Free From A to Bee by James Dearsley Page A
Authors: James Dearsley
Peak-hives.co.uk that they were the best people to go with. I got onto the website, bish, bash, bosh, one hive ordered, which will make its way down here to Surrey from the foothills of the Peak District.
  What a moment.
  I decided, in the end, to opt for the slightly cheaper hive using red deal instead of the preferred cedar wood. I suppose the only real difference, aside from the price, is weight (deal being a little heavier I think) and the fact that cedar probably looks a little bit nicer with far fewer knots in the wood, which despite a few coats of paint will still show through.
  So I now have to go and buy the frames to go inside the hive and then, hey presto, my first hive will be born! Whoopee!
  Something else quite bizarre happened to me today. One of my Twitter contacts sent me a direct message about my question about which hive to get. @conchdraig, or Trevor as he is known in the real world, told me rather randomly to watch out for bears, deer, racoons and skunks when placing my hive. Gladly I soon ascertained that he is over in the States and so Trevor was justifiably more concerned about such predators than I am. I believe we only really have to watch out for the green woodpecker. A far cry from the troubles they have to go to! It looks like they literally build bee enclosures surrounded by electric fences or barbed wire to keep them all out. Thank the lordy that I may only have to consider some chicken wire around the hive in winter time if I have the slightest concern.
FEBRUARY 24
It's coming up to midnight and I have just got settled in front of the computer after an evening of corporate life. I feel exhausted and it couldn't have been further removed from my evening yesterday spent sowing sweet peas and chilli peppers. Having spent hours talking and incentivising I feel quite tired now and ready for a rather cold bed (as Jo is staying at the mother-in-law's tonight, along with Sebastian). I cannot wait for my head to hit the pillow though; it's funny, when you are tired, the words just don't want to come out particularly fluently but I just really want to get my thoughts down before the night-time displaces them elsewhere and the dawn chorus wakes me with other thoughtsâ¦
  A lot of people seem to be taking an interest in my beekeeping exploits and my quest for just one pot of honey. There is such a nice community surrounding bees and beekeeping that it is lovely to say that I am becoming a part of it. Everyone is so keen to offer advice that it can actually be quite confusing, but I have to remember that they are doing it out of kindness and their passion for the bees. I get the feeling beekeeping is really about trying to understand all the information you can and then making your own conclusion about what feels right. It's good to know there is support at hand, though.
  I was obviously excited about having bought my first hive, and mentioned it to a few of my beekeeping friends. There then followed a barrage of questions which included the following:
  What floor are you using?
  Did you get the crown board?
  Have you thought about what foundation you are using?
  Which frame type will you be using?
  Are you using a stand?
  All of a sudden there is a barrage of other, very important information to take on board and study. How did I know there were different hive floors and foundations? Why do I need a stand? To use the analogy of buying a car, I have basically picked the car body shape but nothing else. I now have to pick all the seats, the radio and the gear stick; not to mention the engine (let's say this would be the bees â and that is a whole different ball game!).
  Adam, one of my regular online helpers, really showed me what a few years' experience will give you: the ability to reel off all the technical information, which I have only read about in books and still have a complete lack of
  What a moment.
  I decided, in the end, to opt for the slightly cheaper hive using red deal instead of the preferred cedar wood. I suppose the only real difference, aside from the price, is weight (deal being a little heavier I think) and the fact that cedar probably looks a little bit nicer with far fewer knots in the wood, which despite a few coats of paint will still show through.
  So I now have to go and buy the frames to go inside the hive and then, hey presto, my first hive will be born! Whoopee!
  Something else quite bizarre happened to me today. One of my Twitter contacts sent me a direct message about my question about which hive to get. @conchdraig, or Trevor as he is known in the real world, told me rather randomly to watch out for bears, deer, racoons and skunks when placing my hive. Gladly I soon ascertained that he is over in the States and so Trevor was justifiably more concerned about such predators than I am. I believe we only really have to watch out for the green woodpecker. A far cry from the troubles they have to go to! It looks like they literally build bee enclosures surrounded by electric fences or barbed wire to keep them all out. Thank the lordy that I may only have to consider some chicken wire around the hive in winter time if I have the slightest concern.
FEBRUARY 24
It's coming up to midnight and I have just got settled in front of the computer after an evening of corporate life. I feel exhausted and it couldn't have been further removed from my evening yesterday spent sowing sweet peas and chilli peppers. Having spent hours talking and incentivising I feel quite tired now and ready for a rather cold bed (as Jo is staying at the mother-in-law's tonight, along with Sebastian). I cannot wait for my head to hit the pillow though; it's funny, when you are tired, the words just don't want to come out particularly fluently but I just really want to get my thoughts down before the night-time displaces them elsewhere and the dawn chorus wakes me with other thoughtsâ¦
  A lot of people seem to be taking an interest in my beekeeping exploits and my quest for just one pot of honey. There is such a nice community surrounding bees and beekeeping that it is lovely to say that I am becoming a part of it. Everyone is so keen to offer advice that it can actually be quite confusing, but I have to remember that they are doing it out of kindness and their passion for the bees. I get the feeling beekeeping is really about trying to understand all the information you can and then making your own conclusion about what feels right. It's good to know there is support at hand, though.
  I was obviously excited about having bought my first hive, and mentioned it to a few of my beekeeping friends. There then followed a barrage of questions which included the following:
  What floor are you using?
  Did you get the crown board?
  Have you thought about what foundation you are using?
  Which frame type will you be using?
  Are you using a stand?
  All of a sudden there is a barrage of other, very important information to take on board and study. How did I know there were different hive floors and foundations? Why do I need a stand? To use the analogy of buying a car, I have basically picked the car body shape but nothing else. I now have to pick all the seats, the radio and the gear stick; not to mention the engine (let's say this would be the bees â and that is a whole different ball game!).
  Adam, one of my regular online helpers, really showed me what a few years' experience will give you: the ability to reel off all the technical information, which I have only read about in books and still have a complete lack of
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