Chez
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Bees! Yay for bees!Someone local has just phoned me and said they are wanting to get rid of 4 hives of bees and might I be interested. MIGHT I BE INTERESTED!? We're going to have a look next week - very excited! Everything seems to be happening at once ...
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sally_in_wales
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yay! 
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Penny
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You lucky lucky b***er
Want a blow by blow account of how they settle in etc etc!
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Cathryn
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Fancy them ringing you  Clearly developing a certain reputation in the area 
What is it about bees - I have always fancied some. I remember reading many soppy books as a young girl where bees were mentioned somewhere or other.
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2steps
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excellent
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dpack
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bee(n) fascinated for ages and ive never got organised yet
please let us know how it goes
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wellington womble
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| ruby wrote: |
What is it about bees - I have always fancied some. I remember reading many soppy books as a young girl where bees were mentioned somewhere or other. |
Winnie the Pooh?
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Anna-marie
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| wellington womble wrote: | | ruby wrote: |
What is it about bees - I have always fancied some. I remember reading many soppy books as a young girl where bees were mentioned somewhere or other. |
Winnie the Pooh? |
Good luck, Chez,
I hope that they are what you are looking for  .
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dougal
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| dpack wrote: | bee(n) fascinated for ages and ive never got organised yet
please let us know how it goes |
Echoed.
Chez, keep us up to date on how the fun goes, won't you?
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Lorrainelovesplants
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You lucky thing!
I got my first hive and bees in August, they are so brill. Ive been feeding them on fondant lately, but its been so mild they are still buzzing about. Hoping to get another hive this year. They are so easy to keep!
Best of luck!
Lorraine
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Penny
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Totallly ignorant question, but how long can bees be left for, say if you wanted to go on holiday or something?
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sally_in_wales
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I look at mine maybe three times a year, they don't seem to mind.
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Penny
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| sally_in_wales wrote: | | I look at mine maybe three times a year, they don't seem to mind. |
Excellent!
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sally_in_wales
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I should add that I usually need a crowbar rather than a hive tool o get the lid off because they propolis it shut with such long intervals, but I go in once in spring to check they are ok (if they need varroa strips I'll go in again to take em out later), We bung on supers at intervals over the summer, then I check late summer and steal a super or two if they have filled them, then check before winter to see if their stores are ok. Thats it here. Minimal intervention and generally very happy bees. Havent fed them for a couple of years either, but then we leave them loads of stores of their own too.
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Lorrainelovesplants
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I look in on mine one a week through the late spring to autumn, just to check the queen is laying, that there is no disease, that they have enough room, pop on a super when required.
Then take off full supers and collect honey, in autumn do the varroa thing, and then check stores in early autumn and feed if necessary. About Dec I would hope to settle them in, but still check weight to see if they need fondant through mild winters.
Wont open hive till a nice warm April day.
Couple of minutes once a week. Pimps!
Lorraine
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Chez
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My bee-keeping Ma has told me to reckon on an afternoon once a fortnight or so during the summer.
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sally_in_wales
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That does seem to be the way a lot of the beekeepers round here do it. I used to do that before I became sensitive to the stings, so we go for a low intervention method now. I think either method works, just whatever is best for you and your bees really
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Chez
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Yes - I'm sure that we'll work out the best way for us as we go along. Reassuring to know that they don't NEED fortnightly intervention, thanks Sally.
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