[WillieBee]

Hi

I attended a beekeeping course early this year, with the idea of getting a beehive in my back garden. There's a lovely wee spot, for one hive.

However, after attending the course, getting hooked I found out that my 'ideal spot' wouldn't be too good after all ... and anyway, starting with a single hive is far from ideal. Also, knowing myself as I do (after 55 years) i know I wouldn't be happy with one, or even two really and would want to expand.

I was therefor, in a bit of a dilemma ... having a need for a suitable location. With this in mind I set up a small website, trying to match would-be beekeepers with folk having a suitable location. Anybody interested, please feel free to send me a message or email.

By chance, I have just been allocated an allotment, after about 4 1/2 years on the waiting list ... and more astounding, the allotment association let plot holders have bees.

Assuming I get the allotment all sorted, I will hopefully get a couple of hives set up next spring. All being well, I'll be eating honey on toast within the next 12 months ... if not a little sooner.

I'll buzz off now.

[Bionic]

They are a bit addictive    and will be good to polinate the allotment. 

[Sudanpan]

Great news 


Just don't be too disappointed if you don't get any honey in the first year - unless you buy full blown colonies in the spring. If you get nucs then the first summer is going to pretty much build up time.


We've had bees for 2 summers now - but as yet no honey..... long story but basically newbie artificial swarm error!

[HesterF]

I got my first two colonies this year and they're going great - I also have room for expansion so we'll see how it goes. Problem is you need so much kit and you have to have it all in advance or be prepared to pick up things at short notice when you spot a queen cell.

My nucs both took off really well but I decided/was advised to go for a double brood box before putting on supers. So by the time I got supers on, they had no interest in drawing it out, let alone filling it. I've taken no honey off so now they are both soooo full of food. I've been feeding them for the last few weeks too and the ivy has been coming in and the double brood boxes are full to the brim of food - I can hardly lift the top box off for inspections. I've not checked them this weekend (in the pouring rain) but the problem last weekend was that there's not much room left for brood so I need to do some juggling. Anyhow, agree that you may not get honey off next year - might be best to let them have it for the first season.

Enjoy your plans - I spent last winter decorating my new hives and now they look very colourful!

H

[WillieBee]

I spent last winter decorating my new hives and now they look very colourful!

Well, come on now !!  let us see a picture

Have you seen the hives on the roof of  Fortnum & Mason's ... they are pretty ornate

[cloddopper]

may I offer that you check carefully in person with the landowner to  sure the tenancy conditions of the allotment allow you to keep bees there .  many council & other allotment providers s don't usually allow it because of public liability claims arising from badly stung gardeners or kiddies being  near to your hives .

If allowed I suggest that you make a four square or more fence  panel enclosure of six foot tall panels around the hives so that when they fly out the hives  they have to go up and over the height of the panels thus taking them out on a flight line above most peoples heads .

 Your local DEFRA or EA  type site might have some suggestions about the placing of hives so as not to cause a public nuisance.

[rogerb]

Good advice cloddopper, I’d add please make sure you get a hive that is well behaved, I have one in my apiary that can be truly shocking, they need a lot of smoke, sting without warning (just when I’m walking by), follow me for about 500 yards and are generally unpleasant.   
I have been told by an old beekeeper/gardener, and have no reason to doubt him, that bees do not like it if you have been gardening, so bees and allotments do not mix well, I would not take that as a no go (though he would), but would urge extreme caution.   
You can exercise this by;
1.   Get your bees from a good supplier
2.   Tell your supplier your situation
3.   Always use plenty of smoke (tobacco mixed in will help) when working them, this will keep most of them bussy
4.   Have a back-up plan ready in case you have to move them in a hurry
There is a fashion in beekeeping not to use smoke it goes like this “my bees are so nice I don’t need smoke” resist this at all costs, once you have a mass of angry bees zooming round stinging your neighbours it’s too late to light up and puff a bit to get them back under control. With the wrong bees you could clear everyone within a 100yards, I have tried the “no smoke” needed thing and it went well a few times when it went wrong it went really wrong!

[madchickenlady]

I never realised there were ideal sites and less ideal sites, mind you 'I know nothing'! tell me more please.

[cloddopper]

Imagine siting four bee hive right next to the gate of a kiddies nursery school .

 That would obviously be wrong .

 Now imagine setting them near two high walls or hedges on the cool side of the hedge /walls
 The bees would tend to fly through the gap low to the ground to avoid the wind so anyone passing by the gap would have a fair chance of being hosed down with the bee line as it went in search of nectar , pollen and water.
 This also applies to bees close to a hedge and gate field the bees fly through the gate as it's safer and easier for them .
 Now thing of placing the bees near a swimming pool  or garden pond ..the bees will use it for a water supply and like s not some one will see a bee on themselves , panic and get stung .if it is close to the hives ,they may well get very badly stung due the first sting and all subsequent ones containing a pheromone emitter in the bees torn off sting /bum that tells all the immediate area  bees to attack this intruder , hospitalization of even death can quickly follow .

 You ideally need to place your hives facing sunrise slightly south of north east right to  south of east  but in a place that over a hot summer will be shaded from the summer heat on the south side . This facing the sun allows reflected UV and infra red rays in the sunlight to wake up the hive a wee bit earlier than one say facing north &  in the shade all day . The minute extra warmth of the early light /sunlight also brings the bees out ..bees fly when the temp gets to 10 oC ( 50 OF )


 When the weather is humid and hot the bees go crazy  as these conditions make for a strong nectar flow when most plants that have flowers will go into over drive to produce flowers for fruits , tubers seeds or corms  etc.

If you have four or so hives  400 mtrs away from an oilseed rape or pea field  with a public road between the two they will do a constant stream of 25 mph  lunatics bent only on collecting pollen and nectar if a nectar flow happens .. anyone on horse, cycle, foot or in a car with windows open etc.  is very likely /will get hit & stung by the single minded bees either on their outward or inward bound journeys.
It's not nice having to pick up someone whose horse has just thrown and trampled on them because th bee have stung the horse several times . It's also a bugger having to try and get hold of the terrified horse to move it to a place of safety .


There is also the consideration of siting hives near farm land and flowering crops .. You'll need to be on good terms with the farmers to find out what sprays they use and learn the effects of them and the conditions when they will need to spray .

If you have good farmers they will usually telephone you the night before the spraying is due so you can nip out to your hives and bung up the entrances with sponge foam strips for 24 hours till the worst of the spray effect has died down and will not kill your bees.

Remember ....  That bees usually forage in a radius of 3 miles in reasonable weather  , if there is a really good nectar flow & the scout bees sense it they'll  often do almost double that area  if the trade of dead bees /early deaths to the hive is worth it for the amount of forage collected..  So you will have to think of farmers in a seven mile circle  radius if your sensible .. that ends up as 3.142 x 7 x 7 miles as square miles of possible bee forage and destruction .