Encouraging bees

Blondie919

Does anyone know where I could get a swarm of bees? My sister wants to get them for her garden to encourage them to live and spread there. Is this even possible? It's a great idea I think but can it be done? A friend of a friend has honeybees but they require a lot of work?
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Blondie919 wrote: »

Does anyone know where I could get a swarm of bees? My sister wants to get them for her garden to encourage them to live and spread there. Is this even possible? It's a great idea I think but can it be done? A friend of a friend has honeybees but they require a lot of work?
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A swarm of bees will be a swarm of honeybees? So there's a bit of work involved in tending to them.

If your sister wants bees in general visiting her garden (bumblebees, solitary bees, other people's honeybees, etc.) there's loads she can do in terms of providing forage and places for them to live.

Plenty of detail here

Apiarist

Blondie919 wrote: »

....My sister wants to get them for her garden to encourage them to live and spread there. Is this even possible? ....

Yes, it is possible, but bees need to be looked after. This is not much of work if one knows what to do. My advice would be for your sister to enroll into a beekeeping class either
- with the local association, find one at https://irishbeekeeping.ie/about-us/find-a-beekeepers-association-near-you/ . Courses usually start in February and run for 2 months (one evening a week).
- one-week course in Gormanston https://irishbeekeeping.ie/wp-event/beekeeping-summer-school-gormanston-2019/ .

Danzy

Big box, look up nucs and put in old wax comb if you can get it or 3 drops of lemon balm oil.

Got a swarm this week already.

seoccolla

Try to work with a beekeeper and read all you can find on this fascinating subject. You really are looking at next year now,

Danzy

You can still catch swarms this year, specially if it it continues as is weather wise.

No doubt the later you go the more challenging it is and the better management may be needed.