The Bee-ginning

July 2012

We are the Hobbs' and we live on the outskirts of Newport on the Isle of Wight. We are lucky enough to rent an allotment at the very end of our garden, which over the last 6 years has become an extension of our living space. My children literally are cabbage patch kids as they have grown up amongst the veggies! As well as the veggies we are interested in other aspects of self sufficiency, Gary fishes and occasional shoots, he also has a source of chickens which he kills and preps and I like jam making and preserving. However we are far, far, far away from being self sufficient! We would love to get some livestock, but are not allowed to keep it on the plot and do not have enough room in the garden. Several months ago Gary mentioned Bee's and straight away I loved the idea. I remember watching one of the first documentaries several years ago about the issues bees were facing and was shocked at how endangered they were. But it didn't enter my head that we would end up thinking we could actually keep them.

Anyway, anyone who knows me, knows once I get an idea in my head that is it, so I started researching and my first resource was the IOW beekeepers Association. I also emailed my council to see if they would allow us hives on the plot, which they agreed in princable as they have been trailling it, at another site in Newport. We managed to get a contact for the association and she kindly agreed to show us around VERA an allotment site in Cowes where they have been sharing several colonies for some years. Here are a few pictures of our visit.

For our first encouter with real hives I was surprised that if the fences and the posters had not been there you would be none the wiser. Whilst stood a couple of metres away I did not have 1 bee approach me and I think this is the first misconception of bees, I had visions of them swarming around my head. If we were not totally inspired before we went to VERA then we were now! The fruit trees down there were laden and the veggies were visibly more productive then those on our own site. So Gary decided to sign up for the bee keeping course next Spring, which here on the island is based at the beautiful Quarr Abbey, where the IOWBKA have their training apiary.

In the meantime I was reading as many bee keeping books as I could, it was more practical for Gary to go on the course, but I was gutted I couldn't do it myself and so swatting was the only alternative. We had started thinking about the best location for the hives and had started toying with the idea of making them ourselves, but there wasn't much more we could do until Gary had completed the course in Spring. How surprised were we when I received an email in August saying that they were having taster days at Quarr Abbey as the waiting list for the spring was too big!!

So Gary got to go on a 2 hour taster session consisting of 1 hour theory and 1 hour practical. I was so releived when he said he had enjoyed it and hadn't been freaked by the bees as some of the others had.

The next day we visited The Bee Garden a new shop in Godshill on the island who stock all the necessary equipment. We came home with 2 essential purchases.

A smoker, which the boy's couldn't wait to get their hands on (with no bees the slug population got the brunt, apparently they don't like it very much). And a beautiful honey pot.

It was so cute it had to be done, however I think there is a little wishful thinking here! But it is done; our first purchases made, there is not turning back!!!!

And this bring's you to where we are today patiently waiting for Spring. But please pop back soon to follow our progress, I am going to be reveiwing some of the books I have read so far and Gary is still on a mission to find some hive plans that make sense and if he does we may go into production, not to mention the great hive debate, WBC v Nationals v Rose?
Fell free to leave comments and visit us again soon.

The Hobbs'
(Bee Keeping Novices)