#308

Does anyone know anything about beekeeping?

Got my mum a beekeeping course a couple of years ago and she’s read a few books and I know she wants to start but won’t bc she thinks the rest of the family hates the idea. She has a lot of outdoor space so that’s not a problem and she’s great at looking after all animals, birds and insects. Got the siblings to agree we’d all chip in for a beehive but now I’ve looked at them it seems like there’s so much variation, and lots of them are well above our budget, that she might be better off picking one when she’s ready to and we get her something related? There also seems to be so many bits of equipment and I’ve no idea what’s essential. Something like this set? https://cornishhoney.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=548

#309

When I bought my flat last year I remember one of the terms was that I was not allowed to have a bee hive. Given it’s a one bedroom flat on the fourth floor in a block of around 60 that seemed an unnecessary stipulation.

So as you’ve probably gathered I have no knowledge of beekeeping, but it certainly looks like a well thought out gift that would be useful to anyone starting off, if anything just to give your Mum the okay that you all support the idea.

Just from reading a bit of that website you linked, it sounds a lot more interesting than I would have thought before now. Lots of stuff that I have literally no clue what they are talking about like -

“The queen bees are unmarked, unclipped and untouched, supplied caged with attendants.”
“Insert a test comb to confirm queenlessness.”

1 Like
#310

I’ve booked us in :frowning:

#311

Need something in about the £30 price bracket for my missus. Something personal rather than something for the house. Any ideas?

#312

Really big mushroom log

1 Like
#313

Does she like Lush? I always love when people buy me stuff from there. Celestial moisturiser is £14 and really lovely, you could get that, a few bath bombs, and a face mask.

#314

stuck on my dad again. he likes:

painting
birds
aeroplanes (though he’s banned from using his radio-controlled ones now due to “an incident”)
his motorbike(s)
dance music ranging from awful cheesey stuff to quite respectable

last year i got his a camera to go in a bird box and i’m not sure he’s even used it :confused:

#315

This book is LOVELY and has paintings of birds in it…

https://www.penguin.co.uk/ladybird/books/293340/the-lost-words/

2 Likes
#316

good idea that. I’ll check it out. Thanks

#317

The TV keeps bees (accidental poetry right there) and it is NOT something I would recommend getting into lightly or as a present. It’s less like having a pet and more like having a part time career that can consume a lot of your life. It’s awesome and can be really good fun and the honey is great but I wouldn’t buy a couple of supers and a brood box as Christmas presents. You need A LOT of kit. Queen excluders, smokers etc. Got wood peckers round your way? They will fuck up your hives unless you specially protect them.

I hope that your mum does get into it, it’s fab, top bar hives are probably the best bet for a lowish maintenance starter but I wouldn’t make it a Christmas present.

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#318

This is good advice, thanks. The impression I was getting looking at all the stuff was that it’s not something you can choose for someone else without knowing quite a lot about it first. I think she’s said before that her local bee keepers association recommends you start off with a hive in their fields too, so all in all probably not a great idea.

She definitely wouldn’t get into it lightly, she’s wanted to start for a long time, just has some anxieties over it, should probably just tell her that we’re all fine with it (don’t know why it would be our decision anyway) and think she’d be great.

1 Like
#319

get him some local art?

#320

Sounds awesome, hope she really enjoys it as and when! :slight_smile:

Oh and if she gets really into it a nice hefty hive tool makes a great present!

#321

Got my Dad and Mum tickets for Kew gardens. Luckily he is old enough to qualify as a concession.

Now just need to get MrS some bits and am done!

#322

What’s the best way to present this? I don’t have a voucher or anything, just an email confirming that I’m willing to pay £100 to have a shit afternoon.

#323

make your own voucher

2 Likes
#324

Fuck sake, this keeps getting worse.

#325

personally i would draw some birds of prey in santa hats on a card and then explain the present inside it

#326

So you’re saying I can’t print out the email and staple it to an empty gift bag?

#327

Have an owl deliver a voucher, like harry potter