Had my first Bee Inspection today....

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Had my first Bee Inspection today....

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joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 07 1:37 pm Post subject: Had my first Bee Inspection today....

And me and the girls passed with flying colours

My girls are doing so well, the Bee Inspector thinks I should even get some honey off this year - so in a mad panic I've had to place an order with Thornes for a Queen Excluder and super frames and foundation - Didn't think I'd need any this year with starting so late in the season plus the bad weather so I've been concentrating on getting the brood chamber built up ready for Winter.

Apparently as I'm the only Beekeeper in my area (within foraging distance anyway) and my hive is in a suburban environment, I'm very likely to get a good crop of honey because my bee's haven't got any competition for forage.

I can't believe that they've built up so fast - in less than a week despite the rain they've drawn out 4 Brood frames and even have capped honey in them! - especially When you think I haven't had them a month yet

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 07 2:03 pm Post subject:
tell me more about the Bee Inspector's visit. What did he do?

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 07 3:51 pm Post subject:
Basically he just went through the hive looking for disease in the brood but he also made some recommendations about what I should do etc - I was very nervous but it was a most useful and educational experience

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 07 3:54 pm Post subject:
did you invite him or did he contact you to come and see your hive? I know very little about this side of beekeeping. How often do they visit?

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 07 4:05 pm Post subject:

I got a letter from the Bee Inspection Unit which is part of DEFRA - Apparently the computer spits out so many names a day - If you are a member of the BBKA and have the BDI insurance you will get a visit at some point

They are currently building up something called the BeeBase which I think is supposed to be a list of all Beekeepers in the UK and if you are a new Beekeeper they can't add you without inspecting you - mainly I think its used for notification purposes of AFB (American Foul Brood) and EFB (European Foul Brood)

I think he usually inspects about once a year or maybe even every 2 years - I'm not sure

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 07 4:11 pm Post subject:

jocorless wrote:

Basically he just went through the hive looking for disease in the brood but he also made some recommendations about what I should do etc ...

Anything unusual, unexpected, generally interesting/useful?

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 07 4:28 pm Post subject:
No not really - it was more the revelation that I'm likely to get honey off my colony this year and I need to get my hive down to one brood box - I've currently got it on 2 x 6 frames (including dummy boards) as I was told that the bee's would draw down/out the foundation neater

woodsprite

Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 2943
Location: North Herefordshire

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 07 4:49 pm Post subject:

We requested a visit when we first got our bees.
The area bee inspector is a member of our bbka group and we asked if he'd swing by and have a look. Very useful man to know not least because he'll know about all the disease and nasties in your area and is a mine of info. Unlike most experienced beekeepers his advice is not biased or 'set in his ways' as he sees every kind of beekeeper and method and can pass on what works and what doesn't.

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