Who on the Vine wants to keep Bees?

[alldigging]

I would love to have a hive. This late spring particularly I have noticed how few bees are around. I know little about the subject but can anyone tell me is it possible to simply buy a hive inhabited with bees - a hive I could stick in the corner of the garden and let them get on with it. I mean literally leave them alone, never disturb them or take the honey. Just as if they were in the wild. I suspect that's all too easy but if they can be left alone I'd buy one and let them get on with it.

No, an unmanaged hive of honey bees would be prone to swarming which would annoy the neighbours.

You could make bumblebee homes though.

And you could plant lots of bee friendly plants in your garden.

[cheops]

Thx alldigging. Does 'prone to swarming' mean after the summer they will leave the hive??
[You could make bumblebee homes though.] Does that mean I could make homes which a queen bumble bee might choose and hey presto I have a wild hive in the garden? If that's the case I would definitely want to 'make bumble bee homes, if someone could tell me how.

[veggiechicken]

An unmanaged hive would produce numerous queens, and too many women in the hive don't get on, so they swarm, taking a group of worker bees with them. The hive would retain a queen and some workers but its not the best way of looking after a colony.
Here's one way to make a bee hotel and it also have ideas for bumble bee homes How to make a bee hotel - Projects: Wildlife gardening - gardenersworld.com

[cheops]

Hey veggie thx. I had a quick look and the bumble bee homes look good. Later will have a more detailed look when I have time. Is it advisable to have several about the garden to try and ensure success. Also as spring has passed have I missed the boat this year?

[veggiechicken]

I have lots of bumble bees living in the garden - in holes in the ground - no special home. I've no idea about timing sorry - give it a go and see what happens

[alldigging]

Thx alldigging. Does 'prone to swarming' mean after the summer they will leave the hive??
[You could make bumblebee homes though.] Does that mean I could make homes which a queen bumble bee might choose and hey presto I have a wild hive in the garden? If that's the case I would definitely want to 'make bumble bee homes, if someone could tell me how.

During the summer the hive would decide to swarm. Without intervention this could end up in a really bad position - and honey bees need additional work for dealing with the honey they make.

A bumblebee queen might decide to live in your garden in mud, twigs or elsewhere.
They don't make hives in the sense of big wooden boxes.

Bumblebee nest boxes don't work
This points out they don't use the insect boxes you can buy but has suggested for what they might like.
Just planting plenty of lovely bee friendly flowers will mean you see many more bees in your garden and you know you'll be helping them. Water too is important, shallow with pebbles is good!

[alldigging]

Lots of bees
Bees and Wasps

[Herbsandveg]

Hello Cheops

This might be a far less demanding option for you, although I've been ever so slightly cautioned against too much enthusiasm for certain aspects of looking at bees this way...

Suppliers of Beepol Bumblebee and Plant care products - dragonfli

[cheops]

ok thx every one. Iv'e been given quite a few ideas and I'm gonna try most of them. Even investigating bee loving flowers and planting them is a good idea though I'd love to have a nest/hive of some sort. We have a large tidy group of oak logs piled up ready for the fire next winter and I actually saw this morning [heard it first] a large bumble bee [obviously a queen] investigating in and around the cut blocks for quite a while so I reckon there is still time to put up a few 'bumble bee' homes. I remember as a kid finding a bumble bee nest/hive or at least the entrance to it. It was a small hole in the ground under the roots of a tree. I used to watch the bees come and go, but never saw inside as that would have involved digging the nest/hive up. So when I now read from your good selves that bumble bees nest very low etc it all makes sense now. Thx again.

[mogs]

My sister and I are seriously considering sharing a hive between us, as we have allotments next door but one to each other. Our local Council has just deemed it acceptable on our site, but say anyone keeping bees needs to get their basic beekeeping certificate. Undeterred we went off to our local Beekeeping Association's Open Day to find out just what is involved. However, we were advised that in order to gain the certificate you have to keep bees for 1 year before taking the course.

I'm not sure about keeping them elsewhere (garden at home) and then moving them, so not sure how this would work. We would join our local Association in any case if we decided to go ahead, and I'm sure would pick up lots of info along the way. Just seems very 'chicken and egg' can't keep bees without the certificate, can't get the certificate without keeping bees - does that sound right?

Also, just wondered about swarming - the literature we picked up said you need to contact an experienced bee keeper if they swarm to reintroduce them to a new hive - is this expensive to call someone out?


May your cattle never wander and your crops never fail

[rustylady]

Why don't you contact your local Beekeeping Association and ask if one of their experienced members would let you and your sister actually meet them and have a one-to-one chat about the complexities of keeping bees.

[veggiechicken]

A beekeeping association will usually have some experienced beekeepers who will take you under their wing to give you some hands on experience before you commit to having a colony. Its good to do this anyway as being confronted with 50,000 bees is not for everyone
Once you are a beekeeper you will learn how to collect swarms and they are a good way to increase your own setup. When we started beekeeping, we shadowed a beekeeper while he collected several swarms until we felt confident to do it ourselves.
Have a chat with your association, I'm sure they'll be able to help you.

[stormpsy]

im did the training and certificate back in 2011 so im ready to go if i find a place to house them. i have now got a allotment plot with no bee's on the area but there thinking bout it and now im there they have a bee keeper (to be). im part of MDBKA

[wbmkk]

I fancied the idea of beekeeping last year, so enrolled on a course for April and May this year.

I enjoyed it, but decided the space in my garden was simply too small ... OK it would hold a single hive, but having only one is not the ideal way to start. And anyway, if you are going to buy all the gear, clothing, smoker, hive tool, gloves bee brush etc and that doesn't count any honey producing equipment, it would be more economical to have several hives.

With that in mind, I set up a small website, to try and match would be beekeepers needing a suitable location for their bees, with others who have space, but don't want their own bees. So far, I managed to match up two churches with local beekeepers.

I am sure I can not add a link here for my own site, but if anybody is interested, feell free to send me a message.

I'll buzz off now ... And have some honey on toast

[The Nichols']

We're definitely going to get bees for the field and have the contact details for the Norfolk beekeepers association ready to join.

Besides, I'm in the process of planting 15 trees. How else am I going to get them all pollinated? )