Any Beekeepers?

[MrsBertBibby]

Are there any beekeepers on here? I start a theory course next week, and wondered if anyone on here has bees.

my parents have bees.
lovely hobby, but lots of work and the kit can be expensive.
but very rewarding and if you are able to sell some honey it can be much cheaper for you.

Yes, the price to set up is daunting! We had hoped to start this spring, but a series of unfortunate events ((all our white goods died!) means we will probably have to wait, unless we can get some decent tips for getting stuff cheap!

you might be able to hire an extractor via the bee keeping association. or share ome with a nearby beekeeper.
or modify an old manual model with a drill as motor (that's what mu parents did)

if you want to sell honey you meed an annual vet certificate and possibly a food safety certificate, the ass can advise.

Me! Though they're as much dd's bees as mine & she does most of the manipulation being better at such things - my role is mostly to hold the smoker and pay for kit. I used to keep them in the late 90s, then dd & I did a course last spring / summer, we've currently got two hives overwintering.

Most Associations will have an auction selling second hand kit, so that can be a slightly cheaper option for setting up.

What I would say is that if you compare the cost to eg having a dog (food, vets bills, kennels on holiday etc etc) actually it doesn't come out that bad in the long run. And you get a lot of pets for your money

and you can't sell your dog's secretions

Dog (until he reached extreme old age) was better at keeping rats / rabbits down though - haven't got the bees trained to that one yet!

me. doing a course is the way to go, and also join your local association. 2nd hand kit, or polysterene ones keep the cost down, and as someone else has said you can hire extractors. your association probably catches swarms locally and would let you have some for free.

the honey is so much nicer than the stuff you buy in shops.

if I buy honey (had to recently as due to shit weather my parents had to feed the bees in summer) I buy local raw honey. I love to taste the different pollen.

if you churn it whilst it crystalises it gets really creamy and smooth and lovely.

I've kept bees for a few years. It's a very interesting hobby. It's good you are doing a proper beekeeping course, my other main advice is to join your local bbka group. Beekeepers are pretty supportive of each other and local knowledge is invaluable.

An unexpected tax rebate means we are starting this spring!

We got our first colony in July, still new to it all but it's a fascinating hobby.

After last night's bee class I am mainly convinced they will all die.

Ours haven't yet.... What were you learning about last night.

All the ways bees can starve even in a hive full of honey!

We're doing the beekeeping year just now, so talking about autumn feeding, winter checks, Spring feeding, the June gap etc.

We've recently put some hard sugar onto the hive which seems to be going down well. It's alarming how quickly they went from very heavy to quite light, but the quick glimpses we've had recently suggest they're doing well so fingers crossed. Are you planning to get a colony this year?

Yep, the trainer has just confirmed they will get us one ready.

So we need to start thinking about hives and that.

Exciting! You will soon discover how passionately beekeepers argue and how little consensus there is on what to do. That said I think thia partly reflects the fact that often the correct answer is "it depends!"

How's the course going MrsB? Have you got your hive yet? Here's one of our bees spotted in the garden the other day - very satisfying to see them on your own plants!

No hive yet, I'm planning a trip down to a bee emporium in Sussex to scope it all out. We're prepping the ground at Easter (the garden is very sloped but we should have placement advice soon, and the nuc is being got ready, so hopefully I will start the practical course in April, and the nuc will be ready around May.

Getting quite excited! Can't wait to see my bees on my flowers!

It gives me huge pleasure to sit in the garden with a cup of tea watching the bees coming and going.

I'm intrigued, what's a bee emporium?

great. get some bulbs of early flowers (crucus, pearl hyacinth... and some plants that flower in june)

I do good luck- it’s a wonderful hobby. Lots of amazing highs and some heart wrenching lows. It’s the only activity I’ve ever done which is simultaneously exciting and relaxing

🐝xx

Can't see the word beekeeper without being reminded of alphablocks when they covered the phoneme ee. Sorry, totally irrelevant!

Off to bee school right now!