Who are the Vine's Resident Beekeepers?

[hailtryfan]

Finally got around to taking some piccies, so here is a picture of my newly fenced off apiary Just posting to show off really as I'm dead chuffed. The top bar hive will have another swarm installed in it later in the year (the first one b&ggered off). My bees are presently in this beaten up old wbc which I've been moving metre by metre into the apiary.

[Tracebe]

I help my mentor with 4 hives in an orchard, have got my first hive and it's awaiting residents. He collected 17 swarms last year so fingers crossed I won't have to wait too long.

Not allowed bees on our lottie :0(

[stoney147]

My new adventure

Hi grapeviners and fellow bee keepers this might be first of many posts as I'm a novice bee keeper and probably need plenty of questions answering. I've just joined the local association and been to one apiary meeting which was really informative and plan to keep going every Saturday. Yesterday I set a bait hive (brood box) up in hope to lure a swarm from a local supply, and now I'm waiting with fingers crossed.

Stoney 147

[Mrs Dobby]

Welcome all the newcomers to this thread Good luck with getting / looking after your girls

[CaroltheCarrot]

My first proper inspection of the season on Sunday and all is well,phew, lots of eggs,sealed brood etc and very busy buzzy bees
Another super added ( they wintered on a brood and a super, crikey I sound as if I know what I am going on about!!)
I am really chuffed as a lot of beeks round here lost their entire colonies 32% of all honeybees were lost over the winter according to my mentor, not sure if thats across the country or just in Fife

[alldigging]

My neighbour might be getting bees this week.
Someone from my writing group asked if I knew anyone who dealt with bees as she had a swarm!

[Tracebe]

Hi all, I have my girls (and guys of course) had them since 30/4 large swarm as of yesterday starting work in super number 2! .... I now have another swarm making home in a nuc hive till I get my new one built :0) very chuffed I could watch their activity for hours it's very relaxing though nerve racking collecting swarm on my own .... my mentor was away AAAARghhh!

[Solebay Diamond]

Hi, I am now an official beekeeper! Yay! I have had my hive now for about a month and they are doing really well. I went on a bee keeping course which was very good - I really recommend them.
I have another hive (empty at the moment) and hubby getting keen too.
I am sure I will have questions to ask!!

[alldigging]

I should have come back and updated this - My neighbour got bees (not the friend's swarm though, another one) and then a few weeks after that I got mine too!
)))

[AndrewD]

I'm just starting out. I've bought 2 hives from Thorns in their winter sale. Not got any bees yet. Advice from my local bee keeping society is that due to the poor weather last year, the quality of bees for sale may be poor and not worth the money. Better to wait and hope to catch a swarm. I've seen reference to building a swarm bait box on YouTube to lure a swarm in and get your bees for free. Sounds a good idea, but I'm not sure how you would select a suitable site though.

[AndrewD]

Another point, if anyone wants to learn more about bee keeping, there's loads of stuff on YouTube. I like The Fat Bee Man, he's done loads of videos on all aspects of beekeeping.

[stormpsy]

still waiting on gettin bee's. i got my certificate 2011 and 2013 i got my plot, just looking now into getting plot on the way then moving into another plot for my bee's

[Highlander]

Just had my first chance to look at my bees today and they are doing fine. got them last year but it was late in the season so my main aim was to get them through a highland winter. When I kept them before, in England, I decided that I would feed as little as possible and allow the colony to keep enough of their own honey to see them through the winter. My reason was that it must be better for them than refined sugar. Still following that principle and today I recon that I could have taken at least 20lb last year and they would still have had enough stores.
Didn't intend to look for the queen today but there she was on the second frame I took out, surrounded by a frame full of eggs. So everything went back together gently and carefully. I can tick the box that says they have survived a highland winter and are well on to increasing in size.
My plan for this year is to divide the colony as a swarm prevention measure and go into next winter with at least two healthy colonies.

[Pedigree]

Im a beekeeper in Northern Ireland

[Knight of Albion]

I don't eat honey, but even so I'd love to keep bees. Something magical about it all.

Bees are beautiful, fascinating creatures - and they do a vitally important job in helping to pollinate crops.

Just been reading about bees, apparently honey bees need to 'tap' two million flowers and fly the equivalent of 55,000 miles to make one pound of honey...