees of course)? There's not something about the law I'm missing is there?

Also, it's not vital I join BBKA is it? At the moment it all seems to me that beekeeping is pretty much a social thing, not something you can do or keep to yourself. Seems as if your not in touch with a good few other local keepers or BBKS then you are on the road to failure?

Thanks.

One of the most difficultt things for a new beekeeper to do is to get a small Nuc through winter,

You would be much better off starting with a healthy overwintered Nuc in spring than obtaining a small Nuc in Autumn

BBKA, welll it depends whether you get sued by your neighbours when you posioning them with botulism in your honey or when they end up in hospital having been stung by your bees, then the £10m third party and product insurance may be useful

 

[peteinwilts]

I would also say it is too late to start doing such things. February is ideal as it is just before the bees start coming out in numbers.

In the meantime, lurk on the forum, ignore the bickering and silly comments, and learn as much as you can.

If you are desperate, find a local person that will let you see their bees and assist over the coming month or so. It is always good to have a local knowledgeable person (a mentor) that will be able to pop and see your new bees if and when you get in trouble.

Bees in gardens tends to be how big your garden is and how well you get on with your neighbours.
Even in a largish garden, if anything wearing a stripy jumper stings or bites a less than perfect neighbour, your bees may get the blame and you might be slapped with an ASBO.

Always good to have a plan B.

 

[Arfermo]

Hi,

Just tried to book onto a beginner beekeeping course for next month with my local BBKA but it is fully booked. Next one is not until Feb next year, and I can't wait that long.

I have looked into basics (the very basics) of beekeeping through articles, youtube and a book I bought. So I was thinking of just diving in at the deep end (hope that's not a bad move) and getting a couple of hives (and other equipment) and maybe a nucleus or a swarm if I meet someone that can offer me one at a honey show I am planning on going to next month.

What I'd like to know is that it is legal for me to just get a couple of hives and put them in my garden, right (with bees of course)? There's not something about the law I'm missing is there?

Also, it's not vital I join BBKA is it? At the moment it all seems to me that beekeeping is pretty much a social thing, not something you can do or keep to yourself. Seems as if your not in touch with a good few other local keepers or BBKS then you are on the road to failure?

Thanks.

Joining local BKA not a legal requirement but essential if you care about your own welfare and that of your bees. It's inexpensive, provides some insurance cover and you get the benefit of visits to the local apiary for hands on practical experience and advice. Courses can wait. Apart from that, the best book for a beginner is Ted Hooper "Guide to Bees and Honey" imho - very readable and excellent for dipping into. As for getting a couple of hives - do so if you wish but there is a lot more to it than that - a lot of spare kit, beesuit, hive tools, extracting gear, foodsafe buckets, etc etc ad infinitum. Not all of it required immediately of course but you will need quite a bit of stuff just to get off the ground with some certainty of not falling at the first hurdle. Frankly I think you might be trying to run before you can even crawl, but throwing yourself in at the deep end is possible providing you are aware of potential pitfalls. That's what I did and don't regret doing so - but then I had the benefit of an 80 year old mentor who had 50 or more hives and who had kept bees from the age of 7 as well as his apiary lad to lean on. Your choice.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I agree with Arfermo and the others.

Spend the winter reading and surfing this Forum.

Get a sense of what you want to do, in terms of hive selection especially.

Don't forget it's cheaper to send a list to Santa or wait for the winter sales, than realise you need stuff yesterday and have to pay full whack.

Winter tests the best of us and just think how disheartening it would be to buy colonies now and lose them over winter. Let someone else carry that risk for you.

Dusty

 

[REDWOOD]

One thing beekeeping will teach you is patients, don't jump in with two feet first, wait until you have done your course then decide if beekeeping is for you. You will be amazed how many new beekeepers drop out when they do the practical side of the course

 

[pargyle]

Agree with everything said above ... I took nearly two years before I got my bees .. weather, bee availability, timing, all contrived to stop me but it was time well spent ... 6 months reading and studying will stand you in so much stead that when your bees arrive you will at least have some idea of what might happen ... because it will ... and MORE !

The only thing I would disagree with is Hooper as a starter book - it's not readable to mere mortals, it's badly indexed and woefully outdated in some respects. Start with something a bit easier to digest and read it three or four times .. Bees at the Bottom of the Garden is a good start or The Haynes Beekeeping Manual. Much easier to read IMO unless you have a degree in Anglo Saxon Literature and a brain the size of Einstein. Buy Hooper when you have your bees and you have read everything else - it will make more sense.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I support Hooper.

Ok, it's not a comic, but it doesn't deserve to be traduced.
Though it's not perfect, it's pretty comprehensive and will give you a good grounding.

I suggest you buy it right away (or borrow it - another reason for joining your local Association).

You will end up reading it anyway, as a grown-up book - so why not try it now?

Dusty

 

[REDWOOD]

I support Hooper.

Ok, it's not a comic, but it doesn't deserve to be traduced.
Though it's not perfect, it's pretty comprehensive and will give you a good grounding.

I suggest you buy it right away (or borrow it - another reason for joining your local Association).

You will end up reading it anyway, as a grown-up book - so why not try it now?

Dusty

+1
I did read the Haynes manual last year and was quite impressed with the contents for new beekeepers

 

[pargyle]

I support Hooper.

Ok, it's not a comic, but it doesn't deserve to be traduced.
Though it's not perfect, it's pretty comprehensive and will give you a good grounding.

I suggest you buy it right away (or borrow it - another reason for joining your local Association).

You will end up reading it anyway, as a grown-up book - so why not try it now?

Dusty

I agree that there's a lot in there ... and I bought it very early on and read it (or rather tried to) ...but .. I can't agree that its a readable book. When you first start you need something that leads you conversationally through the basics ... there's just too much information in Hooper for most beginners ... I don't know any people who picked up Hooper and read it from start to finish but I know lots who have read Bees at the BOTG and found it an excellent overview of what you need and can expect - it may get sold later on in favour of the likes of Hooper from a reference viewpoint but you are never going to lose money on it. The Haynes Manual will get you through your first year of beekeeping if you like to follow recipes .. But it also holds its price well and you won't find it for less than about £15 unless you are lucky.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bees-at-t...137640856?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item461d33bd98#

and just to keep the balance;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Guide-to-...s_EducationalTextbooks_GL&hash=item2c87fd4ac9

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...ES+BEEKEEPING&_nkw=HAYNES+BEEKEEPING&_sacat=0

 

[REDWOOD]

I pay zilch for my books, try torrent

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

If it's any help, I picked it up and read it through from start to finish, before I got my bees.

Clearly, some people can use it from an early stage, others can't.

Dusty

 

[pargyle]

If it's any help, I picked it up and read it through from start to finish, before I got my bees.

Clearly, some people can use it from an early stage, others can't.

Dusty

Ahh... well, that's the benefit of a Theological education for you Dusty - gives you powers of reading well above mine ... we'll agree to disagree about Hooper's readability but we'll agree that it has an essential place on every beekeepers bookshelf.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi,

Just tried to book onto a beginner beekeeping course for next month with my local BBKA but it is fully booked. Next one is not until Feb next year, and I can't wait that long.

I have looked into basics (the very basics) of beekeeping through articles, youtube and a book I bought. So I was thinking of just diving in at the deep end (hope that's not a bad move) and getting a couple of hives (and other equipment) and maybe a nucleus or a swarm if I meet someone that can offer me one at a honey show I am planning on going to next month.

What I'd like to know is that it is legal for me to just get a couple of hives and put them in my garden, right (with bees of course)? There's not something about the law I'm missing is there?

Also, it's not vital I join BBKA is it? At the moment it all seems to me that beekeeping is pretty much a social thing, not something you can do or keep to yourself. Seems as if your not in touch with a good few other local keepers or BBKS then you are on the road to failure?

Thanks.

I'm sorry, but by the tone of your post you definitely need a course: if you were half ready to keep bees you would know that this is the wrong time of the year to get started. Be patient, stop watching the 90% carp that's streamed on yootoob, read a few books and get on that February course - you will still have enough to get a few practicals under your belt get a feel for the bees and get a few productive colonies early enough to have a small harvest next autumn.
Of course there's nothing stopping you going out now and buying some bees, there'd be some people rubbing their hads with glee at getting rid of some deadweight at this time of the year, but IMHO all you'd end up with is a boxful of deasd bees come spring.
Be patient - it will be well worth the wait

 

[clv101]

...or The Haynes Beekeeping Manual.

This is a great first book - very easy to read and everything is well illustrated so you always know what the text is referring to.

Just because you local association course is full, doesn't mean you can find a course a little further afield - there are lots of associations out there which to ~2 day courses in the early spring.

 

[-Ryder]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I'm not planning on getting any bees now, I know it will be hard for me over the winter. I just want to get to grips with all the theory and have all my equipment, make a somewhat informed decision about the type of beehive I will get and learn to use things like the smoker over the winter so that I am all
ready to get the bees come spring. If I wait for the next course which starts in Feb and finishes in March, before learning or getting anything I might end up missing next year too. I need to prepare now because I really want my own bees come spring.

What is the latest month in the year I can get bees and have some hope of getting even a tiny amount of honey?

So I guess I will most definitely be joining the BKA if I can get sued over my bees stinging anyone. I guess just about everyone in the UK joins them or are there keepers that take the risk and don't? Also how in the world will anyone be able to prove that it was my bee that stung them if they did decide to take matters further?

Thanks for the book recommendations. Every person is different and whilst I probably could quite comfortably read the Hooper book and take a lot of benefit from it, and most likely will be buying it at some point, I'm the sort of person that probably would prefer a more simpler book, ideally with pictures,
to start off with (light reading after a long day). As I get to grips with the subject I don't mind reading the detailed hard to read stuff.

I will see if I can find a course further afield. If it's not too far I will go for it.

So here's my plan then:

• Join BKA
• Get a good couple of books for winter reading
• browse these forums
• get my equipment ASAP (in Jan) in the new year when I might be able to pick it up cheaper
• Get onto the Feb course If I have still not been on one by then.
• Get My bees in March.
• Sit down to some toast with my own home made honey in august or...keep dreaming.

Does that sound about right for a newbie?

 

[REDWOOD]

Well done -Ryder that's a sensible approach, I have seen it all before, all the gear and no idea

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I don't know any people who picked up Hooper and read it from start to finish [/url]

Errm, guilty! but then I did read Digges when I was nine or ten. Found writers like Cramp and such a bit lightweight although informative. I rate Hooper over de Bruin although maybe de Bruin would be a better read for the beginner.

 

[einsteinagogo]

If it's any help, I picked it up and read it through from start to finish, before I got my bees.

Clearly, some people can use it from an early stage, others can't.

Dusty

ditto, I did it with Hooper as well, it was my first book, I read from cover to cover....