Q1. Is it not dangerous to keep bees in an urban environment ?
Quite simply the answer is no, it is not dangerous. However, if you suffer severe reaction to insect stings and bites, it would not be advisable to pursue this any further. Severe allergic reactions to bee stings effect around 1% of the population. Honey from urban hives has a reputation for being truly delicious.
Q2. Will we be stung regularly if I keep a Beehive in my garden ?
If you leave the bees alone and let them get on with their work, the chances of being stung are slim. In all the years we have kept hives, none of our neighbours have ever been stung. If anything our neighbours are happy observers and the beneficiaries of jars of local organic honey.
Q3. What happens if we get stung ?
We will show you how to deal with a bee sting during our initial consultation. You should be aware that unlike a wasp or hornet sting, a honeybee sting is relatively mild and only hurts for a minute or two. Honeybees only sting as a last line of defence. They die once they have stung something so they are not too keen to sting in the first place. The venom of a honeybee sting is sometimes used for medicinal purposes !
Q4. Will my cat or dog be effected by the hive ?
Your hive in the garden will be sturdy and secure once in location. From our experience, most domestic pets and urban wildlife leave well alone. Curious cats and dogs will smell the sweetness of the ripe honey towards the late summer months, but again in our experience, they leave alone and appear to be as wary as humans !
Q5. Should I tell the neighbours ?
This is completely down to you. We will always advise you to communicate to as many people as possible what is happening in your garden, it is after all, a marvellous thing. However we are more than aware that due to peoples ignorance and fear the reception to your new venture, may not always be positive. Dimplomacy is the key. You alone know how good your relationship is with your neighbours, hence we leave this decision down to you. You should also know that most neighbours will be curious as to why there's a Beekeeper in your garden ! Please do not think we can do this under the cover of dark or in disguise. At some stage one of your neighbours will ask and on that basis we would suggest prevention of anger is better than cure ! Honesty is the best policy !
Q6. What do I do if my bees swarm ?
Sadly there is little you can do. Even if they coincidentally swarm while we are there, we too would not be able to stop them actually swarming. We will take preventative measures to stop them from swarming, but even the most senior, experienced beekeepers lose bees to swarming. Swarming is a natural phenomenom. There are measures we will carry out, but swarming is one way the bees naturally divide and conquer and thousands of years of this process taking place cannot always be stopped by a single method. We will explain further in our initial consultation the issues of swarming.
Q7. How much Honey will I get ?
This is an impossible question to answer precisely. The bees honey production depends hugely on the summer weather. If the summer is long and hot, the chances are, we will harvest a larger crop than if we have a wet, short and cold summer. Bees need heat to evaporate the water from the hive and the honey cells. The warmer the summer the better chance you have of a good crop. From our personal experience, one hive averages between 28 to 42 pounds of honey in an average British summer. This can vary wildly depending on many factors.
Q8. Do I need to plant any special "Bee friendly" plants in my garden ?
No. Honeybees are magnificantly resourcefull creatures. They can fly up to 4 miles away for their source of pollen or nectar. They will find their supplies from whatever the local flora and fauna provides. If you want a specific type of honey ie Lavender honey, this is a topic we can discuss with you during the initial consultation.
Q9. Can I sell my Honey ?
You can sell your honey commercially, but the extracting and labeling process are more rigid due to EEC regulations. We carry out both of these processes as part of our service, so again this is something we can discuss with you during the consultation stage. We would always be interested in purchasing from you any honey surplus to your requirements.
Q10. Will my Natural, un-pasturised honey help with my hayfever ?
Based on the process of immunisation, a daily intake of the possible substance (pollen) that causes such misery for so many during the summer months, can only be beneficial. In our experience, and from the repeated requests we get from local HF sufferers, we can only recommend that it must assist in some way. The healing and medicinal qualities of natural honey are well documented, so again nothing but good comes from this. The only natural anti biotic known to man is Propolis, which is a substance the bees make from various natural ingredients and use as a type of cement in their hives. There are traces of Propolis in most natural raw un-pasturised honey. Propolis is also available at your local chemist
Q11. Will the bees ever harm my baby or children ?
In our experience, children are far more interested in the honeybee than most adults. We have done many talks at schools and childrens groups. Children have less fear, more curiosity and make better observers than most adults. Give them a few fascinating Bee facts and they are hooked. Common sense should prevail when it comes to babies and any stinging insect. Babies and infants should also not be given raw honey as it carries C Botulinum spores and an infants under developed immune system would not be able to cope with this benign strain.
Q12. What are the nutritional values of my natural honey ?
Honey is composed of two main sugars, levulose and dextrose. It also contains protein, vitamins and minerals, but no cholesterol. Honey also has less than 2% sodium, so, as such, can be labelled "Sodium Free". It is believed that the word honeymoon was used for the first lunar month of a newlywed couples life together. They were encouraged to drink milk and honey for that period, which they believed had many benefits including heightened virility !
Q13. Do I have enough room to keep more than one hive ?
This will depend on certain factors. We will go through the possibilities of keeping more than one hive during our consultation with you.
Q14. Where will my queen and nucleus of bees come from ?
We source all our Nucs from registered and respected suppliers. We provide Nucs from different sources so it is impossible to say precisely until we have installed them into your hive. We are always keen to have passive, hard working, disease resistant bees. The type of queen is also important and paramount in our choice.
Q15. Where should we put the hive ?
This will be decided after the initial consultation and once we have had a chance to view your garden or roof !
Q16. When can I start using HBAH.
All you have to do is call us. If you would like honey by the end of the summer (harvest time) it is best we get your hive sighted, installed and up and running by early April. The second year, should see a higher level of honey production but weather permitting, the end of your first summer should provide some honey for you.
Q17. Can I choose the style of hive and my own labels for honey ?
Yes to both questions. Hives come in various different styles, the most common being a National hive. The most recognisable and some may say the prettiest are called WBC hives so named after William Broughton Carr (he invented them), the choice is yours. We are currently promoting a wonderful National Hive made by Nick at Peak Hives. It has the practicalities of a national hive, yet is as aesthetically pleasing as a WBC. Hand made in Nicks studio in the Peak District from sustainable Cedar, sourced locally ! The labels can be whatever you want them to be, but we would suggest somewhere it says what it is in the jar and who the producer is.....i.e YOU !
