Beekeeping

[Stivino]

I'm toying with the idea of having a small beehive in the garden and I was wondering if anybody keeps bees and has any tips to share.

 

[lostinthelight]

I kept them for about 40 year before giving them up because I became allergic to bee venom.
The best advice I could give would be to chat with your local bee keeping group.

 

[mattylad]

have you got close neighbours?

 

[Stivino]

have you got close neighbours?

Yes

 

[mattylad]

Then methinks you ought to be discussing this with them first, you may have a neighbour that is deadly allergic to bee stings - do you want to be the cause of your neighbours death?

 

[conny]

I think you need to get permission, (possibly council), before you start to keep captive bees for similar reasons as mattylad says. You may also need to state what type of bees e.g. honey bees or simple pollinators.

 

[Mottie]

A bloke on our allotment, two plots up from me has just installed his first beehive complete with bees on his plot. It’s in a fenced off area at the back of his plot. He's had advice from a beekeeping friend and has tried to book onto a course but they are all fully booked well into next year - I don’t think you need a licence. He showed me a video of his friends hives in Lithuania - 288 of them! Maybe coincidence but I’ve been buzzed twice since he's had them. Should be good for the allotment though.

 

[elite123]

• Join local bee keeping association
• Screen around your hives to make them fly above head height
• Plan for worst case scenarios - angry hive, swarm prevention etc
• Get friendly and local bees

No need for a licence or permission, unless there is something your house deeds etc. Need to be responible in your management and location of hives. I keep 5 hives on acre, I wouldn't keep bees in a small urban garden with close neighbours, though many people do