Picture posting is enabled for all :)
if you keep good-natured bees, there should be no problems with a couple of hives in the back garden. BUT, even good-natured bees can become anti-social, so make sure you have another site to move them to (at little or notice time) should they become 'feisty'regular (weekly) inspections between April and September should lessen the likelihood of swarms.by the way, you'll need loads of spare equipment for 'artificial swarms / splits/ housing swarms'definitely join local association, get to know a local beekeeper, have a 'play' with some bees and various hive types if possible, before committing to getting any of your own.rgds, Tony. (Norfolk Beekeeper)
I don't believe that bees can't winter on crystallised ivy. It's a major late honey source - probably more major in the days when Britain was forested - and bees have subsisted on it for millennia. We live in a damp climate, water condenses inside, and that provides a source of moisture for liquidising it.
I'm not sure where Gorleston is,
You're no further south than I am!