Thinking about starting, need advice.

[titch]

Hello all. I am hoping to start bee keeping as soon as possible but need as much advice as i can get as i am totally new to it all. Where is the best place to purchase a hive/bees etc. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Winker]

At this time of year i would advise reading a good book. My advice would be read a Guide to Bees & Honey by Ted Hooper. That will answer all/most your questions.

 

[BBG]

Modern Bee******* for polystyrene hives they do Langstroth or Nationals

Hivemaker, for one on here does v nice National cedar hives.

Bees - same person though there are others, I am speaking from having had a Queen from him two months ago and she has produced a very tough, alert set of progeny who look right dandy!

A course is a very good idea and don't listen to Charlie Dimmock too much

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bees - same person though there are others, I am speaking from having had a Queen from him two months ago and she has produced a very tough, alert set of progeny who look right dandy!

A course is a very good idea and don't listen to Charlie Dimmock too much

Yes indeed....my HM queen revitalised colony is going great guns.
AND hasn't charlie palled up with a beekeeping expert who started keeping bees for the first time last year in a Beehaus?

 

[titch]

Thanks for advice, when would be the best time of year to buy all the equipment/bees and start setting it all up?

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you know what you want then have a beekeeping buddy from your local association help you through Thornes website at sale time?
Oh, and bees in the spring. Some people are taking orders already.
Good luck....I wish I'd done it years ago

 

[VEG]

titch swansea have a beekeeping association best to join them they will give you loads of info

http://www.swanseabeekeepers.org.uk/

 

[titch]

Thanks for that VEG. I will contact them this week. One more question, How much can i expect to pay for a second hand hive and bees and are they easy to get hold of?

 

[VEG]

prices vary a hell of a lot ask at the association they will have someone selling bees, hives you can get from sales.

 

[Swarm]

More than you expected titch, that's for sure. First things first, go along to Swansea Association, do your basic course and see what they have to offer.

 

[BBG]

Thanks for advice, when would be the best time of year to buy all the equipment/bees and start setting it all up?

We bought this time of the year or December time when firms are starving for customers. Prices will go up next year.

The show at Telford next Spring is a good visit if you have the time. They will have stuff going cheap like smokers at £12.50 that were going at the NHS.

If you go on a course at the association watch out for them stealing your Queen cells if they tell you "This is your Nuc and you will take it away at the end of the course" you have paid for.

Best of luck

 

[itma]

Thanks for advice, when would be the best time of year to buy all the equipment/bees and start setting it all up?

Winter is a GREAT time to learn what its about, apart from, er, handling bees ... !

Its when most courses are run. And meetings provide an opportunity to make contacts. So get in touch with your local group!
And dark evenings are good for reading books.

Books. Hooper might be a big first step. Good to have for reference though.
I'd say 'Get Started in Beekeeping' is a good intro, but for the same reason, its not enough! One to get from the Library to read through fairly quickly to give you an idea of what its all about.
Definitely read more than one author's books - you need to understand that there are LOTS of different opinions.
And to reinforce that, search this forum regarding topics you are reading about!

Don't worry about kit for now. That can be sourced quickly enough.
But space for spare kit, and a place to put a couple of hives ... work on that.
Two hives is much more sustainable than one. When you have a problem, your second colony can often provide the means to a rescue!

 

[nelletap]

Once you have made up your mind to take the plunge you may feel eager to just get on with it - and you want to save money - however all the advice here is good because:
If you bought a new colony now you'd have the worry about getting them through winter and if they didn't you'd have wasted some money.
Local associations may cost a little to join or to attend a course - but they will save you money in the long run many times over. Money saving comes because you could go on a swarm list - effectively free bees - because most associations have ways to bulk buy things hence reducing costs. They also have members who breed bees or split their colonies and want to pass their precious, nurtured bees to someone who has the knowledge to nurture them further. They often are happy to pass bees on at much less than their price on the street to those who are starting out.
You may be tempted to buy a bargain hive - but why is it a bargain compared with others - is the quality as good, does one come with all the frames and another not - you won't really be able to compare deals until you have been on a course. There are very few locations where you are close to suppliers so may need to take postage into account and typically postage is more if you buy in bits therefore eradicating any saving of a pound or two on an item from one seller compared with another.
You are lucky in many ways, at this time of the year you can read up, find a course you can do in spring and get ready for bees next year. There are some fantastic videos on you tube so you could search for swarm or waggle dance or even 'assemble flat pack hive'. And enjoy the process!

tricia

 

[titch]

Thanks once again all.

 

[mbc]

Your bee inspector will be Ade Bowen, met him many times and hes a v nice chap.
He'll be a member of the swansea bka if i remember right and hes also short

 

[susan2016]

Hi, I'm a new beekeeper but before buying my hives I read about beekeeping and bees about a year reading all the books I could get my hands on. This is what I would recommend for a mental understanding. I also joined a beekeeping association to hear first hand about the practical. Ergo, I would recommend the same. You MUST gain an understanding of the bees biologically and an understanding of what is involved as a beekeeper.

Don't depend on anyone. Read, understand, observe and apply the knowledge you have gained and if you don't think you can do it - don't! As with everything in life, you have to learn to do and cope and be independent. If you can do that, go for it as a beekeeper. Learning is a continual process of making mistakes and not repeating them!

All the best!

 

[HelenX]

One more piece of advice (I have just finished my first summer)

Buy your bees from someone recommended (either locally or on here) - DON'T get impatient and order them from a good-looking internet site because no-one locally has come up with any yet! (I did a bit of both, and the internet-bought ones were a very bad buy).

Helen

 

[Teemore]

Titch, before buying any bees Titch, I'd recommend that you get yourself a mentor (through your local association) and if possible work with their bees for a while before taking the plunge. That way you will find out whether you like being around bees and whether you react to their stings.
The advice you will find on this forum is sound and draws upon the experience of people who have been keeping bees for a long time: they and the people who taught them bee keeping have made their share of mistakes and observations; they have learned from those mistakes and observations. It is to our benefit that the forumers are willing to share those experiences so that we don't make the same mistakes... that said, some folk like to make their own mistakes!

 

[MandF]

IMO you MUST at the very least get a mentor or join your local association and not start keeping your own bees until they are meeting (next spring I guess).

You need to have a practical understanding of keeping bees which you wont get from reading all the books in the world. If you cannot wait to gain this practical understanding (by working with your association bees) then you need to have access to someone who does (ie mentor or someone at the apiary).

 

[Nose Ma]

IMO you MUST at the very least get a mentor or join your local association and not start keeping your own bees until they are meeting (next spring I guess).

You need to have a practical understanding of keeping bees which you wont get from reading all the books in the world. If you cannot wait to gain this practical understanding (by working with your association bees) then you need to have access to someone who does (ie mentor or someone at the apiary).

Just being around the apiary with experienced keepers is a lesson. Even if you see bad things, and recognise them as such. Moreover, and I know this sounds wierd, it's easier to keep two colonies than one. If you only want/can manage one the association can help when you need it, for test frames/ artificial swarming and 101 other things. They also tend to be friendly, and drink lots of tea. Or beer. Or both.