I’ve been involved in beekeeping now for about five years. I started off having some basic theory training run by the Cheshire BBKA at Dale Farm. It was a small group of people and they covered the basics such as types of hives and the tools involved. It was good fun (though tough going as it was right after work).

Some bees doing a bee thing

I then moved onto practical lessons at Ness Gardens with John and Christine Hebron. These guys were really thorough and the value for money really good – I basically spent Sunday of the summer at Ness taking apart and inspecting hives. Hot, and hard work, but I learnt a lot and realised how much I didn’t know.

One of the Hives at Ness Gardens – with a Wasp

It was then time to look at getting some beehives. I followed the advice of John and decided to get three hives (though I only needed one). This is so you’ve got plenty of spares and can quickly expand. We did a deal on some old hives and I got some paint and sorted them out.

Beekeeping – tough work in the summer

After buying a queen I popped her in the hives and the hive expanded. So much so, even after I tried to prevent them from doing so – they swarmed.