Who are the Vine's Resident Beekeepers?

[Mrs Dobby]

Thought we could start off the new 'Whats the Buzz' forum with a topic where all who actually keep Bees may post a quick intro, how many hives they have, where they are located, how long they've kept Bees for etc!

[Mrs Dobby]

Ok, to start the Ball rolling........

We are Suzanne and Lee, (Mrs Dobby & Dobby), we keep 6 hives of Bees in 2 apiaries at our allotment, in conjunction with 2 other plotholders (Pat and Colin). We got our first Nuc in 2009, expanding to 3 hives by the end of 2009, expanding to 6 hives in 2010 and hoping to stay at that level for the foreseeable future. We supplied 8 Nucs to other beekeepers last year and are hoping to be able to do at least the same again this year!

Total honey harvest last year was almost 500lb, with 30lb the year before!

[chris]

I envy you guys.. so make that much "profit" from your own produce - must be an amazing feeling 500lbs, wow! Are you able to shift that much?

[Mrs Dobby]

Lol, not yet we havent Chris! We've sold about half of it so far, Mr D sells to his workmates, and we are planning on doing a car boot sale, but despite the bumper harvest last year we are still a long way from breaking even!

Total outlay for everything was over £3k (between 4 of us), and even if we sold all the honey we harvested at £5 a jar we'd still only have recouped £2500!

[Mikey]

I'm not looking at getting into it for the profit. My OH suffers from hay fever, and we have been buying local honey which has helped. I want a hive because you can't get any more local than the garden.

Plus the plight of bees over recent years, makes me want to make a difference.

[Mrs Dobby]

Lol, same here Mikey, we also arent in it for profit, its something we are able to do, utilising a space that we werent using before, thats of benefit to the bees, is definitely fascinating, fun and rewarding to do for its own sake and also gives us something else that we produce from the plots!

Local honey is brilliant for hayfever, lots of those who use our honey swear by it!

[CaroltheCarrot]

Not a beekeeper,,,, yet, but hopefully in the next couple of months.
I have wanted to keep bees for some time but having lots of children playing in the field at the back of the house has always put me off. Now I have the plot so they will live up there.
I cant wait!

[Headfry]

I am a beekeeper

2 National Hives
on my plot!
4th year

[Hilary B]

Kept a couple of hives for a few years, but that was 25 years ago now (couldn't take them with us when we moved).
Hoping to get a hive or 2 in Spain (eventually), but mainly as 'guards' for the solar panels. I don't think a thief is going to want to mess about beside a hive! They'd have to mainly look after themselves, but we might get the occasional jar of honey!

[Trevody]

Hi I'm new to this site, been an allotment holder for best part of 15 years, last year took up beekeeping to try and increase the local honey bee population, I have a horizontal top bar hive and aim to keep the bees as naturaly as possible.

Trev

[Mrs Dobby]

Welcome to the Vine Beekeepers Trev, hope you find it a useful place to belong!

[vicky]

I'm delighted to say I can now post here!

Had them now for approx 2 hrs
1 nuc, shortly to be a National hive, located in the garden

Hooray!

[Mrs Dobby]

Gratz Vicky, hope they are beehaving themselves!

[walldanzig]

Had them for four days 1 national and 3 stings

[bigal123_123]

hi its al i have 2 nationals and 2 nucs on the allotment now in my second year and loving it