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Occasionally I borrow a book from the library or read something online about keeping bees with the view to maybe, possibly, perhaps, if the council will let me, setting up a hive on my allotment, but the cost has put me off. I've just read the article on the main site which is very helpful, but now I'm wondering about wasps. We get lots of wasps at the allotment and last year they kept trying to nest in my shed. We weren't very welcoming, and they nested in my neighbour's shed instead (and by way of thanks, they stung him right on the top of his bald patch). I don't know if it's a daft question, but if I had a top-bar hive, would the wasps try to nest in there?

I have heard that if you make an artificial wasp nest (Google fake wasp nest), other wasps will avoid it as they are territorial. You can make your own or buy one, but I believe they are very effective.

Hi
Bees will make you honey and pollinate your crops. Wasps will just sting you.
As for price Bees are free just ask your council to pass on your number to anyone with a swarm. The hive can be made from a sheet of 18mm ply. Frames you will have to buy but should only cost £20 for the brood box and super. To learn and get help find your local beekeeper, most of them are happy to help. A bee suit can be bought on e bay for £40. I recon you could start up for £100.

Once you have had the bees a year you should get 80lb oh honey from them and a much better crop on the allotment. The BBKA web site is helpful, but they will say you need to buy this and that. It really can be done on the cheap though with a very little Knowledge.

If you are planning to keep bees its worth waiting until April May next year as its a bit late in the year now. This will also give you loads of time to read up.

Wasps will try and steel from any hives. The down side of a top bar hive is its very hard to extract the honey.
ATB

Pete

Thanks for the info Pete. I understand that wasps will try to steal the honey, but will they nest in there? I've read quite a lot of books and articles and none of them mention this as a problem, so I guess the answer is 'no', but we really do have a massive wasp population around these parts, so I do wonder.

Davie, I'll look that up later. Sounds very interesting, thanks.

Hi
Wasps will only nest in a bee hive if they have killed off all the bees. Come the end of July all bee keepers will close the entrance's down to one bee space so they can defend against wasps. Wasps traps are also used by bee keepers. A jam jar with a small hole in the middle, 1/2 filled with water and a spoon full of strawberry jam works very well. Bees will not go near strawberry jam.

Pete

PS your own honey, not only stops hay fever, but tastes the best ever.

not fond of the stingers but I understand (heard on radio4 I think) that wasps are very good at pest control in the allotment/veg garden

Thanks for the replies - very helpful. I've just emailed the council to ask if we're allowed to keep bees on the allotments. If we're not allowed, there's no point in me doing any further research really. If we are allowed, I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself . Thankfully, I do have patience so I don't mind waiting until next year, and I need to put the idea in OH's mind so that he thinks he came up with it anyway, and that takes a good few months

Just in case anyone has trouble with hornets, I was recently told of the mixture to attract them without attract bees or wasps - if I remember correctly it was 1/2 red wine, 1/2 brown beer and a dash blackcurrant juice. This is a french recipe, where hornets can be a problem with bee hives.

Humph! I just got this reply from the council

The straight answer about bees is yes we do allow them but you have to meet the set criteria - i.e., be a member of the Bee Keepers Association and provide the documentation for insurance etc. Before any hive is placed though all the tenants would have to be asked whether or not they want them on the site, so alot of negotiating etc which must be done by yourself and the committee. All that said, I understand that we already have a bee hive on [the site] (in the orchard), so am not sure if another one would be needed.

That sounds like a messing about, and then it's an extra £33 a year for membership to the Bee Keepers Assoc., plus whatever the insurance would be. I shouldn't have asked, I should have just done it. This is now going to take a bit more thinking about than I thought it would.

I also think the lady who replied kind of misses the point about keeping bees. I want honey (as well as pollination)! And the whole hobby-thing! And I don't remember being asked permission for the existing hive to be placed in the orchard.

Insurance comes with BBKA membership for up to 3 hives. If you place the hive with a fence or shed 3 or 4 foot in front the bees they will fly up over it. This will stop them flying into people who are worried about them. They will do all their collecting where the most sugar is and so very few will be on the plants in the allotment.
If you get them early next year you should get between 40 and 80lb of honey. Good honey sells for £5 per lb so you will get your money back.

Looks like it could be a go