The was billed as a 'Taster" day and was excellent. There were about 30 people there.
The first hour was a talk about bees and their life cycle etc. I knew most of it but the presenter was very good and the powerpoint was good. We broke for coffee and there were 2 displays to look at: One from Thornes showing some of their products, the other was of a virtual hive.
We then broke into 4 groups, each with an experienced beekeeper. We could ask any questions we liked and I learned a lot from someone who has been working with bees for over 50 years!
After lunch we went off to the apiary in West Moors. We got to put on bee suits and gloves and observe a hive inspection, hold frames etc. We then had a lesson on frame making and were told about honey extraction.
David, the chairman, was having a garden open day at his house the following day so I took Pauline along to see how hives can work in a garden. We could see their flight path and how the plants and fence near the 3 hives drove them up before they flew off. The reverse process occurred as they returned and there were very few bees in the main garden. I think Pauline realised how little they interfered with the rest of the garden and how the flight path could be directed away from houses and neighbours' gardens.
So, now need to decide where they could go in our garden and if this year is practical to start. It is getting a bit late in the year to give enough time for the colony to build up sufficiently to get through the winter. I may need to spend this year shadowing a beekeeper and visiting the apiary to get more knowledge and experience (and equipment!) with a view to getting bees next Spring. The other factor is my impending shoulder surgery which would prevent me from doing hive inspections for a few weeks. Mmm... disappointed really but I want to do it well and properly and my original plan was to start next year and use this year to learn.
I may get some hives this year - second hand if some good ones come up at the right price.
No comments:
Post a Comment