Comments on: Beekeeping – A Good Location for a Beehive? https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2010/05/beekeeping-a-good-location-for-a-beehive/ Tales from a down-shifted family - Making the most of modest means in West Wales Thu, 13 May 2010 08:30:51 +0000 hourly 1 By: Alan https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2010/05/beekeeping-a-good-location-for-a-beehive/#comment-18467 Thu, 13 May 2010 08:30:51 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=4502#comment-18467 Excellent, the BKA’s are normally very helpful so Im sure you are in good hands. Remember and ask how to get your hands on some local bees and even some second hand equipment. They may even help you install them.

Had a look at your hive location pic. It looks fairly sheltered, remember to position it so the bees fly out and are forced up, this is best for a variety of reasons: 1. it gives the bees a good vantage point in which to spot forage and 2. it stops the bees flightpath being an area commonly used by humans and so less collisions will happen.

Well Im glad you have found help and I have been of some.

]]> By: Alan https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2010/05/beekeeping-a-good-location-for-a-beehive/#comment-18466 Thu, 13 May 2010 08:29:32 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=4502#comment-18466 Hallo Al,
One of our Conwy BKA members is working the farm on Bardsey Island, Ynys Enlli, and he keeps bees there. He moved there with his young family three years ago. Bardsey is a windy place, but he gets good crops of honey, from the thrift flowers I think. He sells the honey to visitors at £3.20 for a 150g jar, much more than we can get for a jar on the mainland.
You may have sea lavender in reach. They say it produces plenty of honey.
Have a look at our website for info on beekeeping on Bardsey.
Good luck.
Peter McFadden
http://www.conwybeekeepers.org.uk

]]> By: Alan https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2010/05/beekeeping-a-good-location-for-a-beehive/#comment-18465 Thu, 13 May 2010 08:29:03 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=4502#comment-18465 Al. I know Borth well. I spent many a happy day there surfing as young lad. lol.

It is a pretty unique place weather wise. Given its open disposition and coastal frontage.

I suspect the bees as long as you can give a wind break to the hive, will cope ok. You would be surprised at how tough they are.

John

]]> By: Alan https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2010/05/beekeeping-a-good-location-for-a-beehive/#comment-18464 Thu, 13 May 2010 08:28:22 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=4502#comment-18464 I live right by the sea on the north coast of Cornwall – wild sandy dunes in front and wild uncultivated land on nat trust headland to most of the rear (apart from neighbours) Bees are semi-sheltered by hedge on 2 sides, and garden netting 2 metres high on the other 2 sides. They face NE – not ideal but S/SW takes them right across the neighbour (who they still manage to paste with cleansing flights) The bees have done very well on the forage – particularly the ivy in sept last – and brought an amazing few frames of honey from random sedums which grow wild. They continue to thrive – unfortunately I have to move them because of their cleansing flights. But they certainly found plenty of random forage – gorse, blackthorn, wild privet, bramble, hawthorn, bit of rosebay willow herb, various fruit trees, ivy of course and weird and wonderful plants that I don’t know about!! Hope this info helps. We get massive Swesterly winds and cold northerlys – I did overwinter on a BB & 2 supers tho, so bees could go up. One hive was a WBC & the other a swarm in a national – both colonies still going well.

Gill

]]> By: Alan https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2010/05/beekeeping-a-good-location-for-a-beehive/#comment-18463 Thu, 13 May 2010 08:27:58 +0000 http://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/?p=4502#comment-18463 I’ve been asking about some of my concerns about keeping bees here on a few forums: http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/

I’ll post some of the replies I’ve got below:

Al.

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