FAQs
I’m interested in keeping bees, how do I get started?
Keeping honey bees is a fascinating and rewarding hobby. Even if you keep bees for a lifetime you will never know everything there is to know about the remarkable honey bee. As a first step, it is probably most helpful for you to consider why you want bees. Do you want to help the bees, as there are other ways to do it without becoming a beekeeper, such as planting for bees, providing a habitat for bumble or solitary bees or buying local honey. Unfortunately, there is a common misconception that a hive of bees in the garden would be a nice addition which doesn’t require very much knowledge or effort to look after - not true! In much the same way as you wouldn’t (we hope!) just go out and buy a herd of cattle without any prior knowledge and stick them in a field to ‘get on with it’, the same applies to beekeeping. Bees are livestock and need good husbandry skills to keep them healthy and happy. Keeping bees is a serious commitment and requires time, effort and expense. Also patience! It will take at least two to three years to acquire most of the skills you will need to become a competent beekeeper.
Here are a few things to consider: are you prepared to go and collect your bees if they swarm? What about extracting honey? Can you do weekly inspections spring and summer? Do you have sufficient DIY skills to assemble your hives and frames? Will you join and attend your local beekeeping association and continue to learn? Do you have a suitable site for hives? Bees and small gardens do not always mix. What about your neighbours?
If you have read this far and not been put off because it all sounds like too much hard work, please read on...! You will likely be one of those people for whom beekeeping becomes not just an absorbing hobby, but also a passion.
There is a lot of helpful information in the two BBKA news articles listed below, along with good advice for those starting out available on the National Bee Unit website.
Some good books to start you off are the Haynes Bee Manual by Claire Waring and Ted Hooper’s Guide to Bees and Honey. Use the BBKA (British Beekeepers Association) website to find your local beekeeping association, become a member and attend their training courses (the theory course in the autumn/winter months, and the practical in spring/summer). It is really important to do at least the theory course before you get bees. It is best practice to complete both theory and practical courses before getting your first hive. Acquiring bees without any training often does not result in a good outcome for the bees. The theory course is also useful because, for some attendees, it is at this point they realise that beekeeping is not for them, before they have gone to the trouble and expense of buying bees and equipment.
How much does it cost to start up?
The cost will vary depending on the type of hive you choose and where you buy, but expect to pay at least £500 for a hive and bees. Have a look at prices on reputable beekeeping supplier sites, such as Thornes. You may be able to pick up some decent equipment in the sales. You’ll need to add more for beekeeping jacket/suit, training and membership, so all told your initial outlay will be around £700-800. It is best not to try and save money on your bee clothing as cheaper items often don’t last more than a season or two, whereas the more expensive ones can last for years. They also perform better, increasing your confidence when handling bees. The biggest outlay will be at the start to get all your equipment; again, try and buy the best kit you can afford (eg cedar hives will outlast pine). In addition, you will also have yearly expenses such as buying frames, foundation, more kit, jars etc. If your bees do well and you are able to take off excess honey from the hive, you can sell this to provide a small income to offset your expenses. But you will not get rich from keeping bees!
What beginners courses do you offer?
We run two training courses, a six week theory course in the autumn and a practical course at our training apiary in the spring. The theory course usually starts in November and the practical in May. All those completing the theory course are automatically enrolled on the practical course. You can register an interest for our upcoming courses by emailing info@newburybeekeepers.org.uk. Our courses normally fill up quickly but we do have a waiting list, so please email us.
Will I get a mentor?
We do not have a formal mentorship scheme but will always aim to support new beekeepers through their first year or two on a more informal basis. We encourage new beekeepers to join our friendly private group Facebook page and attend our Association meetings, for help and advice. We also have a dedicated Members page with further resources..
Can someone come and check out my planned apiary site and advise me on setting one up?
If you are a member of the Association the best way to get help and advice is to post the details (with photos) on our Facebook page. Otherwise you can get in touch via the Members page of the website.
If you are not a member then please read the BBKA News article ‘Starting out from Scratch’ which has useful advice about apiary sites.
I’m not sure what type of membership to sign up for?
There are different types of membership available depending on whether or not you have bees. If you are a beginner and already have (or are intending to get) bees, then you should become a Registered Member of the Association. This means you are a full member of both Newbury & District Association and the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) - the latter, importantly, gives you public and product liability insurance and bee disease insurance. You will need these insurances eg, if you sell honey/other hive products, collect swarms or your bees get specific diseases.
If you are waiting for a place on our training course, we invite you to become a Registered Member. You can attend meetings/events and chat to other beekeepers on our private Facebook page.
If you are already a registered member of another beekeepers association but also wish to join Newbury, then you can become an Associate Member. You have all the benefits of Newbury membership, but your BBKA membership/insurance is covered under your other association membership.
If you are a beekeeper but without BBKA membership and insurance then you should apply to become a Registered Member, to ensure you and your bees are covered.
If you do not keep bees but are interested in joining, you can become a Country Member.
If you are the partner of a Registered Member or an Associate Member, you can apply for the appropriate partner membership.
Further details about the various membership options are summarized on our Membership Form
I’ve heard about Flow Hives - are they safe for bees and do they work in this area?
The Flow Hive is a new type of hive developed in Australia, designed to make it easier for the beekeeper to extract honey. They are very expensive compared to normal hives, although some cheaper copies are now coming onto the market. It is important to stress that you will still have to look after your bees in all the usual ways, so you will need to be a trained beekeeper, which means regular inspections, check for pests and diseases, collect your bees if they swarm, ensure the colony is queen right, use best practice methods of husbandry...the list is endless!
The Flow Hive is not an easy way to keep bees or get into beekeeping. It is not a shortcut for learning the craft of beekeeping. All it does is potentially offer an easier method of removing honey (which is dependent on the local flora, eg, if you are in an oil seed rape area you would need to remove the honey quickly before it sets, otherwise the Flow system, designed for runny honey, won’t work). Many beekeepers are concerned that this type of hive increases the chances of untrained or inexperienced beekeepers removing too much honey, leaving the bees to starve, and unfortunately there are cases of this happening. There is no reason why a trained and competent beekeeper could not keep bees in a Flow Hive. Regardless of hive type, we believe that all beekeepers should be fully trained and informed and adopt a responsible and holistic attitude to keeping these wonderful animals.
I represent a school/other organisation, we have some land and would like to have beehives.
The same points above about starting out in beekeeping also apply here. Who will do the beekeeping? Often an organisation is so keen to have beehives they overlook this very important point! If one or two of your teachers/employees train to be the beekeeper and later leave your organisation, or lose interest, what happens then? For schools, the busiest time in the beekeeping year coincides with the summer holidays, so who will be looking after the bees?
If you would prefer to host some beehives on your land, it might be better to ask your local beekeeping association if one of its members would like to site some hives there, assuming the location is suitable for keeping bees.
I live in the area and would like to host beehives on my land, do you have anyone who would like to set up an apiary?
Please get in touch with us at info@newburybeekeepers.org.uk giving us more details about the location, access, photos etc and we will see if any of our members are interested.
I would like to buy a hive/some bees as a gift for someone, can you advise me?
That is a lovely idea, but first try and find out if the recipient likes bees and is not allergic to stings. We would advise instead to gift them a beekeeping training day or training course locally. After that, they will either be keen as mustard, or not at all interested in keeping bees! You can also gift them membership of their local beekeeping association. The British Beekeepers Association website (www.bbka.org.uk) has a postcode search option to find your nearest Association.
If your recipient has already been on a training course and is set on becoming a beekeeper, then a good option would be to buy them a gift voucher from a reputable beekeeping supplier such as Thornes or Paynes, so that they can choose their own equipment. The choice can be bewildering to a non-beekeeper; there are many different types of hives, so a gift voucher is the best option unless you have the exact details of what is on their wish list!
Please do not ever buy bees for an untrained novice, as a surprise or otherwise - there is rarely a good outcome for the bees in this situation.
I think I have a swarm of bees, can you help?
Yes we can. Please visit our Swarm page for help, information and contact number now!
We are a school/club/other organisation and would like a beekeeper to give a talk to us about bees, is this something you can do?
Some of our members do give talks about bees. During Covid restrictions, this may only be possible someone available to do a talk, but we will try and help where we can. You can get in touch with us at info@newburybeekeepers.org.uk
I would like to make a donation to the Association, how can I do this?
Thank you, that’s so nice of you! The Association is run entirely by volunteers who offer services such as swarm collection free of charge, so all donations are very gratefully received. You can donate here on our gofundme page