Hi again folks,
 
Due to several responses telling me about the fact that noone could read
my message in HTML/MIME, and after some good instructions for rectifying
the thing, I am resending a hello, and taking my second orientation
flight.
 
Also, as  several of you want to know how on earth a beekeeper keeps
bees in London, I have included a brief outline. Actually there are lots
of us, and clubs too, but here's a little about how I am doing it.
 
I live in North London about 5 miles from the city centre, and with at
least that far to go to get to the outskirts of town and the
countryside.
 
I have quite a long and wide garden and my bees, 2 colonies and 2 nucs,
are tucked underneath linden/lime trees at the bottom. They face the
back fence, fly out and turn
180 degrees, then carve a flight path straight through my garden about
10 feet or so up.
I am also lucky because I have very tolerant neighbours.
 
This area is surrounded by large parks and an old strip of what was
marshland, so the bees have plenty of forage. London is greener than
people think.
 
You might be surprised at the amount of honey that can be collected
here.
As with many cities we have a longer season and greater variety for the
bees
than our country cousins. Last season I took 300lb of honey from the one
 
colony. Compared with a UK average of something like 30lb I consider I
did
extrememly well. And all this despite several years living with (and
treating) varroa.
 
But I don't think it is just London, my queen has been phenomenal, good
tempered, a non-stop layer, with nice workaholic, healthy and hardy bees
that don't
seem to eat at all in the winter. What more could one ask for. Hence she
is being rested in a nuc as I hope to breed more queens from her.
 
My previous yields, prior to this particular superscedure had been about
 
60-70lb. Which is more like the usual London yield.
 
So I am hoping to expand, inspired by my father who keeps 25-30 colonies
outside London, but finding space beyond my garden is difficult. Most of
the authorities that run the parks, allotments, and so on tend to be
bee-phobic, or worried about liability in the event someone might get
stung one day, and so they don't dare take the risk of giving space over
to beekeepers.
 
My latest idea is to work within a beehouse which is also fenced off,
safer both
for me and the bees - with regard to vandals and general lunatics -
which we have
a fair few of. I also think it might be something which local
authorities might
consider more seriously.
 
In view of this I am currently researching into bee-houses. They are not
at all common in England, so I have not got much to go on. I gather
there is a book coming out soon, but in the mean time if you have
experience of working in this way I would love to hear from you so I can
build up a picture of what to consider in its design.
 
In the long term, what with the whole crisis in beekeeping that has hit
us all, or rather I should say - the bees, it would be great to get
something like this established here in London, as a community resource
as well, so that schools and other groups could come and learn about
bees, and this whole sticky business we're in.
 
But that's just a pipe dream right now. One thing at a time.
 
* By the way, I have no sense of internet protocol being a novice in
cyberland so if this letter is way too long I do apologise. And if after
taking your time up it's still illegible I shall be mortified at the
very least, not to mention embarrassed and humiliated.
 
Madeleine
 
PS Anyone going to Ireland on the 20th July for the Federation of Irish
Beekeepers' Associations week long 'Summer Course', if so I'll see you
there.