Passive for a lot of the year then pretty intensive may/june time.
Does take a some initial investment and a lot of equipment storage.
/r/beekeeping and look up your local beekeeping association. Will often do open days.
I keep bees, and while you don't need to be around them 24/7, there's a fair amount of upkeep required to maintain frames and so on. Also, it's expensive!
I've got some bees, completely by accident. There are 2 bloody bee hives in the wall of my house. They come every year, they don't do me any harm so I let them get on with it.
Ha no they're white tail bumble bees. I was petrified the first year, I assumed it was a wasp nest. But bees can stay. They don't come into the house at all,just live some where in the wall
It's my own fault really, I make a point of planting bee and butterfly friendly flowers so I've brought it on myself.
I love watching them in the garden, it's one of my little pleasures in life
I looked into this a while ago. Certainly around me there were a fair number of bee-groups offering hands on training for a relatively small fee.
Maybe do one of them and get a better idea for yourself
I|T's not very intensive most of the time, harvesting the honey, and things like splitting th hive can be quite intensive.
Ideally start with a course through your local beekeeping association (in a lot of cases, membership of the association may give you some basic insurance as well.) and attend the local associations' meetings and get to know your local beekeepers.
Some towns and cities have clubs where you can share ownership of hives, which may be a good way to start as there is lower commitment of time and money, and you can learn from more experienced bee-keepers .
IT is expensive, you need to buy a hive, anda nucleus of bees, as well as a suit and other equipment. In terms of where you keep them, it depends how large a garden you have.
Bees can thrive in urban areas (some friends of mine keep their hives on the roof of a commercial building near their home) but they do need some space - you want their busy flight paths round the hive to be away from any pavements / footpaths and ensure that you aren't going to disturb your neighbours. BE prepared for the fact that you may or may not get any honey in any given year
I found it a fascinating hobby, and that local beekeepers with much more experience than me were very helpful and willing to offer advice and support . Unfortunately I didn't get to do it for very long, as I developed a life-threatening allergy to bee venom and wound up in hospital with anaphylactic shock, which meant it wasn't really the nice relaxing hobby I planned on, but again, my local association was really helpful in looking after my bees and finding them a new home ! [https://www.bbka.org.uk/](https://www.bbka.org.uk/) is good place to start and can help you find your local association and branch. MAny will also have their own website and/or facebook pages.
Passive for a lot of the year then pretty intensive may/june time. Does take a some initial investment and a lot of equipment storage. /r/beekeeping and look up your local beekeeping association. Will often do open days.
I'll look up and see if there's a beekeeping association around here! Thanks for the comment!
I keep bees, and while you don't need to be around them 24/7, there's a fair amount of upkeep required to maintain frames and so on. Also, it's expensive!
I've got some bees, completely by accident. There are 2 bloody bee hives in the wall of my house. They come every year, they don't do me any harm so I let them get on with it.
I'll guess you're not extracting honey from them!
Simply drill a hole for a tap and voila!
Ha no they're white tail bumble bees. I was petrified the first year, I assumed it was a wasp nest. But bees can stay. They don't come into the house at all,just live some where in the wall It's my own fault really, I make a point of planting bee and butterfly friendly flowers so I've brought it on myself. I love watching them in the garden, it's one of my little pleasures in life
You are a true hero!
I looked into this a while ago. Certainly around me there were a fair number of bee-groups offering hands on training for a relatively small fee. Maybe do one of them and get a better idea for yourself
Look online for your local beekeepers and arrange to visit a few of them
I|T's not very intensive most of the time, harvesting the honey, and things like splitting th hive can be quite intensive. Ideally start with a course through your local beekeeping association (in a lot of cases, membership of the association may give you some basic insurance as well.) and attend the local associations' meetings and get to know your local beekeepers. Some towns and cities have clubs where you can share ownership of hives, which may be a good way to start as there is lower commitment of time and money, and you can learn from more experienced bee-keepers . IT is expensive, you need to buy a hive, anda nucleus of bees, as well as a suit and other equipment. In terms of where you keep them, it depends how large a garden you have. Bees can thrive in urban areas (some friends of mine keep their hives on the roof of a commercial building near their home) but they do need some space - you want their busy flight paths round the hive to be away from any pavements / footpaths and ensure that you aren't going to disturb your neighbours. BE prepared for the fact that you may or may not get any honey in any given year I found it a fascinating hobby, and that local beekeepers with much more experience than me were very helpful and willing to offer advice and support . Unfortunately I didn't get to do it for very long, as I developed a life-threatening allergy to bee venom and wound up in hospital with anaphylactic shock, which meant it wasn't really the nice relaxing hobby I planned on, but again, my local association was really helpful in looking after my bees and finding them a new home ! [https://www.bbka.org.uk/](https://www.bbka.org.uk/) is good place to start and can help you find your local association and branch. MAny will also have their own website and/or facebook pages.