Week 2 in bee-school, and the plan was to do some repairs and maintenance, but as some newbies turned up, who hadn't attended last week; there was some recapping, and elaboration of various points, so the planned two hours was almost up before we started dismantling a hive.
If everyone attends, there are 33 trainee bee-keepers. Some already have hives, and others like me, are taking the course before deciding whether to take the plunge.
I'm a bit undecided about where I would put a hive, if I decide to get one, as there are lots of rules to follow:
The hive should be 10 metres away from a neighbour's property, 20 metres from a public road,
100 metres from any public amenity, like a school, hospital, etc.
But you can place it closer to a neighbour's property if you put a 2 metre high fence around the hive on at least 3 sides, however there needs to be a 2 metre gap between the fence and the hive, on all sides...
I'm looking at our garden, and I'm not sure I want a hive plum in the middle of the lawn - to qualify to be away from the neighbours, or to build a big U shaped fence?? So maybe I would have to find a friendly local with a field or something? Anyway, I'm not there yet, but maybe I'll get a copy of our plot, and shade in the areas where we could install a hive legally, to check the possibilities.
Pearl of wisdom from this weeks expert beeman : 2 things are essential before you take up beekeeping :
1) check whether you are allergic to stings!
2) check whether your family will accept you dedicating your time on fine days in spring and autumn to beekeeping duties rather than anything else they may want to do with you. (apparently he is divorced!)
Hornet trap update - no Asian Hornets caught this week, I reset the trap adding white wine to the mix of blackcurrant syrup & brown beer, and hung it back on the tree. The trainer this week was a bit doom and gloom about the chances of keeping a hive healthy near the outskirts of Bordeaux due to the prolification of these pests, so interested to see how many I catch over the next few weeks.