The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

Primrose · 14 May 2019 at 1:28PM

Yes, some wild bees do nest in the ground so try and keep that area as dry and sheltered as possible to prevent them being drowned out and you will have the summer to enjoy them. They will die off in winter as the temperature turns colder.as wasps do at the end of a season when they build their incredible "paper lantern" nests.

System · 14 May 2019 at 1:30PM

Thanks Primrose :-)

baggins11 · 14 May 2019 at 1:46PM

It was lovely to read your post SuffolkLass. I hope to have a go at beekeeping in the future when I have more time to learn how to keep them. I heard on the Jeremy Vine radio show a while ago bees were taking over a church roof and honey was dripping down the walls! Churchgoers where worried about getting stung or the roof falling in so someone went in and rehomed them. Apparently they go all over the country adopting and rehoming bees. Such a wonderful thing to do.

I hope you get your pipe dream CAFCGirl. I nearly gave up on our dream 10 years ago as I thought it was unobtainable. We are now less than a year in to having our smallholding and I pinch myself every day. We had to take massive risks and big compromises to get here though and uprooted our family to a much cheaper area of the country where we knew no one and had no connections. We also didn't have jobs to go to so it was a bit of a white knuckle ride to begin with but has been totally worth it. Don't give up on the dream.

Suffolk_lass · 14 May 2019 at 2:53PM

Bee update - apparently there are swarms around locally - it is really warm today - one in the nearby town and my neighbour knocked this morning to say he might have a second swarm. We don't have a second hive ready. We could let them "camp" in one with no innards (they form their own structure in the roof and organise it for themselves), but not having the wax sheets in ready means they expend lots of energy making the structure for the brood and the food and the hive is unlikely to thrive. I can see us shopping for more kit or referring people on to the Suffolk Beekeepers Association (these associations will often collect swarms from far and wide).

baggins11 you can do a one day course to get you started (and we have the classic Bees and Honey book by Ted Hooper - link) - You might be able to find one in a charity shop or online market place for a few pennies. For me there is no substitute for watching to learn.

CAFCGirl · 14 May 2019 at 8:43PM

baggins11 wrote: »

It was lovely to read your post SuffolkLass. I hope to have a go at beekeeping in the future when I have more time to learn how to keep them. I heard on the Jeremy Vine radio show a while ago bees were taking over a church roof and honey was dripping down the walls! Churchgoers where worried about getting stung or the roof falling in so someone went in and rehomed them. Apparently they go all over the country adopting and rehoming bees. Such a wonderful thing to do.

I hope you get your pipe dream CAFCGirl. I nearly gave up on our dream 10 years ago as I thought it was unobtainable. We are now less than a year in to having our smallholding and I pinch myself every day. We had to take massive risks and big compromises to get here though and uprooted our family to a much cheaper area of the country where we knew no one and had no connections. We also didn't have jobs to go to so it was a bit of a white knuckle ride to begin with but has been totally worth it. Don't give up on the dream.

Definitely gives me hope Baggins.
We're in the lucky (sort of) position that DH's salary is national so we'd be better off in the North. We just have zero capital, and outstanding debts. But DS's educational style means we can go wherever we wanted. I stay hopeful LOL

baggins11 · 15 May 2019 at 7:46AM

That sounds really good CAGCGirl especially about the schools. Finding an area with a good school and spaces was by far my biggest stumbling block when I looked at areas. It will give you so much more flexibility.

Suffolk_lass · 15 May 2019 at 8:20AM

The bees are not happy - I think we may lose them. DH had to go back to the original garden for a second time last night (it was a bit late really) and they did not settle. They refused to properly enter the hive and nestled in the entrance for the night. We popped a blanket over the hive to minimise the deaths of the outside bees but it is not a good sign. I need to go out and remove it.

I have lots of stuff to do round there today and I could do without a swarm trying to find better accommodation if I am honest!

unrecordings · 15 May 2019 at 9:07AM

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

The bees are not happy - I think we may lose them. DH had to go back to the original garden for a second time last night (it was a bit late really) and they did not settle. They refused to properly enter the hive and nestled in the entrance for the night. We popped a blanket over the hive to minimise the deaths of the outside bees but it is not a good sign. I need to go out and remove it.

I have lots of stuff to do round there today and I could do without a swarm trying to find better accommodation if I am honest!

When my neighbour retrieved his swarm once - into some kind of transit box, I'm sure there was some trick he used (other than getting the queen in there) - but really can't remember what it was, and unfortunately they're on holiday this week. Clutching at straws, maybe they're too close to the original colony ?

Suffolk_lass · 15 May 2019 at 10:33AM

Thanks for your thoughts unrecordings, the thing they use to calm the bees is smoke. The box they collect them in is called a skep. I don't think the closeness is the issue as the original colony is next door to where we collected them from - and they won't let our queen or her gang back in - having ejected them. My fear is that the hive is not clean enough for them - it was a last-minute cobble together job. I might call someone in the SBKA for a bit of advice

zafiro1984 · 15 May 2019 at 6:30PM

Suffolk Lass really fascinating about the bees, enjoyed reading about them. Hope all ends well for both you and the bees.

Yesterday planted out some celery, more beetroot and continued with the tidying up.
Today just watered and checked the seeds. That was it for the day, came indoors and did some housework - not my most favourite pastime, but needs to be done.

I'm going to sort through my freezers soon as I need to use up last years small bounty. What we can't/don't use - mainly cucumbers and courgettes - will give to the chickens as a treat.

I knew I'd grown too many cucs last year so this year I only grew 2. Planted out both but one died. Now I'm in a panic hoping the other will survive and that I have enough.

The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

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