Norfolk Honey - getting started in beekeeping

Honey comb ready for extraction

Getting started in beekeeping

You have wanted to keep bees for years but just how do you get started? Do you read a book? Watch a video? Go on a beekeeping course? Buy the bees and get stuck in? Join your local beekeeping association? Where can you get help and advice?

A good place to start is to visit the British Bee Keeper's website http://www.britishbee.org.uk/

Training and Courses

Before you start your bee-keeping you could be well advised make contact with your local bee-keeper who can give you tips and tricks and local contacts. If you are in or near Norwich you can contact me if not visit the British Beekeepers' Association's website to find your local assopciation.

Training courses in practical beekeeping give you a hands on experience. At the end of a practical beekeeping course you will know how to open a beehive and what to look for in order to assess the condition of the hive.

In Norfolk, Eastern College offer a practical bee-keeping course in the spring -- see their web site for the Practical Bee-Keeping course If you are reading this in the summer and can't wait for the spring to find out about how to start bee-keeping you can sign up for their winter course Introduction to bee-keeping.

Norfolk beekeeping courses run by Eastern College -- click here to go to their site
Their course tutor is Paul Metcalf -- watch his video -- click here to buy Paul Metcalf's video
Paul is also the president of the Norfolk Bee Keepers Association -- click here to go to the Norfolk Bee Keepers site

Most counties in the UK have beekeepers association that are affiliated to the British Beekeepers' Association

If you have read the books and feel ready to jump in at the deep end then you can buy the bees and take my online beekeeping course. email me for more details.

If you are in Norwich and would like join me a practical beekeeping course on Saturday mornings please email me

If you are in Norfolk and would like to buy bees and equipment -- read on

New equipment with bees

If you are looking to get started in beekeeping - but are short of time - this could be just the thing for you - a new hive with a mesh floor with a nuc of bees indside locked down and ready to travel.

Beekeeping equipment

Specialist beekeeping equipment is available from a range of bee keeping equipment suppliers many of those bee keeping equipment suppliers have local agents who hold a selection of their stock items. Hopefully as time goes by you will be able to find those suppliers and stockist's (those who have web sites) in our directory You can also find bee-keeping equipment suppliers in the Yellow Pages

Setting up your apiary

The position of your beehives is important if you have close neighbours for obvious reasons. other than that an open patch of ground a few yards square that is protected from the attention of large animals and is not exposed to excessive winds is all you need.

Buying your bees

Now for the exciting part -- buying your first hive of bees . Needless to say not all honey bees are the same when it comes to how much honey they make, if they like swarming or if they aggressively protect their hives. When you are new to bee-keeping it will be hard for you to assess one hive of bees from another. Until you have had some practical experience of opening up more than one beehive you won't know the difference between one hive of bees and the next.

For the past few years I have been actively selecting bees that are easy to handle for beginners -- please read my page on bees

Getting started 2008 - click here for a new hive with bees

(If you want to give a present to a beginner in Norfolk UK in the form of a voucher please email me)

If you are based in Norfolk you can email me for my mobile number

If you want to keep bees on your propertty but have someone else look after them please consider my hire a hive scheme.

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