Prospective beekeeper - needs kick up backside!

[AndreaW]

Okay newbie here

I have joined my local BKA and have been on the theory course, currently waiting for the practical course to begin. I still haven't bought bees/hive etc.

Need some gentle / massive kick up backside to order a hive / find somewhere to put it. Sounds stupid but I seem to be going round in circles of do I order hive and then just hope that I find somewhere to place it (not sure that the neighbours are going to let me put it in the garden and I have a 6 and 8 year old that play in garden), or get somewhere to place it first then order hive. Also do I order two or just order one and order another in a few months time when I actually have some bees (BKA is encouraging two hives rather than one). Pretty decided to get commercial hive and have national supers on it.

I know this is really stupid as the waiting list for hives will start once everyone on the beekeeping courses starts to order them. I am trying to put myself on the waiting list for a 5 frame nuc from a recommended supplier.


How does everyone start - get hive then try to find a site? I'm sure it would help to have one available if and when I find a farmer who will say yes....
I'm not great at knocking on doors of farmhouses and am getting myself in a vicious circle of leaving things.

Which comes first the hive or the site (chicken or egg)?

Sorry for the epic. Need someone to just tell me to get on with it, daunting amount of money though.

 

[Dishmop]

Might be an idea to buy some bees first and ask the seller to look after them until you have a hive and somewhere to put it.... otherwise if you do it the other way around you might not be able to find any bees for sale......

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

You'll need both, but only the hive comes with a significant cost - so only order hive when you are certain you will have a site. But dont delay, hives can take time to order and make up

 

[greatbritishhoney]

You can do both at the same time - put in an order for your bees then that gives you the motivation you need to get working on finding a site.
You can be imaginative when choosing apiary sites - contact your local wildlife trust, see if they have a quiet corner of a nature reserve that you can use, or try a local national trust site / large country house. Even a neighbour with a large garden and no kids.
Prime concerns (other than the obvious things like suitable forage) should be security and ease of access.

 

[AndreaW]

Might be an idea to buy some bees first and ask the seller to look after them until you have a hive and somewhere to put it.... otherwise if you do it the other way around you might not be able to find any bees for sale......

I am waiting for a guy to call me back who is advertising 5 frame nucs from Mid April. Maybe that will spur me on, I think so .

Do like the idea of contacting the nature reserve - we do have one very nearby.

Thanks for comments anymore welcome. I just need to bite the bullet.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Do like the idea of contacting the nature reserve - we do have one very nearby.

Yep, the upside - no nasty chemicals being splashed about, probably lots of forage. The downside - it is where all the local teenagers hang about after dark? Is it a long way to lug a full super from the hive to the nearest car parking area?

 

[AndreaW]

Back to that farmer's field idea then..... working on an idea of asking neighbour who has a vinery in the local woods if I could use a bit of his small piece of land. Appreciate that vines are no good for pollen but there are a lot of trees and bluebells nearby.

Do I need to order two hives at once or could I order one and get another one later?

 

[BobH1]

I've never had a refusal (on the four times) I've knocked on the door of a farm and asked if they would let me keep bees in a corner of their farm. On a couple of accasions striking up a relationship of demos and sales on their "open farm" days etc.

Personally I would look to buy one hive now and then look to the various spring auctions many BKAs are holding around now for your spares. You'll have to disinfect / scorch it all of course, but you could pick up some bargains. If that fails, then think about buying your second hive new.

 

[AndreaW]

I've never had a refusal (on the four times) I've knocked on the door of a farm and asked if they would let me keep bees in a corner of their farm. On a couple of accasions striking up a relationship of demos and sales on their "open farm" days etc.

Personally I would look to buy one hive now and then look to the various spring auctions many BKAs are holding around now for your spares. You'll have to disinfect / scorch it all of course, but you could pick up some bargains. If that fails, then think about buying your second hive new.

Thanks for that - I kept hoping that could be the case. Right will order a complete commercial and hope and pray. At least that way I will have one coming.

 

[Rosti]

I know I'm a broken roecord on this but .....
Buy the hive, get some old drawn comb of someone in the BKA you joined and set it up as a bait hive in your garden while you wait for your bees. If you are lucky you get a free colony (at £150-200 a Nuc it's not to be sniffed at), if not, your hive has been there a while and 'neighbours' have got used to it. Alternatively if you get a take / instal a Nuc then that will give you the kick to agree an alternative home with a local land owner as a plan B if they get feisty / your locaation is not sustainable. In broad terms I don't keep in the garden long term (just for baiting and the odd small colony Nuc/ splitting from my out apiary). Good luck. R

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Andrea, if you are a member of your local BKA you could ask some of the other members if they'd be willing to temporarily accomodate your bees if they arrive before you've found a site.
On the subject of hives - I think it's ALWAYS worth having a full spare hive on standby. Yes, it's an expense, but you'll be kicking yourself if you have to do an urgent artificial swarm and you've got nothing to put them in. Been there, done that.

 

[margob99]

Personally, I wouldn't lay out the significant amount of money on a single hive, until you've done at least one practical session with bees.

Theory is all very well, and it all sounds so exciting and you're raring to go, etc etc. But what happens if you do that first session with bees, and find out you don't like it?!

Handle some bees first, imho

(ie don't be like me, who went out and bought her first flatpack hive halfway through the theory bit. And luckily found out - later - how much I enjoy being stung by the little blighters)

 

[Skyhook]

1) Do practical. See if you can labour to a beekeeper.

2) Find apiary site

3) Buy bees.

If you miss out on buying a colony this season (and there's nothing to say you will), frustrating but not a disaster. If you buy bees and have no-where to put them, or find you don't enjoy it, or find you don't know what you're doing, that could be a disaster.

 

[buzz bee]

As a one year novice, my advice would be get the hive ASAP if you are getting it unassembled - the first one took me alot longer to build than anticipated, and I am reasonably handy with nails and hammers. If you suddenly get a site, and your bees are ready you won't then be in a panic to get all those boxes and frames together. I delayed getting the spare hive until this year, to make sure I was going to manage the bees, bit of a risk but it worked OK. With regards the site, ask at your BKA and at any neighboring ones. Ours gets lots of offers of sites from local farmers and home owners with land. If your BKA do stands at local events you could even put a sign up.

 

[AndreaW]

Thanks everyone. Lots of great advice. Will mull it all over ;-)

 

[bignikki]

I know I'm a broken roecord on this but .....
Buy the hive, get some old drawn comb of someone in the BKA you joined and set it up as a bait hive in your garden while you wait for your bees. If you are lucky you get a free colony (at £150-200 a Nuc it's not to be sniffed at), if not, your hive has been there a while and 'neighbours' have got used to it. Alternatively if you get a take / instal a Nuc then that will give you the kick to agree an alternative home with a local land owner as a plan B if they get feisty / your locaation is not sustainable. In broad terms I don't keep in the garden long term (just for baiting and the odd small colony Nuc/ splitting from my out apiary). Good luck. R

 

[nelletap]

At a slight tangent - the nature, size and aspect of your garden and its relationship to neighbours gardens could be relevant. My grandchildren and my next door neighbour's children are so interested in my bees - and it has stopped them being silly every time a flying insect comes close to them. When hives are empty it is a great opportunity to let them see and discuss what will happen when bees arrive. I have a hat / veil/vest thing so it will fit children and if supplemented with wellies and thick denims etc they can get close if they are interested. However, the hive is separate enough and the bees are single minded enough that as long as they avoid flight paths they can enjoy from a distance without problems. They'd be at greater risk from passing wasps if they had sticky sweets than from my bees.
However, I am quite fortunate in the size and aspect of the garden and only have neighbours on two sides - not in the direction the bees most commonly head.
Tricia

 

[louiseww]

Instead of buying a nuc from a dealer why can't you get one from your association, I presume they have their own apiary?
Louise

 

[louiseww]

More information needed before a decision on hives in the garden or not! Size of plot, divisions between neighbours ie hedges, fences etc My grandchildren love the bees but the area with the hives has a gate and they know not to go up there without me! But they watch from another part of the garden and go around looking for them on the flowers!
I didn't get my hives until I had got involved in quite a few practical sessions at the local assoication's apiary - you need to check if this is really for you or not! Some people were just too frightened to go near!
Louise

 

[chrismcd]

There is a lot to be said for the sheer convenience of having your bees in your own garden.

I have a number of hives at the bottom of my garden, where they are about 30 feet from my next door neighbour - who has a football mad son who is now 6.

I have put up a 6' panelled wall across the middle of my garden and there is a 3' fence between our two properties. I have also planted birch trees to block any obvious flyways toward their property

I grow vegetable on my side and the footballer has obliterated any flowering plants on his side! So the bees forage elsewhere and so far we have not had anyone stung.

I am always very careful in the late spring. I have a suspicion that as the number of foragers explodes, a number of them 'get lost' on their exploratory flights and end up on the wrong side of the tall fence. They are upset and can be a bit aggressive, in particular they are prone to chasing anyone who runs, but as long as you are careful there are no real problems.

I should add that my bees are 'normal' in terms of aggressiveness and any colonies that are prone to "following" or "meeting and greeting" are smartly moved on!