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15-03-2006, 10:47 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 15/3/06 9:10, in article ,
"John" wrote:

For a few years now I've rather fancied having a beehive in the garden,
just to have bees coming and going, and adding a little more to our
flowery garden. Although large-ish [*by modern building standards
only*!], this garden belongs to a 60s semi-detached; we keep it hedged
with shrubs and small trees.

However I'm not that interested in "keeping bees" -- mainly because I
think I'd probably ultimately let them down through my natural laziness,
or waning dedication after the first flush of interest.

So: is it possible to establish one small hive, wherein the bees look
after themselves? I'd look after them to the extent that I look after
our frogs and other creatures, in that I'd make sure the environment
suited them as well as possible.

[Apologies to any bee-keepers who are insulted by what may appear to be
a mere dilettante interest.]

You *could* let them get on with 'doing their own thing' because the reason
they make honey is so that they can eat it! However, once the Queen
produces more queen eggs, you will start to get swarms and goodness knows
where they will end up. You and your neighbours may prefer not to have
nests constantly reproducing themselves in your chimney, walls etc.
I used to keep a hive but because I am extremely allergic to bee stings a
lot - not all but a lot - of the management of the hive was done for me. I
used to inspect it every so often to make sure there were no queen cells
developing etc. and put in the anti-varroa strips which must be done every
year after the honey is taken off. And that's the other drawback, the
varroa mite is a killer and an unmanaged hive which does not have varroa
strips put in is a sitting duck. I don't know if it's the case in UK but
where I used to live (Jersey) it was compulsory to put them in each autumn.
There is also a tracheal mite or infection - I forget which now - which
killed my colony eventually. We kicked ourselves for not having taken off
a nucleus because they were exceptionally well-behaved and highly
productive of honey.
If you really do want bees to complete your rural idyll, find a local bee
keeper and ask them to put a hive in your garden. Most bee keepers will be
delighted to be given extra space for their bees, so there's every chance
you'll find someone co-operative. There isn't really a lot of work involved
in keeping a colony, though. There is a need to check queen cells aren't
developing so the bees don't swarm but that's only two or three times in the
spring, from what I recall. About three or four days before you take the
honey off at the end of July, you put in an excluder which prevents bees
going up into the supers in which the combs hang. And then you have a
lovely sticky time whizzing it around in an extractor and pouring it into
jars, with all doors and windows tight shut so that the bees don't come in
to reclaim what is theirs! If you are so inclined, you can take the
propolis, which is the stuff bees used to seal up cracks and stick things
together. It's a marvellous natural antibiotic. Then you put in the varroa
strips and perhaps put a bit of old carpet on top of the glass covering to
the interior of the hive, so that they're warmish in winter and give them a
feed of syrup. It's certainly not an everyday task by any means. From
memory, I'd say you only have to open the hive 5 or 6 times a year. If
there is a bee keeping show in your area, go along and have a word with the
bee keepers and also have a look at an observation hive. It's absolutely
fascinating to see them at work.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
)