Years ago we had a swarm visit the place. It was exciting and a bit frightening. I called our friend/plumber who has been keeping bees for years and he was out in moments. I firmly believe that if I called him about a burst pipe, he would told me that he couldn't come up until next week.
Roll on to this year. In January, I found this
I believe it was left by a swarm that found a better place to live. This means that swarms come by our place on a semi-regular basis.For those who know about bees, I bought second hand Langstroth 10 frame boxes. They seem solid. Each of the four boxes come with a floor and a cover. I bought them on impulse. I am keen to take advantage of a bargain.
Hives in the UK are normally National hives. They are a slightly different size to Langstroth hives. If I had been thinking more sensibly, I would have waited until some second hand National hives were availble for sale. But I didn't wait, did I? I am now committed to Langstroth hives.
I had to order and build the frames to put inside the boxes. Until they have frames, they're simply wooden boxes aren't they. To save money, I got them unassembled. I think saving money is going to be a regular theme as I set about kitting up this new hobby. I built 20 frames, enough to fill two boxes.
Now I'm almost ready, frames (with foundation) ready to go.I have a bee suit to protect me from stings. The smoker to help keep the bees calm when going near the hives.
I will have to feed any bees I get when they first arrive. You can't just stick the bees in the corner of the garden and let them fend for themselves. They need to settle in. I don't want them to starve to death while settling in.
I'm going to get a couple of old wooden pallets to keep the hive off the ground. Bees don't like damp.
There is such a learning curve with beekeeping. I am glad I have a couple of friends who have experience of keeping bees. I will be plaguing them with questions.
So, I've started the new hobby. I hope it's fun.