Selling and Relocating Hives???

So what was the reference to selling and relocating I hear you ask?  Well to cut a long (reasonably traumatic) story short I am moving back to the UK (Haslemere, in Surrey) to take up a position with the company I used to work for before I came out to the US.  It wasn’t an easy decision but I think it was the right one for us as a family and me professionally.

As a result I have been selling off my beehives and equipment.  Importation rules prohibit me from bringing back any equipment, so all that I have accumulated has to stay behind to be sold or given away.  But looking ahead and being positive about things, the good news is that I will once again be starting beekeeping from scratch, with new equipment (will I use Langstroth or shift to another type of hive…), with new bees (Apis Mellifera Mellifera perhaps?) and a whole new beekeeping calendar to learn!  I never kept bees in the UK so I have little appreciation of how different the seasons are; when the spring nectar flow starts, when I need to start building up hives and how different preparations for winter will be.  It will be very interesting that’s for sure!

And the news got better yesterday.  I remembered that the late father of one of my old school friends used to keep bees. So I dropped Howard a line and he said that he would let some of his Dad’s old pals know I was looking to start up in the UK.  I hope they will be able to help me adjust and perhaps even help me locate a suitable apiary!  I’m getting excited about keeping bees at home. I love new challenges!

Having said that I’ve sold, or passed on, my equipment I still actually intend to have a honey harvest just before I leave Kirkwood in July.  I’m not sure where, or how, I just know that I will be “supering up” this weekend and that any honey that is in the hives come the first week of July will be harvested and I will be passing out some leaving presents!!!  So get your jars ready!