Beekeeping for Beginners
Whether you love the taste of honey or you just feel like trying something that is a little off the beaten path, you may find yourself considering beekeeping. Beekeeping is a hobby that can be engaging and interesting, but how do you know it is for you? When you are thinking about beekeeping for beginners, there is a lot that you need to know.
The first thing that you should consider is how you feel about pain. No matter how careful you are or how thorough your precautions are, remember that bees do sting and that at some point, you will get stung! Take a moment to consider how you feel about a little bit of pain and whether the fear of it might keep you from this hobby.
You should also be willing to make sure that you are willing to forgo the use of insecticides. If you have a garden, you will need to find other ways to make sure that your plants stay pest free. Using insecticides can hurt your bees and even kill off your hive. This is why bees typically do very poorly in the city, where all the plants have been doused in insecticide. Also remember that your plants should be as varied as you can; wild flowers and clover does very well.
Similarly, think about what kind of neighborhood you live in. The truth is that most people do not care to have bees in their immediate vicinity and if someone gets stung, you might have some real problems. While some people who live in crowded neighborhoods will keep their bees a secret, remember that ideally, bees are best kept peacefully away from people.
When you are thinking about beekeeping for beginners, do consider what you need in terms of space. Ideally, your bees should be at least one hundred feet away from any area that you routinely walk through; this means that it should be a fair distance from your doors, your driveway and your front walk. This ensures your guests from having problems as they try to visit you. For the most part, bees really don’t care what humans are near by and what they do, but better save than sorry.
When you are considering beekeeping for beginners, remember that this is not something that is going to make your rich. You may be able to sell a few jars of honey at your local garage sales or flea markets, but remember that if you want to produce honey for commercial ventures that you will need to go through fairly rigorous and demanding certifications and safety concerns
Also be willing to invest money and time in your bees. The average start up cost can range between 250 and 300 dollars. In addition to that, you will also need to think about how to take care of the hive if it gets sick. Also remember that you need to check on your bees about once a day and that you have to monitor their progress.
Beekeeping for beginners does require a lot of time and energy and resources. Remember to make sure that you have checked out a lot of information on how bees are kept and to make sure that you are a person who can keep bees well; the more thought you put into this, the better!
- Kevin Braun
Principals of Beekeeping : Beekeeping & Starting a Brood
Beekeeping made easy; learn about beekeeping a brood from a professional beekeeper in this free beekeeping tutorial video. Expert: Jorge Gomez Bio: Jorge Gomez has been a professional beekeeper for over 15 years. He currently cares for many bee hives in the Austin area.
- expertvillage
How to be a Beekeeper – the Bee in Spring
As the days get longer with the onset of spring, the mass of bees clinging to the combs start to feel the slight increase in temperature, and the cluster begins to move. Those bees on the outside of the cluster move into the warmer centre of the group, and those on the inside start to move to the outside, making their way to venture out into the world again.
The beekeeper, who should by now be watching for signs of activity, will be pleased to see these first emissaries coming out of the hive. First one or two, then a few, then many will find their way out. They don’t go far, or stay out for very long initially. Just re-aquainting themselves with their surroundings, and gathering strength before getting back to the daily grind withing a few days. Gathering food for the hive.
At this time the Queen is stirring, she produces a pheromone which tells the hive that breeding time has started again. General activity then spreads throughout the hive. Now the Queen will start moving in a small circle to begin with, going from cell to cell. Examining each one, and when satisfied laying an egg in it. These eggs are looked after by “nurse” bees, who lavish care and attention on them. After three days the eggs hatch, and the resulting grub is is fed by the nurses for five days on honey and pollen collected from flowers the previous season, and stored for the purpose.The cell is then sealed with wax, and kept warm by the nurse bees until, after a week, a perfect fully formed new bee emerges. Ready to involve themselves in the increasingly busy life of the colony. In the meantime the Queen has enlarged her brood, moving onto fresh combs. Now, with new bees being produced constantly, the population is growing at a great rate.
Within the hive, those bees whose job it is to produce wax from the building of new combs, have fed themselves from the stores of honey. They form into compact clusters, generating the high temperatures necessary for them to produce it. This wax is prepared in the mouth, then transferred to the “builders” to make the comb. The comb is an amazing piece of engineering, having the shape and form which gives the greatest possible strength, with the least expenditure of materials, time, and labour.
Other bees are the sanitation crew. Their job entails general cleaning of the hive. They remove the winters dead bees. Also any dead cells, which could be a cause of infection in the hive. The floor, which over the winter will have aquired a carpet of broken comb, pollen pellets, and dust, is swept. Ensuring that all is clean and infection free, ready for the new season ahead.
Still more “sentry” bees are employed around the entrance to the hive in order to ensure that only bees from their own hive are allowed entry. They will vigorously defend their hive against any attempt by robber bees, wasps, and any other would be thief to gain access to their colony and it’s riches. Any beekeeper who has witnessed their sentries in action against marauders will know they will give their lives for the good of the hive, and they do.
After only about three or four weeks the hive is in full swing, and the beekeeper is looking forward to another prosperous summer.
- Chris Haycock
Keeping Bees – 6 Great Tips For Beginners
1. What it takes to start bee keeping
Bee keeping is not a very expensive venture and for anyone with a little space it is possible to start this business with just about $300 for one hive. This is enough to get started with and you can expand later if space permits. However, the very first thing that you should do is to find out whether you or any family member of yours is allergic to bee stings, if not you can go ahead and get your first bee hive. Another point that you should clarify from the local cooperative office, is whether you are permitted to keep bee hives in your area. If you can do so, then you will have get registered as a beekeeper with the beekeeping organization.
2. Select a suitable place to cultivate your bees
Once you have your beehive, you can keep it away from the home somewhere in the corner of your back yard in a spot which you feel will be suitable to have your beehive.
You will have to have the necessary equipment for maintaining your beehives successfully. You can find out about the equipment that you will need from the Federation of American Beekeepers or Cooperative Extension office of your locality. Most of the equipment is available online and through Ebay. You could search on the internet and get all the information and equipment that you need and order it to be mailed to you.
3. Play it safe with bee hives
You will have to ensure that you have the proper beekeepers tackle and do not get stung by bees. Make sure that all those who will be handling the bees have this gear available to them whenever required.
4. Place an order for your bees at an apiary
Order your bees only after you have all the equipment and the bee hive in place. The apiary where you order the bees from should be one that is well established. Winter is usually the bet time to order your bees, which means around January or February and you will get your shipment of bees by March or April. The U S postal service carries the bees for apiaries and will inform you once the bees arrive so that you can come and pick them up. Mail carriers do not like to carry a box full of bees that are agitated with the journey all over the countryside. You should pick up the bees as soon as possible as they are not going to remain healthy for too long in the confines of a vehicle.
5. Bees are packed in a “House”
Bees are normally shipped in wooden cases specially made for this purpose. The package will have a sign saying “house” on it. These wooden frames are covered with a screen which allows air circulation and also protects those who have to handle this package like the people from the postal service, from being stung.
There will usually be a few dead bees lying on the bottom of the container, but do not get perturbed. This usually happens as you cannot expect all the bees to take the journey well. You will find the remaining bees clutching on to the sides of their container.
6. The queen bee
The queen bee is kept separately along with a few nurse bees, and her container will be covered with a piece of sugar candy. The rest of the bees for your bee hive will be put in a container together and these will form the remaining hierarchy. In this container there will be a bowl of sugar syrup which is for the bees to feed on while traveling. The bees will need a drink once you get them home, for this you should spray the container with a fine spray of water. Now your bees are home and you can get started on your bee hive.
- Abhishek Agarwal