Hi

[woolcraft]

Hiya Libby, Looking forward to hearing more from you. Sue

[Libby]

Thanks woolcraft

I,m a bottomless pit of useless information, so I hope you don,t come to regret those kind words

[Goodlife1970]

Hi Libby,like you Im a newbie too,and we live fairly close,Im in Cwmtwrch in the Swansea Valley. Hope to exchange ideas and info with you!

[Libby]

Almost neighbours goodlife!

It,ll be nice talking to you

[Goodlife1970]

Hi Libby,where are you learning beekeeping? I have ahive that I plan to site when we have cleared the garden of the building materials and was wondering if there was a course I could go on thats local ish. Also is it safe to collect a swarm from the wild,we have the odd loose swarm,or is the Verroa still virulent? Is it raining in Port Talbot? Comming down in lumps here!

[Libby]

http://www.thorne.co.uk/cgi-bin/cgiwrap ... es/synergy

I,ve posted a link ^ where you can look for your nearest course goodlife.(hoping its there)
I,d rather not give my actual class out on the forum, don,t want some nut following me or something Bit suspicious me
It was nice here most of the day, but it,s wet now!
If you can catch them I suppose you could get a swarm,but you should be able to get a nucleus colony from someone cheap enough I think.
They recommend taking a DEFRA inspector with you, or at least an experienced beekeeper, to check for disease.
If you join a BBKA class, there may be an inspector on hand. There is at my place anyway.
They,re really helpful.
I,m doing diseases next week, so can tell you more then, but as I understand it, although resistant to treatment, varroa can be managed with good hygene.
I missed the start of the course, but they should let you join at any time and help you out. You can also go back on the next course as well I suppose, to catch anything you might have missed.
It,s also time for the apiary now and I,m not a real beekeeper until I,ve been stung, so I,m told
If you,ve got a hive already, you want to get yourself into a class quickly and get the basics. It,s easy money for a smallholder so I,m told.
Hopefully, one of the classes is nearby.

PS. Beekeepers please do not shout if I have anything wrong, I did say I was LEARNING

[Shirley]

Libby - very good idea not to give out too much personal info on a forum... as lovely as all the selfsufficientishers are... it's an open forum and we shouldn't post personal info.

I'd actually love to keep bees... but I'm really quite scared of them... and WASPS. Probably not much point really.

[Libby]

I like bees, but hate wasps!
They,re just aggresive because they can be, whereas I find bees don,t bother you unless you bother them.
I may just have been lucky so far

[Shelle]

Hi and welcome Libby

Can i ask a probably silly question ...

what kind of space do you need to keep bees or start out?

[Libby]

Hi and welcome Libby

Can i ask a probably silly question ...

what kind of space do you need to keep bees or start out?

Hiya Shelle
This link http://www.thorne.co.uk/thorne7.htm will give some good advice.
There are some links to bee sites in other countries there too, so you may find advice better suited to your climate.

You can keep bees in very little space, but there have to be a few considerations.
General advice from my course is as follows:-

1. Site hive on level ground
2. Hives should have easy access from behind
3.Area should be free of damp areas and frost pockets
4.Site should be sheltered from wind and driving rain
5. Room to space colonies(hives) 1-2 meters apart
6. Space for shed etc. to store equipment
7. Easy access for cars, for loading equipment etc
8. Fenced off from other stock
9.Not along a public right of way
10. Free of overhanging trees

My little garden wouldn,t really be suitable even though I could probably fit a few hives in, as I,m overlooked on all sides by neighbours. So it depends more on the suitability rather than the size.
Hope this has been some help

[Shelle]

thanks for the info Libby ... all sounds great, but i am thinking where i am living now is not the best place for keeping bees ... but will keep my eyes open for a more suitable location as i love honey

[Libby]

You,re welcome shelle

Hope I can find a site too

[Goodlife1970]

Hi Libby,thanks for the link,right not to give out too much personal info, had my fair share of nutters! Will get sorted out with the hive this year (been saying that for the past two but havent had the garden free of rubbish,sorry,my OHs building materials,since we moved in!) not sure about the easy vehicle acress though,no vehicular access to my house,you parks your car and you walks! Thanks again.

[woolcraft]

I always find all information useful, even the useless information!! My brother lives in Abercynon n the Cynon valley so you never know I may get down your way from time to time.

Sue

[Libby]

Hi Libby,thanks for the link,right not to give out too much personal info, had my fair share of nutters! Will get sorted out with the hive this year (been saying that for the past two but havent had the garden free of rubbish,sorry,my OHs building materials,since we moved in!) not sure about the easy vehicle acress though,no vehicular access to my house,you parks your car and you walks! Thanks again.

I don,t think it matters so much about the access if you,re able to keep them in the garden. That,s more a worry if you keep them elsewhere as a lot of people do. It,s just for ease of transporting equipment, honey etc. to and from.
Good luck with the clear up