Frequently Asked Questions

To buy a beginner’s kit and a nucleus of bees from an agent will cost from £350.00 to £600.00. Through Penrith Beekeepers’ Association networks it is usually possible to find second hand equipment at reasonable prices. The Association will also sell bees from the apiary to members at less than commercial rates.

The most popular hive in the United Kingdom is the National hive. This is a square hive, not very pretty but practical.
The cottage garden traditional hive is the WBC. If you want a couple of hives in your garden and want them to look good, go for the WBC. Don’t be put off by some beekeepers who will say they’re impractical. Yes, they are awkward to move to a field of rape or a heather covered mountain, but if you want to stay with a small-scale hobby, you probably won’t want to move them.

Our advice would be to start with a National or WBC.

Hives are all made from red cedar, deal or pine. Cedar wood contains natural oils, which help preserve the wood and insect attack. Deal and Pine are less expensive and can be treated with the correct preservative. Polystyrene hives are also available and used by many commercial beekeepers and an increasing number of hobbyist beekeepers.

No. Of course, if you live in the countryside with a large garden, you have an ideal location. However, beehives can be found on numerous roofs and balconies in big cities. With the parks and small town gardens packed with plants, there is excellent forage for bees in built up areas. The important thing is to choose a site where there will be plenty of ‘bee friendly’ plants available for the bees to forage all the year round. 

Ideally they should be faced either south-east, south or south-west. On level ground. Ensure they do not face directly onto a footpath or road because people walking by may get stung.

Yes, they will pollinate your fruit trees and soft fruit and the crops will be bigger, better, tastier and more regularly shaped.

 No.

Possibly; make sure you site the hives so that the bees will not fly out of the hive and straight across your neighbour’s garden. Bees do have cleansing flights and are prone to “doing their business” over the neighbour’s washing line. Try to chat to your neighbours about your interesting hobby. Encourage them to put on your spare veil and look into your hive. Make sure they are well supplied with honey!!

The best way is to join a beginner’ s course. Penrith Beekeepers run an Introductory Course at least once a year. Members are also encourage to attend the branch meetings at the Apiary during the season, where beginners can handle the bees under the watchful eye of more experienced members.

A hive tool, a smoker, a feeder, a veil and a box of nitrile gloves.

No.

You can’t call yourself a beekeeper until you’ve been stung! Treat the bees gently, don’t flap your arms about or look in the hive if the weather is not suitable. Always wear the correct protective clothing.

No. In the summer months, you need to look into the hive once a week. In the winter, you just need to check they have food, perhaps once a month. However, if you’re stressed after a hard day’s work, sit and watch the hive entrance, it’s very therapeutic and relaxing.

First you need to get the bees out of the super which is full of honey – there are quite a few ways to do this. The most common is to use two bee escapes (a one-way valve) in a board. The bees can go down but not come back up into the super. Remove the super to a bee tight clean room. Carefully remove the cappings, put the frames into an extractor (you can usually borrow one for the first year) and spin out the honey. Strain it and leave it to settle. Then put it into the jars and label it. If you want to sell your honey you need to check on the information that needs to be on the jars and the recommended hygiene precautions for extracting bottling and storing.

Yes. Beeswax can be made into candles, polish and cosmetics. 

 Yes. Put up a sign at your front gate or take some jars to work with you. There is a big demand for local honey. If you want to sell your honey you need to check on the information that needs to be on the jars and the recommended hygiene precautions for extracting bottling and storing.

Yes. You should check the hives every two or three weeks. If they feel light, (i.e. the stores seem to be running low and the hive is light in weight when you try to lift (heft) it, the place a pack of fondant sugar onto the top of the frames. 

Like all pets and domestic animals, there are problems to watch out for. Sadly these seem to be increasing. The most common pest is the varroa mite. This is the biggest threat to bees’ survival. You will need to regularly inspect the hives for evidence of the varroa mite and use approved treatments to try to eradicate it. 

Local strains of bees will survive the Cumbrian winters better than bees that have been imported from countries with less harsh conditions. Penrith Beekeepers Association may be able to provide you with bees from the Association Apiary. 

 

Penrith Beekeepers Association provides access to insurance cover within their full membership subscription.

Brood Diseases Insurance(BDI): although Penrith Beekeepers Association provides the cover for 3 colonies of bees, additional fees have to be paid for more colonies. The insurance certificate is E mailed/ posted out to members when annual membership is renewed.

British Beekeepers Association (BBKA)provide public and product liability cover. A BBKA membership number is given to each beekeeper subscriber annually.

If you would like to see your BBKA insurance documents then:

 

• Go to the BBKA website.
• Click on “members” tab.
• Log in. It gives details on the page but basically you enter your BBKA No. with full stops. The default Password is…. bbka_surname. You can then change it if you want.
• Type “insurance” in to the search box at top right of page and search.
• This pulls up Public Liability and BDI.
• Choose which you want and click on “read more”.
• Various options appear on bottom of page, select which one you need (eg.certificate) and print off from screen.