Beverley
Beekeepers' Association
The
local Beekeeping Association for East
Yorkshire
Frequently
Asked Questions
How
easy is it to keep bees?
Bees don’t take too much
looking after. You don’t have to clean them out, take them
for walks or feed them every day. One or two hives can take
around an hour of work a week between May and September.
Hives need looking at every 7 – 8 days, making it an ideal
weekend interest. The basic techniques of beekeeping are
easy to learn and you don’t need technical or scientific
knowledge.
Do I
need a big garden?
Bees will fly up to 3
miles to reach flowers, so if you live in the town they
will fly over your neighbours gardens and into the
surrounding area. What is important is not necessarily a
big garden but you do need to have high fences or hedges
around your beehives. Bees will fly up over the fences and
stay high until they reach the flowers. This will keep them
above head height and away from neighbours.
You don’t want to spoil your neighbours enjoyment of their
garden and area, so don’t site your hives near patios,
favourite sunbathing spots, childrens playgrounds or
anywhere that people will congregate.
Always get advice about siting hives before you get bees.
How
much honey could I get?
A hive at the bottom of
your garden could produce 60 – 90 lbs of honey a year. This
depends on the weather, the amount of flowers in the area
and how you look after your bees. If you move hives around
to where the flowers are (called migratory beekeeping) then
you can increase your crop of honey. We typically move
beehives to oil seed rape, borage and the heather moors.
Do
you get stung a lot?
The short answer is not if
you can help it! It is important to wear protective
clothing and learn how to handle bees calmly and gently to
avoid provoking stinging. All beekeepers get stung from
time to time. You have to get used to it.
How
much does it cost to get started?
Beehives and beekeeping
equipment can be expensive if you buy everything new and at
once. Most people begin by buying secondhand and only get
the essentials to start with. It is possible to get started
with a couple of empty hives, smoker, protective veil etc
for around £100.
Beverley BKA holds an annual auction of
beekeeping equipment. Many beginners pick up bargains at
the auction to enable them to get started.
Bees themselves can often be bought from beekeepers wanting
to cut down on colonies. Another way is to register with
the local Council's environmental health office to say you
will collect swarms reported by the public. However some
practice and experience is needed before you try swarm
catching.
Why
do bees swarm?
Honeybee colonies swarm as
a means of reproduction. Swarms usually appear in May or
June. They happen when hives get full of bees, the weather
is fine and there is a good supply of honey coming in. The
bees "decide" that they want to swarm, make a new queen and
then the old queen with around half of the flying bees
leaves. This mass of bees flies around the immediate
vicinity before camping in a clump nearby. 'Scout' bees
leave this clump and search fof a permanent place to live.
Once they have found a good place the mass of bees flies
off.
Finding ways of controlling the swarming urge is ones of
the main things a beekeeper has to do in the spring and
early summer.
