Allotments 4 All

can anyone help

my thoughts are can we keep bees


how hard is it

how much does it cost

where do we get them from



thanks in advance  by the way my lottie is private

I have no idea on the rules and the regulations of bee keeping on plots I'm afraid, however, I would just say make sure all the other plot holders are happy for you to have bees, if you can, only when I had a plot with my dad several moons ago, a lady on the adjoining plot decided to have 2 hives.  This was fine, but the path from my plot to the gate went passed the hives....which was okay.....but mid summer I ended up in a right old state when a few angry buzzy bees decided to chase me off and I ended up with them in my hair and getting stung and generally being put off bees for life!  I think Gavin is the bee keeping expert...so.....Gavin?  ??? :D

May be it is a good idea to conect the British Beekeepers Association. They have courses, events etc. They can give a lot of information you need, I think.

Yes, contact the British Beekeepers Association, if you're a member you qualify for membership to their liability insurance. I would say that unless you know what you're doing you should avoid keeping bees in a public area because if your colony gets too big for the hive they will swarm and this can be very frightening for those in the local vacinity. We thought about keeping bees at our allotment, my husband has experience but have decided against it as the people we chatted to at the allotment seemed very nervous about us doing that. Although if the bees are properly managed they should cause no nuisance at all we didn't want to upset anyone. We're thinking about siting a hive in our garden at home somewhere, if we can find a suitable place.

Ho Ho - I am an expert  :-)  Emma Jane, you have made my year - just as well it's still December :-) :-) :-)

I must add - only in the choice of shampoos to avoid, for the moment!  Next door plot has 5-6 hives. 

In the summer, some of  the bees like certain hair treatments, fly in, and get stuck.  They panic ----  nothing to my own panic.  I have a LONG pig-tailed mane that makes Bob Flowerdew look anaemic.  I lose - I get stung; they lose, they get squashed (after a few wild Celtic dance steps, and a lot of choice traditional Celtic linguistic expressions).

But - I haven't yet kept bees, but hope to be able to do it this year, definitely next. A few thoughts -

1. Yes - check what people around you feel about it (there may be individuals highly allergic to bee stings, as well as many just afraid of them; I can live with them, my kids can't).

2. Check your tenancy - many allotment sites will not have bees.

3. Join your local beekeeping association (and so, almost certainly, the BBKA).  Many are listed here - http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Recreation_and_Sports/Hobbies/Beekeeping/Beekeeping_Associations/

4. Do a beekeeping course with your local (or nearby) association - apart from calming the fears of people around you, it may calm the fears of the council/association!   If nothing else, you feel more confident ---- and have access to a wealth of experience and information!

5. Be prepared to pay any extra insurance costs for the allotment association?  On our site, it'd be an extra £15 a year.

There's a bit more on http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/bees/index.htm - with the huge proviso, that I haven't yet got any bees! 

:-)  But - I did have the choice!  A well-prepared plot, or a wild (WILD!) plot where I could keep bees - no, I didn't choose the easy one!  ;-) 

A final word from someone who hasn't yet kept bees?  Go for it!

Good luck - Gavin

If you aren't allowed to keep bees on your allotments it's still worth encouraging masonry bees, A bundle of 6 inch bamboo secured to a SE facing wall can provide overwintering and sort of doesn't constitute bee keeping lol. We, apparently have a specific exclusion in our lease due to earlier complaints from nearby residents when bees were allowed.