Allotments 4 All

On BBC breakfast this week they were talking about encouraging people to keep bees in gardens. Where do you get info about doing this. A couple of us on our site would be interested.

from here,  http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/
here,  http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/index.php
here, http://www.britishbee.org.uk/


and of course, ON HERE ! (I got a couple of hives in my back garden.)  There are many other beeks on here!!! ;)

Contact your local Beekeepers' Association. The contact for Cheshire is Mr F Haynes, 0161 491 2382.

good for you granny,before ou get too excited check that your site allows it

If it doesn't, there may be an Association apiary you can use.

Don't get too excited over the new Beehause. It's an expensive plastic version of the Dartington Long Hive, which is itself more expensive than the standard National.

I don't think most allotment sites allow bees.  Here in Birmingham you have to get special permission.  Perhaps they should change the rules now we need to help the bee problem.

it's usually an insurance issue, if the beekeeper is a member of BBKA (via local association) they are covered. ;)
anyway, they ain't classed as livestock.

here it is down to each individual committee to decide,sadly,after doing tons of research,i discovered our site just aint suitable,there isnt anywhere to  put the hives away from the road or park (public places)

Do you have sheds? Face the hives into a shed, and they'll fly up above head level where they won't interact with people. After that, it's just a decent strain and sensibel beekeeping. You won't have problems if you do it properly. Another good trick is to keep them inside a roofless shed.

Thinking of keeping them myself, before i start any research, how much time would i have to commit to them?

Not a lot. Knocking a hive up from flat isn't hard, and once you have the bees, you just need to check them once a week or so. Now and then there are jobs to be done, maybe assembling frames, or extracting the honey, but over a year, it isn't a lot per week.

about 1/2 hour per week, per hive. (plus any travelling time, of course) and it has to be EVERY week during the summer months (no going away on hols unless you have 'stand-in' beekeeper friend) ;)

Unless, of course, you can rely on your bees not to swarm. After midummer, it should be safe with any half-decent strain. I haven't had a hive of my strain swarm since I put them all on 14x12's, so as long as I didn't have any strange queens, I'd probably risk it. If so, that would no doubt be the week a colony decided to swarm! I think there's a lot to be said for finding bees that don't swarm often, and never raising a queen from a hive that's made swarm preparations.

i had a go at extrating honey esterday afternoon. It only took me an hour to go though a full super ( so not bad for a first go) , and wasn't as bad as i thought it might be. Yes it is sticky work and you have to keep the windows closed to keep the wasps out, but the smell makes up for that! All in all it was a very pleasant afternoon :)

I spun my honey out on thursday evening, couple of hours for 14 frames, 34 lb of lovely floral honey, all bottled and sorted out at night (when wasps and bees ain't flying) frames and cappings back on the hives friday a.m. for the bees to dry off, along with the apiguard to treat for the dreaded mite.