Beekeeping Secrets To Know
Honeybees live in a collective. Think borg. They are a collective that does the bidding of the queen. Most of the bees in the colony are female workers. They do most of the labor, collecting nectar, water, and other things needed for the survival of the colony. Then, there are drones, and finally the queen. There is only a single queen per colony, and she can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day. If another queen is born, she can go start her own colony.
A collective of bees can have anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 members. The good part of these members will be female workers. The life span of these little workers is a little over a month, as they work until they just can’t work any longer. Tragic, I know, but it is the grand scheme of things. There will also be several hundred male drones. The female workers will go out of the nest and forage for supplies to bring back, so in most cases, when you see bees buzzing around, they are almost always female workers.
Your first step is going to be studying bees, if you don’t already know about the topic. It’s called the science of entomology. Look it up and review some of the info. Perhaps even get a good book on the topic. It will be well worth it. You’ll learn about the assorted varieties of honeybees, how bees deal with different seasons, and how honey is harvested from the hive.
Beekeeping can be enjoyable and rewarding, if done correctly. If you are going to keep bees, make certain you obtain your first set of bees locally, as they are very susceptible to climate changes, and ones from other areas may not fare as well as local ones. A dramatically different environment, can be the death knell of your hive, so be careful with your selection of bees. Picking the right breeder is important. You want to make certain the bees you get are healthy and free from disease. Think in terms of spring as the best time to start your colony. Spring is also the time when harvesting happens.
For a beginner setup, start with six combs, a fertile queen, and some workers and drones. A moveable frame hive is really important to good beekeeping, and don’t get an used one. You never know what’s been in it, and there is a chance that it is disease-ridden. Buy new. For yourself, you’ll require protective clothing, including a veil, boiler suit, and gloves. A few more things will be required, including a smoker, hive tool, and a feeder. This is the basic kit you will need to begin your own colony. To see who makes the best equipment, there are various different sites on the Internet where you can read reviews. Once you find a local supplier, check the products they offer to see what other folks are saying.
Harvesting honey is one of the joyous parts of keeping a beehive. There are few things better than raw, unadultered honey straight from the source. You want to make sure that enough honey has been produced during the season so there is extra. You only want to take the surplus, leaving enough for the hive to survive. Depending on the local flora, the honey will have a distinctive taste and aroma. If you are fortunate, the honey produced will not only be tasty, but also unique. This uniqueness will help to sell it, if that is your wish.
For more information on setting up beekeeping, check out Beekeeping Secrets
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