Bee keeping course in three weeks :)

[Microscopist]

I've wanted to keep bees for a while, got a full day course in a few weekends and with luck I'll get my first bees in the spring. I'm hoping to get a colony of Buckfast bees and some native black bees but I'll take what I can get.

Looking forward to putting honey in everything even when it's not appropriate.

 

[yyvjpv]

Very cool! I have a couple of friends who keep bees and will be using some of their honey in an upcoming batch. Doesn't get much more local than that! Good luck, and wear protection!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Out of curiosity, what is this bee keeping course costing you? I wouldn't mind taking one myself, though I think it would be a while before I was actually able to get a hive & colony.
Regards, GF.

 

[Homercidal]

Thought about attending the Beerkeeping seminar at the NHC but reality hit me and I realized I don't have a good location for bees and I don't need another hobby. I'm sure the neighbors are probably thankful.

But if I lived outside of town and had some good fields nearby for their foraging, I'd definitely have a hive set up.

 

[Microscopist]

Urban areas can be really good for bees - loads of hives in central London these days, I'm on the edge of Birmingham so city gardens with exotic flowers in one direction and meadow in the other.

The course is Fifty pounds for the day ( 8 hours ), they also do it as eight weekly hour sessions at a tenner a session.

I will have to ask if I can get stung at some point - never been stung by a bee and it's probably a good idea to get the first one when people are around - don't want to find out I need an epi-pen at the wrong moment.

 

[Eddiemk4VW]

Microscopist,
I have taken a 3 week course on beekeeping. It was very interesting and exciting. After the course was done the beekeeper invited all of us to her Apiary to meet her 20 hives she had.
Remember, no fast movements!
Slow and steady!
And good luck with the ladies!


Smoke signals

 

[Zuljin]

Thought about attending the Beerkeeping seminar at the NHC but reality hit me and I realized I don't have a good location for bees and I don't need another hobby. I'm sure the neighbors are probably thankful.

But if I lived outside of town and had some good fields nearby for their foraging, I'd definitely have a hive set up.

I've been keeping a few beers around for a while. I should drink them.

A bee keeper told me I have mason bees visiting my yard. Homes for them can be made by drilling holes in a block of wood. They don't make honey, but I'm going to make a house for them anyway.

 

[Microscopist]

You can buy bumble bee hives in the Uk for about £70, I was toying with the idea for wildlife filming projects until I found out honey bees are affordable.

There used to be a brilliant colony of little black solitary bees in the carpark at work - tunneling into a bank until some jerk complained to estates and had them killed off with a persistent insecticide. The poor little buggers were stingless.

Estates still don't know who made 150 tiny hypertufa grave stones and told the local student rag about it..

 

[Hamaki]

We picked up a couple of books and did some online studying before we got bees. We've kept a few hives for many years now. Never went to a class or seminar but would probably benefit from it. We have a few acres but I think that a hive or two on a city lot would not be noticed by neighbors unless they saw them. Our bees are 30' - 40' from our house and I rarely see any in flight near the house. In my garden, 100'+ the other side of the house, I see a lot of my girls working along side several other wild bee species & other insects.

First year we collected honey, ~100 lbs from two colonies. It was kind of a PITA because we didn't have all the right gear or enough training/experience. The late season honey I think was predominantly dandelion and was very dark & rich. Kind of overpowering in tea or coffee but great on a biscuit or muffin. Might have to collect honey again someday. For now I'm content to open a hive from time to time to marvel at their craftsmanship & organization.

 

[rlmiller10]

Enjoy the course. I have had bees for a couple of years. For the most part they are low maintenance. Incredibly interesting. I go out almost every day just to watch them flying in and out of the hive.

Hamaki is right about honey extraction. I made a two frame extractor for about $50. If you would like the instructions for it send a PM with your email.

Hopefully they show you a queen in a hive during the training. That as been the hardest thing I have run into was finding a queen in a hive. I had a queen who was on her third year and was not producing good numbers of brood. Took me three times of going through every frame on a two brood box hive to find her.