permission to put a beehive??

fersio

Hey there,

I am looking for a place to put a beehive in the Dublin area. I live in the city centre and have no garden so it is impossible for me to have it at home.

If anyone is interested in bees and their wonderful way to keep biodiversity by pollinating plants, trees and crops and has a small piece of land where the beehive can be put, please contact me.

If you have an orchard or any other plants that need the help of pollinators, the bees will definitely increase your crop.
I would prefer somewhere easy to get by public transport or cycling from the Dublin city centre since I don't have a car.

I would need to do periodic visits every 7/14 days from April to August, and just a couple of visits at the beginning of the autumn and end of the winter.

Bees are not dangerous as some people may think (anyway I would get an insurance), they just do their work as long as they are not disturbed. And it is an endangered specie, there are no more wild bees in this country so it depends on us to save this wonderful animal.

Anyone interested??

who the fug

Sorry to go OT, but the virus has wiped out all the wild bees :eek:

cianer

I'd be more than happy for you to put the hives in my garden. Its a half-acre so we can find somewhere for you to stick them in no problem. I live in Loughshinny near Skerries in the north of Dublin, and its serviced by the number 33 bus. Don't know if that's too far out for you. Drop me a pm if that's any use to you.

Cian

fersio

cianer wrote: »

I'd be more than happy for you to put the hives in my garden. Its a half-acre so we can find somewhere for you to stick them in no problem. I live in Loughshinny near Skerries in the north of Dublin, and its serviced by the number 33 bus. Don't know if that's too far out for you. Drop me a pm if that's any use to you.

Cian

Thanks for your reply Cian!! Very interested. Private message sent!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

fersio wrote: »

...there are no more wild bees in this country so it depends on us to save this wonderful animal...

I think what you are trying to do is laudable if slightly skewed in it's format. Probably more advantagous to bees to provide a suitable environment than to have a peripatetic hive with no base. I know commercial orchards rely heavily on visiting hives but a single hive is a different story. Have you been trained as a Bee-keeper? Anyway I hope it works out for you!

Just on the wild bees. Your statement is grossly inaccurate. There are plenty of "wild" bees throughout the country. Yes, numbers are in decline but stats this year so far show they survived the extrememly cold Winter quite well.

EDIT: Just a thought - this might reach the proper audience on the Gardening or Nature threads, more so than here.

fersio

Jesus Scruffy Waitress wrote: »

I think what you are trying to do is laudable if slightly skewed in it's format. Probably more advantagous to bees to provide a suitable environment than to have a peripatetic hive with no base. I know commercial orchards rely heavily on visiting hives but a single hive is a different story. Have you been trained as a Bee-keeper? Anyway I hope it works out for you!

Just on the wild bees. Your statement is grossly inaccurate. There are plenty of "wild" bees throughout the country. Yes, numbers are in decline but stats this year so far show they survived the extrememly cold Winter quite well.

I don't think the problem of the bees is the cold winters, they also survive in Germany or Sweden to much colder winters. Their main problem now is the varroa mite and other diseases such as american foul brood and european foul brood. I meant that there are no more wild honeybees, I know that there are still another species of bees around, sorry for the inaccuracy. And yes, I have been trained as a beekeeper, practically and theoretically, have you heard of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers' Associations (FIBKA) examinations?

seamus

fersio wrote: »

there are no more wild bees in this country so it depends on us to save this wonderful animal.

Are you sure? There are bees *everywhere* in our estate. Huge bastards they are too, about the size of a monkey nut. Maybe someone up in the hills has a hive and they're coming down, but there are lots of them.

cianer

seamus wrote: »

Are you sure? There are bees *everywhere* in our estate. Huge bastards they are too, about the size of a monkey nut. Maybe someone up in the hills has a hive and they're coming down, but there are lots of them.

Most bees don't live in hives as far as I'm aware. Honey bees do alright which I think is where we get the notion of bees living in hives but lots of them don't. Honey bees live in colonies of thousands to a hive and the hives are permanent but bumblebees only live in hives of 200-400 bees and the hives are temporary. The queen sets up the hive in an old mouse nest or similar in spring and the hive dies off at the end of autumn with the new queen(s) burrowing into the ground to overwinter. Other species of bees such as Mason bees are solitary creatures and don't live in a hive at all just in holes in wood.

Since mason bees don't have a hive or honey to defend they are not aggressive so you can make bee "hotels" such as this one http://soggibottom.blogspot.com/2009/06/free-plans-and-instructions-how-to.html to hang in your garden. Its cool to watch them doing their thing. Consider me suitably jealous that you have loads of bees in your estate - the numbers round our way are going down (hence why I have bee hotels up).

As far as "no more wild bees in this country" goes he is referring to honey bees, and he is unfortunately correct. I was stunned to discover recently that honey bees no longer exist in the wild due to viruses and environmental challenges and exist only under the care of beekeepers. Bumblebees are going the same way - see http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bumblebees_in_crisis.htm if you are interested.

Drake66

Jesus Scruffy Waitress wrote: »

I think what you are trying to do is laudable if slightly skewed in it's format. Probably more advantagous to bees to provide a suitable environment than to have a peripatetic hive with no base. I know commercial orchards rely heavily on visiting hives but a single hive is a different story. Have you been trained as a Bee-keeper? Anyway I hope it works out for you!

Just on the wild bees. Your statement is grossly inaccurate. There are plenty of "wild" bees throughout the country. Yes, numbers are in decline but stats this year so far show they survived the extrememly cold Winter quite well.

EDIT: Just a thought - this might reach the proper audience on the Gardening or Nature threads, more so than here.

Why? Many people keep urban beehives in the U.K; even in central London. People keep beehives off the Champs-Elysees in Paris and have done so for many years. In fact there is AFAIK empirical evidence that urban colonies are far healthier than colonies exposed to the ignorant and chemical warfare based farming of the countryside.

More people should be doing what the OP is doing and they should not be discouraged. Well done to him I say.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

seamus wrote: »

Are you sure? There are bees *everywhere* in our estate. Huge ****** they are too, about the size of a monkey nut. Maybe someone up in the hills has a hive and they're coming down, but there are lots of them.

What you describe sound like Bumble Bees. Google an Image to check.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

fersio wrote: »

I don't think the problem of the bees is the cold winters, they also survive in Germany or Sweden to much colder winters. Their main problem now is the varroa mite and other diseases such as american foul brood and european foul brood. I meant that there are no more wild honeybees, I know that there are still another species of bees around, sorry for the inaccuracy. And yes, I have been trained as a beekeeper, practically and theoretically, have you heard of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers' Associations (FIBKA) examinations?

Oh I am very familiar with FIBKA - an excellent organisation all round. I am certain that cold Winters do have an effect on wild bee populations - well researched.
I agree varroa is a problem but not the biggest threat.

There are still wild honeybee colonies in Ireland. They are the exact same species as the domestic hives. I knew you meant Honey bees that is why I replied. Wild honeybees exist in Ireland! Fact.

Anyway, congrats on your beekeeping certification and I hope you enjoy the experience. It is a really worthwhile hobby - I have dabbled myself for 25 years.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Drake66 wrote: »

Why? Many people keep urban beehives in the U.K; even in central London. People keep beehives off the Champs-Elysees in Paris and have done so for many years. In fact there is AFAIK empirical evidence that urban colonies are far healthier than colonies exposed to the ignorant and chemical warfare based farming of the countryside.

More people should be doing what the OP is doing and they should not be discouraged. Well done to him I say.

You are being pedantic. I said other actions would be more beneficial. Not that his/her proposal was unworkable. I am well aware of urban hives. The health claim is pushing it. I keep bees. Do you? I have seen the research papers and nothing is proven either way. Urban hives can work if large public parks etc are available. But the OP wanted to help bio-diverstity and while bees are important the environment to sustain wild populations is more important. Tha's all i meant.

seamus

Jesus Scruffy Waitress wrote: »

What you describe sound like Bumble Bees. Google an Image to check.

I never knew that the bee world was so varied. Yes, these are all your standard bumble bees I'm seeing.

cianer

seamus wrote: »

Yes, these are all your standard bumble bees I'm seeing.

Cool! If you want them to hang around nesting sites are simple to make. An upturned plant pot & a length of tube is all you need. http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/nest_boxes.htm

arse..biscuits

Hi, I got my first hive last week and I'm going to set it on top of a building just off Thomas street. I hear the hives do well in the city.

morganafay

arse..biscuits wrote: »

Hi, I got my first hive last week and I'm going to set it on top of a building just off Thomas street. I hear the hives do well in the city.

You should put it inside one of those giant colourful head things on Thomas St, now that would be art! Those heads are scary enough when you're drunk, but imagine if they were full of bees!

wildlifeboy

how much is a hive i would like one.

arse..biscuits

Starter kit with everything you need (except bees) €295
You can't just go for it though, you need to learn the basics first, attend a bee keeping course.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Do not just go and buy a hive of bees. Contact the Federation of Irish Beekeepers' Associations (FIBKA) . This is not something to take up on a fancy.

Yi Harr

arse..biscuits wrote: »

Hi, I got my first hive last week and I'm going to set it on top of a building just off Thomas street. I hear the hives do well in the city.

Fairplay, would be interested to hear how they do. Suppose you've got the phoenix park just down the road from you. Got my bees last week, all's well so far. Quite addictive and very easy to lose hours just watching them. If only there was a way to train them.

imokyrok

Yi Harr wrote: »

Fairplay, would be interested to hear how they do. Suppose you've got the phoenix park just down the road from you. Got my bees last week, all's well so far. Quite addictive and very easy to lose hours just watching them. If only there was a way to train them.

It's amazing how addictive watching wildlife can be. I spent hours bent over my raised pond waching tadpoles metamorphize into tiny frogs the size of your thumb nail and then even more time watching them climbing all over the place. Got my lower back badly sunburned when my t-shirt rode up my back:D