BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • New to Bee Keeping

  • Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
 #3958  by dbonarius
 07 Jul 2019, 12:01
HI All,

Complete novis at Bee Keeping but alway found it interesting. Now that I have a house with a garden Bee keeping is somthing I would like to start. I want to start getting prepared to set up for Spring 2020 I've found a hive with a key system so you it makes it easier to extract honey has anyone had any experience with these types of hives?

I've done some research and Buckfast seem to be the least aggressive and calm, is this true or does anyonme else have any recomendations?

Thanks David
 #3959  by Adam Bee
 07 Jul 2019, 12:12
What part of the world are you in? Just curious as it can help when giving advice.
 #3961  by dbonarius
 07 Jul 2019, 12:23
Adam Bee wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 12:12
What part of the world are you in? Just curious as it can help when giving advice.
Hi,

I live in the UK - North East.

Thanks David
 #3970  by NigelP
 07 Jul 2019, 18:11
dbonarius wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 12:01
I've found a hive with a key system so you it makes it easier to extract honey has anyone had any experience with these types of hives?

David, I'm presuming you are talking about the "flow hive"....I'd put that one on hold for a a few years (or the rest of your life)....
Best advice join local association and go on course. Read as much as you can. Alas beekeeeping is nit as simple as buying hive with tap and adding bees....
 #3972  by Japey Edge
 07 Jul 2019, 20:05
Hi David,

There are plenty of associations in the North East, but it all depends on where you are as to which is most suitable for you. Try popping in to one of their meetings and asking questions on here before committing to a hive.

As far as I know, those flow hives are Langstroth, which aren't the mainly-used and available hive types here in the UK. A relative of mine has one but hasn't had anything off it yet. He's also running national hives at the same time so has some chew ahead of him.

Think carefully about the type of hive you want. The flow hive won't be as easy and simple as you think. You will still need to regularly inspect the colony and look after them. Also, if you enlist the support of your local association for whatever situation you have, you are likely to find they can't swap frames with you as the flow hive body won't take National frames.

Before I made my first purchase, I asked forum advice and jumped between Langstroth and National types. I ended up going for National.

As Nigel says, go on a course, get some hands on experience. If you're not too far from me you can come have a look and hold a frame. If you haven't done that already it may be a make or break moment for you.
 #3973  by Adam Bee
 07 Jul 2019, 21:16
I’m certainly not the most experienced. As a matter of fact, I’m down in the “least” category. I can only speak from my experience.

I read a lot first, real books. What I found was that I was interested enough to read all the way through a book on beekeeping and want another one.

There are lots of different hives and management styles, many from exotic places around the world or newly invented by intrepid beekeepers. You should try the one that most interests you with one caveat: When people ask me what type of computer they should buy, Mac or Windows; or what phone, Game console or what not... I have one answer: _*The one your best friend owns*_

When you use a hive that is the same as your best friend, mentor or association, it’s a hive they know and they can help you with.

Try before you buy: as people have said above: Get on a course. Hold bees in your hands. See how you feel when you’re holding a thousand tiny venomous amazon warriors from hell. Or you may discover that it’s great to be there in the middle of a mass of real living working creatures.

You won’t know until you try.

When it all goes well, beekeeping is dead easy. What’s difficult is getting the confidence and experience of what to do when it all goes to Helena Handbasket when you least expect it. That is key.

Lastly, bees are livestock. They are not pets. All of the livestock parameters are active here. Which breed do you want to raise? Jersey or Guernsey? How do you preemptively manage disease? What season is it and what should I be doing differently now in this one? And the like... it’s not like a cat where you put out a tinned meal in a dish every night and top up the water bowl.

And good luck!

I hope you find you love it and discover a new world.
 #3974  by Alfred
 07 Jul 2019, 21:22
Hello ,welcome.
Lots of us newbs around.
Ditto the hive type- nationals and langstroths are possibly the best to begin with,because,like the qwerty keyboard,they might not be perfect but most other people use then it so there's a vast amount of experience and cheaper supplies available.
Use your flow as a side project once you've learned to keep bees.
Buckfast are reported to be calm but I can get any bee to sting me ,even dead ones ,so there's technique to learn as well.
You've picked the best forum by the way ,stick with it and we'll all get there :D
 #3975  by Adam Bee
 07 Jul 2019, 21:24
I ended up getting great bees here:
https://honeybeesuppliers.co.uk/

The two best performing hives from this year's nuc's in the apiary are from here. Lucy and Viktor are great people and work hard nurturing great bees.
 #3996  by NigelP
 08 Jul 2019, 17:50
dbonarius wrote:
07 Jul 2019, 12:01


I've done some research and Buckfast seem to be the least aggressive and calm, is this true or does anyonme else have any recomendations?
Generally Buckfast bees are extremely calm but they are also extremely prolific, so don't even consider them unless you can allocate 2 brood boxes and 4 supers per queen.
Italians and Carniolans are also very prolific and calm bees. For any of these strians you need to buy from the correct sources and breeders. There are many selling very poor quality Buckfast/Carniolan/Italian queens.
Be good for you to find out what your local bees are like, they are likely to be less prolific, and area dependant can range from calm and docile to even Mike Tyson would go hide in a wardrobe. It's your area no-one else can tell you whet they are like. It's geographically driven....for example mine are horrible, yet 30 miles away in Teesside they are calm and gentle....