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We're thinking about getting a hive next year and would like to know what you think about keeping bees.

Apart from the obvious benefits such as pollination, helping the environment and honey what does bee keeping add to your life?

Misty

I don't know as I've never kept bees but keep thinking about it. I'd love to hear how you get on if you do give it a go. Please keep us informed.

Zoe

Mind reader Misty, I was going to start a thread about this! I've been thinking about this myself hun. In fact I'm going to a meeting next month for our local bee keepers but I'm nervous as I think I want to use something managable for me like a top bar hive and I hear the old hands can be quite scathing about the non traditional. Is this true? I don't have the money or stength for a langstroth hive I'm afraid. How did the beekeepers on here get started? What did you guys use? I'd really love to have a local mentor.

Misty, they're fascinating, I can see it becoming an obsession. I'm already obsessed with solitary bees and the more you learn about them the more you realise how much more there is to know. Don't forget wax and propolis as bee products!

Do it! For sure. Check out the biobees forum :-)

In London, at least, you are expected to go on a course and pass a test before keeping bees. Main problem is to ensure the bees do not swarm and cause a nuisance. This is in contradiction to natural bee keeping which believes bees should be allowed to swarm. The top bar hive is easier to build not easier to use.

I didn't know would need to attend a course but it does make sense and have just found this Leeds=based organisation which isn't too far for me to travel.

http://www.leedsbeekeepers.org.uk/modul ... page&pid=2

I'll let you know how it goes.

Misty

I thought about keeping bees until I talked to our neighbour, who does, and really knows what she's talking about. Apparently we're at marginal altitude here. There's enough pollen around to support bees, but not enough for them to make spare honey for humans. This is something I would never have thought of if I hadn't talked to her. She keeps a few bees in the garden just because she likes having them around, but most of hers live down in the valley somewhere. I expect if you go on a course they'll tell you that kind of thing, but thought I'd mention it, just in case you're also at high altitude (we're at roughly 1,000 feet).

I'm almost at sea level! The bees would live on my allotment so they'd have the run of the plots and the surrounding gardens. there's possibility that the allotments commitee will pay for me to do the course, if not I'm going to self fund it because it's something I really want to do. I don't know if you need to do a course but I think it's a good place to start from. Our council allow us to have bees. If it goes well my dad will probably want one in his garden too, he lives on the edge of farmland so depends on the crops, they grow a lot of wheat up his way but I have seen braod beans.