Bee Keeping

My neighbour said to me a couple of weeks ago 'what about keeping bees'. I thought it must be fairly easy I will read about it and we can give it a try. We grew all sorts of dahlias last year as well as other flowers also early blossom so there should be no problem with food supply.As it turns out beekeeping is a very knowledgeable science there is lots to learn. My woodworking skills are fine so making a hive would be fun but there are so many and different sizes it may be hard to choose which would suit us best National or Langstroth.
Finally a question.
Is anyone in the Corner keeping bees and if so suggestions welcome.

 

Just starting to read Spruce page many thanks. In for lunch doing a spot of hedging.

 

Let me know , but please use the link kindly provided by JWK

"I thought it must be fairly easy"

Sorry in advance it did make me laugh , just you wait till July / August when you have over 60 thousand bees in one hive and your in a hot bee suit in full sunshine and the bees not in the mood to let you have a look inside the hive.

If you let me know roughly where you are I can give you the details of the local beekeeping Society that is well worth joining , plus most do starter courses which I would recommend to a total beginner as it can be dangerous at times and not just for you but neighbors to think about.

Before making your own hive I would buy one as the measurements have to be accurate otherwise you will get yourself in to a right old mess , popular in Wales and the UK is the National Hive , but I prefer the 14 x 12 the only difference is the brood box is bigger which makes it easier.

Not cheap to start but if you have a good spring and summer they can pay for them selves once you are up and running.

Spruce

 

too kind

 

Hello Spruce, I live in Montgomeryshire on the banks of the river Severn. Newtown is my nearest town. We have open fields to front and side but I have a neighbour quite close to the rear and side. I am reading my way through your post using link JWK gave me. I realise there is a awful lot to know and joining a local beekeeping group is a must. I may be letting myself in for a bit of a challenge here not to mention elf and safety now that could be a problem. thanks

 

@hans

http://www.montybees.org.uk/

here you go its a really good society as well , I have been keeping bees for about 20 years and still learning and it has changed so much over the years..... find out as much as you can is best with any hobby ........

anything you want to know I will try my best to answer in easy jargon

Spruce

 

Thanks for that I will contact them probably next week. I have been giving this new interest quite a bit of my reading time. Had a look at youtu6e hive making no real problems there as I have a woodwork shop with various power saws etc. The biggest problem is why go for one size brood box against another size. The boxes are easy enough the frames are a bit fiddly but quite easy. Also the brood frame/ box size, a popular size has to be more interchangeable and possibly help when ordering bees. At the end of the day my location in relation to neighbours my determine if I can proceed. Fascinating it certainly is. hans.

 

Brood box size , I choose the 14 x 12 national as it leaves more space for the queen to lay and to store honey for the winter plus modern bees have more brood (babies) than years ago , otherwise with the smaller brood box (national) you have to use a super as well over winter on the top of the brood box , and I think it splits the hive also difficult if the queen has layed eggs in the super to split in the spring.
Spruce

 

I will do the same 14 x 12 national looking into this very soon. Do you still have a super for honey storage or does the 1 large brood box do it all. hans

 

the one brood box over winter 14 x 12 does it all and I am in Wales like you , makes life so simple and so much better for the bees to keep warm as well, damp and condensation is the problem over winter , but mine have open mesh floors so problem solved
the old beekeepers will tell you different, but I have used past 5 years and woudnt go back to the old national size , and the guy I mentor changed his over last year and really glad he did

Spruce

 

I have read a little about open mesh floors helping with ventilation and removal of unwanted items. This does make sense. Do you add a slide in board underneath for any part of the winter or mesh always open.

 

Thanks for tag. Long way to go I'm afraid.

 

I notice it says 10 deep frames and 1 blank in some readings. Is this common practice. thanks.