We advise potential beekeepers to come to our teaching apiary and handle a colony on several occasions before purchasing bees or equipment. You need to make sure that beekeeping is for you and that you are comfortable at getting stung. Although the majority of stings are accidental being stung regularly is a part of beekeeping and the wearing of protective clothing won't prevent it. After a short introduction a significant number decide against going any further for a number of reasons. We have experienced a lot of people who have bought equipment and bees, then quickly give up beekeeping because they don't like getting stung. and this could have easily been avoided with a more cautious approach. There is a fairly high level of learning and commitment required, and you will need to get up to speed quite quickly, because beekeeping is not as easy as it once was. Beekeeping is not about buying a hive of bees, putting it at the bottom of the garden and taking honey at the end of the season. There is much more to it than that.
At our teaching apiary there are plenty of opportunities to handle bees under supervision and we can help you get started if you wish to do so, and when you are ready. We usually start by letting beginners handle small colonies on their own, and this can be very different from a full colony. The latter you could easily have at home where you are handling it on your own without help. Please speak to us before investing in equipment as the bee appliance catalogues are full of gadgets you don't need, and it is easy to buy things such as a hive that is unsuitable. There are several designs available and the drawbacks of some may not be obvious. Many beekeepers have made expensive mistakes in this area. It is easy for someone with reasonably good woodworking skills to make a beehive, but there are some dimensions that are critical so once again please speak to us first. Don't just copy an existing hive, as it may be wrong.
Even the purchase of something like a book may seem simple, but some are much better than others, and it makes sense to get sound advice first. See "Book Review" It may sound a good idea to give someone a "starter pack" as a present, but we would advise against that until the recipient is satisfied they are happy to start, and even then please seek guidance, as you could be making a gift of something that will cause subsequent problems to the recipient. Due to the large influx of potential beekeepers we are arranging special sessions at our teaching apiary called the "Preliminary Group". These are in addition to our scheduled meetings. Please see "Diary of Events" for details.
If you wish to become involved with Wisborough Green please speak to us first before purchasing bees or equipment, as there are a few serious pitfalls and we are here to help you avoid them. Disease is one problem with bees, and we have experience of poor service and goods from some sources, some of which may not be obvious to a novice.
We would strongly advise against buying bees or queens that have recently been imported, as they may introduce pests and diseases that we currently haven't got, as well as being unsuitable for our climate. It may be easy to think all bees are the same but they aren't and we try to get people to understand this. Some bees are much more prolific than others and quickly build up into huge colonies that are very difficult for a beginner to deal with, and others are known to be very regular swarmers.
We have a scheme where a person without bees can make up a hive from a flat pack, install a nucleus of bees, and keep them at our Association apiary where they can treat them as their own colony. They can handle it under guidance as part of the meeting and see the colony develop. If they decide they don't want to pursue beekeeping they are free to leave at any time without paying anything, or if they wish to continue they can purchase the colony for a pre-agreed figure which is well below the normal market value. This avoids the problem of disposing of equipment and gives the opportunity of starting for a very reasonable cost with new equipment and good bees. This is a valuable resource, not only in bees but time given freely by our Demonstrators. For these reasons the Beginners Package will only be offered to those who show a high level of promise in the understanding of the workings and needs of a colony of bees, handling ability and overall commitment to their continued welfare.
Currently there is a shortage of bees and we ask the budding beekeeper to be patient in order to avoid any problems. There is no room for a "Must have, and must have it now" mentality.