Omlet Beehaus

[jimbeekeeper]

I would like to know:

How many beekeepers die from stings?

I have quote the figures in the past, but in simple terms, more people IN THE UK die from being struck by lightning than bee stings on for that fact any other insect bite/sting.

Just look at this swine flue "pandemic" how many people REALY have it and how many are using it to get two weeks off work?

 

[victor meldrew]

A shining example of statistics in relation to it's impact on the human mind is the annual death toll on UK roads !!. People are being exerminated at a ratio of at least 10 to 1 above the death toll per annum of all the theatres of war engaged in by UK armed forces , yet it barely raises an eyebrow .

John Wilkinson

 

[Geoff]

Bee stings. I am glad this was brought up. How many people who die from bee stings die from multiple stings? I would reckon that in this country it is most probably single stings, causing anyapletic shock(can't spell it sorry!). Multiple stings would get national headlines, imagine the Daily Mail- they would probably go with "Killer bees caused by illegal immigrants. Labour Governmant has given £Millions to encourage killer bees next to primary schools"
It hit the national press when a guy ended up in hospital with 200 wasp stings. Why was that newsworthy when he fell in the nest? I think he got off lightly.
With regard to allotments I don't think that the allotment holders give permission alters the discussion. It is one of risk, or perceived risk. The allotment holders don't have the knowledge of bees to make an informed choice, they are relying on the beekeeper to use his/her knowledge to minimise that risk. Also they cannot make the choice on behalf of any children and there are a lot - young families are much more common on allotment sites, it is no longer the preserve of the hoary old guys who were out to escape the womenfolk.
With regard to having to do emergency manipulations I cannot think of any that would not wait until evening when everyone was out of the way - short of the bees pouring out of the front in a swarm.
Since getting bees one of the things I have been disappointed in, and so have my neighbours is that there has been no noticeable increase in the bee population in our gardens. I would like extra pollinaters, some of them like to have live creatures on the flowers. It has only happened when my snowdrops and hellebores were out (I have thousands and I suppose comparitively rare at the time). My bees seem to come out of the hive, fly to the top of the hedge and disperse over a large area above head height. This is unlike the bumble nest that I rescued. They show their appreciation and loyalty by providing extra colour and interest to my garden.

 

[David P]

I dont doubt for a second that bees can be safely kept in a garden even a relativly small one when the person keeping them has taken the time to learn what to do and when and why.
My concern is a much simpler one that could cause problems for both bees and their keepers and its one im sure that numbers are available for. I would like to see a comparison of the number of new members of the BBKA compared to the number of people undertaking some form of tuition be it formal or with a mentor, anyone who doubts that huge numbers of new beekeepers have started this year need only ask Thornes, Maisemore etc how their year has been.
To a certain extent people posting and asking questions both here and on the other fora are taking a step in the right direction, my concern is the undefined number of people who think keeping bees might be fun lets give it a go in the same why they might get a hamster. The bee haus and its marketing budget will do nothing at all to elliviate this and can only make it worse.

 

[FenBee]

I see you point David, there are a lot of new beekeepers this year, me for one. I think you will find the majority have studied the subject at their local BKA and then been linked to a mentor.

This year the Cambridge BKA needed to hire the sports hall instead of a classroom, the reason is that there were 93 students. The course ran for six weeks, that is six two hour lectures of theory, from January to March.

Then in May to June we did six weeks of practical beekeeping. This was done in four two hour weekly sessions, each session had three to four groups of students, i.e. about five to seven students per hive, normally about five students in my case.

It was a very well run course and I throughly enjoyed it

 

[Chris B]

I noticed today Omlet are now selling a teach yourself beekeeping book on their website.

http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php?product_id=1905

Does anyone notice anything odd about the bee on the front cover?

It's DEAD.
Are they trying to tell us something?

 

[ribblesbees]

I noticed today Omlet are now selling a teach yourself beekeeping book on their website.

http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php?product_id=1905

Does anyone notice anything odd about the bee on the front cover?

It's DEAD.
Are they trying to tell us something?

To paraphrase Monty Python 'its not dead, its just asleep'

 

[Hivetool]

Hi
I am new to this experience of beekeeping and wondered how you can say that the bee on the front cover is dead?

I have also read this thread twice over, this was to try and fathom what was actually being said.
If beginners wish to or have no option but to have a hive in their garden then there is no question about it. If bee fences etc are errected and the beekeeper carries out regular inspections then all should be fine. Unfortunatly we have no way of knowing if the bees are docile or otherwise.

We all have to start at the begining.

HT

 

[jon]

A dead bee has been carefully balanced on a stem.
That may be an indicator about the beehaus team if noone was prepared to get near a live bee to photograph it.

Or merely pining for the beehaus perhaps

 

[Poly Hive]

Very true Hivetool and the law has an opinion too.

I wont bore you with the detail but beekeepers in gardens have come unstuck before and so there is case law to have a wary eye on.

When i started I lived in a tenement flat and so had no option but to have an out apiary and baring one winter and part of a summer have always not had bees at home.

Regardless of how "quiet" a bee one has all it takes is thunder, imminent rain, end of flow, and other wee factors to turn them grumpy.

I do not advocate having them too close to people. It is just not very sensible as it really is not too safe.

PH

 

[Hombre]

From: Hombre
Sent: 09 June 2009 23:42
To: Iwona Krzysiek @ hoddereducation.co.uk
Subject: Teach Yourself Beekeeping - feedback/question

Dear Sir/Madam,

Can someone please explain the thinking behind the cover on the "Teach Yourself Beekeeping" title? Even to the most basic novice the cover displays a DEAD BEE posed on a blade of grass!

I appreciate that a corpse is easier to manage than a live bee, but with a little patience and a very small payment in honey, bees will stay still to get their photos taken if you make it worth their while.

Please tell me that the next reprint will have an updated cover and not repeat this glaring error.

I look forward to your early reply.

Regards,
Hombre

Iwona Markiewicz @ hoddereducation.co.uk
to Hombre

show details 11 Jun

Reply

Follow up message
Dear Ian
Thank you for your email and your comments.
We will definitely update the cover when is due to be reprint.
Best Regards
Iwona

Hivetool, watch the bee carefully, if it moves it might still be alive!

Jon, The Beehaus team fortunately or unfortunately aren't the otherwise reputable international publisher.

Chris, You know that I just had to check it out at source.
= = =
Let's not let the facts get in the way of a good thread though eh?

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Hivetool,

>>Unfortunatly we have no way of knowing if the bees are docile or otherwise.<<

It's not just the bees it's the beekeeper and how they manage the hives.

Poor beekeeping skills can quickly lead to the loss of control of a colony under inspection. If you don't know if your bees are docile or not then you should not even be considering puting them in a garden.

Also, certain crosses of bee can be extremely vicious so what appears to be a very docile hive one year can become unbearable the next.

As everyone with experience of having to manage bees in difficult weather conditions (Poly Hive, Hivemaker etc..) keeps stating ... keeping bees in small gardens is not a good idea.

It is very difficult to restore neighbourly relations if somone next door is badly stung (usually the bees have to be moved) and public safety should always be the primary consideration when siting hives. If your bees go ballistic in the middle of an operation and you start to worry about your neighbours getting stung you wont' be concentrating fully on sorting out the bees.

If you want to keep bees responsibly then find somewhere safe to manage them without endangering the public. It might involve a drive to get to the bees, it might involve a fair few phone calls to find a site but it can be done!

 

[shonabee]

.....If beginners wish to or have no option but to have a hive in their garden then there is no question about it. If bee fences etc are errected and the beekeeper carries out regular inspections then all should be fine. Unfortunatly we have no way of knowing if the bees are docile or otherwise.

We all have to start at the begining.

HT

Hi Hivetool - I started keeping bees this year so am at the very beginning! Everyone starts somewhere and many experienced beeks would feel awkward about putting their own hive/ a hive they manage in a small garden with near neighbours - I don't think the comments are aimed at stopping new beekeepers from starting out, just intended to express opinions re: the easiest/best/safest way of doing things... everyone has a different opinion on that of course!
When you start out beekeeping, you quickly realise how great it is to have local support and help - the beeks in my local assoc have been unfailingly helpful and it isn't some closed-door-clique where everyone does funny handshakes.... at least, not that I've noticed; I could be about to be sacrificed in some wierd beekeeping ritual at the next one, I s'pose .

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Quite agree ... The comments about bees in gardens are not about stopping people keeping bees but about social responsibility and avoiding being sued.

In the end it is the beekeepers decision where they put their hives.

 

[Hivetool]

Thank you all for your comments and recommendations.

I have not taken this siting of the hives in a willy nilly fashion. When we are restricted by manoeuvrability then we take what we can. Unfortunately we are not all able bodied drivers of cars.

 

[jimbeekeeper]

A sneek preview of the Omlet Beehaus

 

[Haughton Honey]

Now that made me really chuckle!

 

[DrNick]

I've had a green one of these for about a year, I didn't realise it was a hive, BUGGA

 

[DulwichGnome]

and very adaptable,turn it on it's side and it becomes a 'Long Omlet Beehaus'!!

 

[jezd]

there is a good chance it will look just like that lol, more plastic to sort out..