FAQs on keeping bees
Where can I put hives?
A bee hive needs to be sited carefully. The entrance must face away from an area where people may be passing, and there should be a screen, hedge or fence to encourage the bees to fly upwards above head height. Even then, there will be a lot of bees in the air while you are looking into your hive, and that means a small garden is rarely suitable because of the potential nuisance to neighbours. Large gardens are better, or you may be able to get permission to use a corner of a field. The hive should be protected from strong winds. If it is in an open field it should be fenced off from farm animals that might knock it over.
How much does it cost?
A complete new hive, ready to receive bees will cost between £200 and £400, depending on what type of hive you get. You will also need to spend about another £100 on the tools of the trade, a smoker, a hive tool and protective clothing. The bees themselves can cost anything from a free swarm to £150 for a colony in a nucleus box. It is possible to buy second hand beekeeping equipment at auctions and from beekeepers who are trying to reduce their workload, but used hive parts should be thoroughly scorched before use because there’s a risk of disease. As you start keeping bees you will accumulate more equipment although you may be able to borrow large items such as honey extractors from our association if you join.
How much time does it take?
If you intend to keep bees as a hobby and run only 2 or 3 hives, it takes a few hours of preparation in the spring, and then less than an hour for an in depth inspection every few weeks until May, when you must make a quick inspection once a week to avoid swarming. During July and August a quick look ensures that the bees have space to store honey, then you extract the honey (a tedious but rewarding job), and settle the bees for the winter. During the winter you put your feet up. Beekeeping can, of course, become a full time occupation if you want to keep many hives and get heavily involved.
Do you ever get stung?
You should always wear good bee protective clothing when working with bees, but there will inevitably be the occasion when you and a bee get on the wrong side of each other. If you are afraid of getting stung do not consider keeping bees.
Is it worth it?
Bees are fascinating creatures and beekeeping is an unending series of unexpected events. No two seasons are ever exactly the same. There are many delights in looking after bees as well as a few worries (are they healthy? have they enough food for the winter?), but the overall winner is the complete excitement of opening a teeming colony in the middle of the summer and seeing busy bees coming in laden with pollen and nectar, dancing on the face of the comb, transferring their nectar to nurse bees and flying off again. It is definitely worth every minute and to crown it all you are rewarded with honey and wax which goes some way towards repaying the original cost of setting up.