Greetings from the land of Dragons

[dafyddcoch]

HI All. I've decided to join this throng of beekeepers as I'm a complete novice but helping my 22 yr-old son to become a bee-keeper. We have a smallholding in the mountains of North Wales and tons of heather on the mountain and as I have no sheep, (smelly destructive creatures) I have a wide variety of flowers as well as many willow, hawthorn trees etc. so hopefully, they'll be happy.

No bees yet but the hive is assembled (a Hobee one), the area windproofed so we're ready to receive my son's bees, hopefully this week (Welsh Blacks)..

I am usually the sort of chap that will blunder through when learning a new skill and strongly believe that most of my skills are very transferable. However, it seems that no previous experiences have given me any useful skills relating to beekeeping at all. I'm going to be asking some very daft questions so be patient with me please.

Thanks/Diolch

 

[Erichalfbee]

Welcome. Have a good look round the forum. It's full of bright and not so bright info. Post your questions in the beginners section

 

[pargyle]

Welcome, we all start our beekeeping journey with very little real understanding of the craft but there's a really good book 'The Haynes Manual of Beekeeping' which will get you through the first couple of seasons with the basics, if you don't already have it then it's a good starter book to have to hand.

When it all becomes too much and it's not in the books - this forum is a mine of information and there's always someone around to answer questions - no matter how daft they are. The Beginners Section is a soft playground and you can safely ask anything there without any fear of worrying what the question is like !

 

[blackcloud]

You will find some skills especially in making and repairing equipment.
As for the bees most of the time they do things for a reason and once you know why things start dropping in to place

 

[enrico]

Another book which would be very readable for your son too is 'bees at the bottom of the garden '

 

[Wilco]

Check out @Black Mountain Honey and Norfolk Beekeeping Company on YouTube too.

 

[JamezF]

Welcome, though I have to say that your characterisation of sheep as "smelly, destructive creatures" is way off the mark. In my experience they are suicidal, smelly, destructive creatures.

James

 

[pargyle]

Welcome, though I have to say that your characterisation of sheep as "smelly, destructive creatures" is way off the mark. In my experience they are suicidal, smelly, destructive creatures.

James

My neice, a practising farm animal Vet, reckons that sheep's sole reason for living is to find new and creative ways to die !

 

[JamezF]

My neice, a practising farm animal Vet, reckons that sheep's sole reason for living is to find new and creative ways to die !

I am absolutely with her there.

James

 

[Wilco]

A friend has sheep on the field I used to keep mine on. Visited the other day, one dead in the middle of the field. No idea why, healthy ewe with twins at few weeks old which were carrying on without her. Suicide machines.

 

[Superlativesoul]

HI All. I've decided to join this throng of beekeepers as I'm a complete novice but helping my 22 yr-old son to become a bee-keeper. We have a smallholding in the mountains of North Wales and tons of heather on the mountain and as I have no sheep, (smelly destructive creatures) I have a wide variety of flowers as well as many willow, hawthorn trees etc. so hopefully, they'll be happy.

No bees yet but the hive is assembled (a Hobee one), the area windproofed so we're ready to receive my son's bees, hopefully this week (Welsh Blacks)..

I am usually the sort of chap that will blunder through when learning a new skill and strongly believe that most of my skills are very transferable. However, it seems that no previous experiences have given me any useful skills relating to beekeeping at all. I'm going to be asking some very daft questions so be patient with me please.

Thanks/Diolch

Welcome to a fellow newbie, Your journey has begun and once you start you will be hooked ,I suggest you join your local association, visit their apiary ,if you are gonna make mistakes then its better there ,where you can be taught ,shown how to avoid them in the future .Books are very informative but actually doing it is the best approach, I too have the Haynes manual and it's very good.
Also Google Wally Shaw a Welsh beekeeper who has written articles on aspects of bees which you can download and print off .This forum is so knowledgeable and very friendly giving helpful advice to novices and experts alike .Like the saying "There is more than one way to bake a cake "
John 1

 

[peterbees]

HI All. I've decided to join this throng of beekeepers as I'm a complete novice but helping my 22 yr-old son to become a bee-keeper. We have a smallholding in the mountains of North Wales and tons of heather on the mountain and as I have no sheep, (smelly destructive creatures) I have a wide variety of flowers as well as many willow, hawthorn trees etc. so hopefully, they'll be happy.

No bees yet but the hive is assembled (a Hobee one), the area windproofed so we're ready to receive my son's bees, hopefully this week (Welsh Blacks)..

I am usually the sort of chap that will blunder through when learning a new skill and strongly believe that most of my skills are very transferable. However, it seems that no previous experiences have given me any useful skills relating to beekeeping at all. I'm going to be asking some very daft questions so be patient with me please.

Thanks/Diolch

There is plenty of support for new beekeepers here in North Wales. Blundering through is not an option. Beekeeping teaches you a whole new set of skills, and it's a lifetime commitment for most of us. Good that you are getting local bees. See Front Page - Welsh Beekeepers Association for details of local Associations. (I'm secretary of Conwy Beekeepers).

 

[Blunt Spike]

My neice, a practising farm animal Vet, reckons that sheep's sole reason for living is to find new and creative ways to die !

There's a chap who keeps sheep in a field next to one of my apiaries. He told me a few weeks ago that he had the vet out for a poorly lamb. Several days and a lot of money later, and the lamb went out into the paddock with the other lambs. He checked on them the next day to find it had drowned itself in the water trough.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Also Google Wally Shaw a Welsh beekeeper

Wally's English actually, but had lived in Wales (on the isle of the mad) for decades, he and Jenny moved there as they both worked for Bangor University.

 

[Superlativesoul]

Thank you for the correction

 

[dafyddcoch]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies, advice and encouragement. To those that have suggested join a local bee club as well: My adult son may not be able to cope with the social-side of a bee club. He was going to be tutored by a close friend who has much knowledge and experience, but said friend's personal life took a turn for the pain in the posterior, so tutorials were very few. However, with the bees reserved and on a promise, the hive arriving and me and his mum desperate to keep the interest going, we had little choice but to do it the wrong way around. Thankfully, we can still access said friend and another bee keeper we know. For me, "yes", I intend to join the club and have friends who are in it. I will get set-up for me eventually as well as helping my lad and I will go for a year or so and then assemble another hive.

Thankfully, my son has quite a comprehensive knowledge of bees themselves (as well other arthropods), having a bit of a fascination about them, but as we know, knowledge of bees and knowing how to keep them are not the same thing, but it is a start. We're still going to see if my son can cope with the bee club, and anyway, I gather certain bee keepers/members can be somewhat 'individual' so it may all go wonderfully.

Thank you again all/Diolch eto pawb.

 

[Wilco]

Get him on here too.

 

[rusper]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies, advice and encouragement. To those that have suggested join a local bee club as well: My adult son may not be able to cope with the social-side of a bee club. He was going to be tutored by a close friend who has much knowledge and experience, but said friend's personal life took a turn for the pain in the posterior, so tutorials were very few. However, with the bees reserved and on a promise, the hive arriving and me and his mum desperate to keep the interest going, we had little choice but to do it the wrong way around. Thankfully, we can still access said friend and another bee keeper we know. For me, "yes", I intend to join the club and have friends who are in it. I will get set-up for me eventually as well as helping my lad and I will go for a year or so and then assemble another hive.

Thankfully, my son has quite a comprehensive knowledge of bees themselves (as well other arthropods), having a bit of a fascination about them, but as we know, knowledge of bees and knowing how to keep them are not the same thing, but it is a start. We're still going to see if my son can cope with the bee club, and anyway, I gather certain bee keepers/members can be somewhat 'individual' so it may all go wonderfully.

Thank you again all/Diolch eto pawb.

Well we are well into September now, How did it go?