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Bee keeping.

Ystranc

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Some of you may already know that I keep bees, I was out in my shed messing about with my air pistol re doing the latest target competition when I heard the sound of a swarm. I ran out to check on my hives, they were all calm and going about their business as usual so the swarm must have come from elsewhere. To cut a long story short I got them strait into a hive with a perfect natural capture and I have a new colony. This is only the second time I've captured a swarm where it has gone strait into the hive, usually there is a great deal of messing about climbing trees or cutting your way into hedges. This must have been my lucky day.
 
Would love to be able to keep bees...maybe one day.

Question, how often do you need to extract the honey?
 
I don't actually need to do it more than once a year, I tend to be very hands off with my bees. What I do is add another super (box for honey storage) beneath the full one in a process called nadiring. The bees set to work in the new space and are discouraged from returning to the full box by a clearing board placed beneath it but above where they're now busy.......after a couple of days I can remove the full super and spin out the raw honey.
 
That is brilliant Ystranc....... what a stroke of luck...................you must be buzzing mate ;):rofl:
 
Lol Bill, yes I was buzzing for a little while...Mark, I used to sell it through the shop which my other half ran in Hay on Wye but since we gave the shop up its mainly used at home or sold to visitors through the rental cottage. The going rate around here is around £5.50 per Lb.
It's a side of the smallholding that I intent to build up a little.
 
Lol Bill, yes I was buzzing for a little while...Mark, I used to sell it through the shop which my other half ran in Hay on Wye but since we gave the shop up its mainly used at home or sold to visitors through the rental cottage. The going rate around here is around £5.50 per Lb.
It's a side of the smallholding that I intent to build up a little.



Fair price mate:thumbsup:
 
An old post I know, but are you still keeping bees? I have never done it, but it must be a great thing to do, is it relatively simple to get into?

Cheers.

Mike.
 
It's very simple to get into but the start-up can be a little expensive unless you know someone locally. My bees have had a crap time of it over the last 12 months with a bad spring/summer last year and a pretty poor Spring so far with frosts flipping into heatwave then this wind and rain....they've no idea what to do and I'm still having to feed them even though there is blossom on the trees and hedgerows.
It's adding up to another bad year with no extra honey to harvest.
 
It is very popular around here, I guess with all the Moorland Heather and stuff, but there are obvious pitfalls, as with anything I guess. But it looks such a relaxin hobby to have, I hope things improve for you. 👍
 
As with everything like this when you keep any kind of animal there are ups and downs. Even if they were all to die it's fairly simple to catch a swarm, the problem then is making sure that you have a fresh, well mated queen bee or the hive will thrive for a little while then dwindle. In very swarmy years a hive may swarm several times. All subsequent swarms are known as casts and the queen is rarely well mated in these situations. You may get a years honey production out of them but they ultimately fail the following winter or don't start laying again in the spring. That is part of my problem at the moment and the weird weather the spring and last spring/summer has made it worse. Failing queens have been a problem this spring.
 
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