Getting Started In Beekeeping
How To Get Started In Beekeeping
Bees have been making honey for what scientists estimate to be millions of years. The honey itself has a fantastic shelf life in and of itself. An explorer once found a 2000-year-old jar of honey, when excavating an Egyptian tomb, and stated that it tasted incredibly delicious!
Bee society is a remarkable one, as it is a culture, unlike any other in nature. One hive can contain thousands of occupants, including worker bees, drones, and one queen bee. These occupants work together in perfect unison to create an environment that is required to produce honey.
Whether you are thinking of beekeeping as a hobby, or plan to grow your efforts into a business venture, there are a few necessary steps that you need to take before diving in headfirst and taking on the role of a beekeeper. What is also great is that the process is simple enough to achieve in a small corner of your backyard.
Here a few steps to Getting Started in Beekeeping with your own honey producing hive.
Education
As with any new hobby or endeavor, the most crucial step is that of educating oneself. When it comes to beekeeping, this is more important than ever. There are a plethora of sources for beekeeping in both book form as well as websites. You can even find very helpful video how-tos on YouTube these days.
If you are looking for a website that is very in-depth and offers a lot of useful information, make sure you check out petricbees.com
Where To Keep Your Hives When Beekeeping: Reaching out to your local extension office, as well as your area agriculture office, can prove beneficial as they are able to offer expert advice on the subject as well.
The best manner to gather helpful information is from current beekeepers themselves. They have learned over time, through trial and error, what will and will not work, and having them as mentors are pretty much worth its weight in gold!
Gather Your Equipment
Although many new beekeepers attempt to keep down the costs of their latest endeavor, it is highly advised not to use second-hand hives. The reason being that there is an excellent chance that, if the hives are not cleaned appropriately, the occupants may fall victim to a seriously fatal disease known as foulbrood.
When it comes to buying brand new beehives, be prepared for the cost to be slightly expensive. As when starting out with any new adventure, there will be upfront costs. However, once you have your hives established, the costs should really be minimal from there on out.
Some of the equipment that is necessary for setting up your beehives, other than the hives themselves, are:
• A bee veil and/or jacket to protect you when working with the bees and the hive.
• Leather gloves
• A frame gripper or lifter
• A bee brush
• A smoker
• And any other hive related tools that you may think necessary.
One thing to note here, of great importance, is that of the use of a smoker. When opening your hive, make sure your smoker is working and within reach. If the bees begin to become upset, the smoker will keep them in check, so that you are less likely to be stung by them.
Purchase Your Bees
The best season for ordering your bees is in the winter. Order early, as most establishments that sell bees are most likely going to sell out. I mean, let’s face it, there are only so many bees to go around, as their numbers are reported to be drastically depleting. We recommend purchasing your beess from Petric’s Bees and Honey or petricbees.com They have the best bees offering nucs for sale in Kansas City and the surrounding areas. Petricbees.com also sells beehives with bees, 3 pound package bees, and complete starter kits with bees that include everything you need to get started. If you are looking for bees, beehives, 5 frame nucs, or anything bee related in Fontana Kansas, Adrian Missouri, Topeka Kansas, Manhattan Kansas, Wichita Kansas, Columbia Missouri, Springfield Missouri, and Joplin Missouri they are your one stop shop!
With the trend in beekeeping on an upswing, beekeepers now have the convenience of ordering bees through local bee shops, or even over the internet to have them mailed to them.
Assemble Your Hive
Once you have gathered your research, and done your homework on what all is involved in the field of beekeeping, you are now ready to assemble and set up your hive. At this point in time, you probably have a pretty solid idea of where to locate your beehive for the best results.
Make sure that your choice is a good one from the beginning, as once assembled and placed, your beehive will not be going anywhere for a long, long time. Any experienced beekeeper will tell you that it is ill-advised to attempt to move a hive once it is full of bees!
The Introduction
Now is the exciting part, as the big introductions will now be made. Before placing your queen into the hive, check her to make sure she is healthy, active, and good to go. If your queen is for some reason not in good health, the colony will perish as a hive can not exist without a queen—period!
Next, you will introduce the queen to her newest friends and family, as you will add the new bees next. When introducing the bees to the hive, it is a fantastic thing to watch, as the bees will make sure to check on their queen before than begin getting to work. Nature at its best!
Secure The Hive
Once the bees have been introduced to their queen, and vice versa, you will then secure the hive by placing the top back on. At this point, it is pretty much a waiting game, as you allow the bees and nature to take their course. If the occupants of the hive are happy and healthy, you will enjoy the benefits of their life’s work for years to come.
Keep Your Bees Fed
When first establishing the hive, it is suggested you set out containers of a sugar-water solution. This is especially important if the colony is set up early in the spring season when the year’s flowers have not yet had a chance to establish. Once you notice the bees are no longer taking advantage of the sugar solution, then you will know to discontinue offering it as they are now feeding themselves.
Keep An Eye On The Hive
Make sure to establish the habit of checking on the hive at least every couple of weeks. Open the lid, making sure have your smoker ready, and check to see how the occupants are getting along. If your queen is laying eggs, and creating new broods, then is established and content in her new home. Keep in mind if the queen isn’t happy, the hive will suffer.
Keeping your own beehive is a very worthwhile endeavor in and of itself. Not only are you helping to curb the current crisis of the depleting honeybee populations, but you have your own little pollinators working in your garden. Oh, and let’s not forget that delicious honey they provide as well.
If you are thinking of Getting Started in Beekeeping, makes sure to check out our website. Petric’s bees has all your beekeeping needs from beehives, to complete starter kits, to even bees in many areas including Petric’s Bees, for all your beekeeping needs in Fontana Kansas, Adrian Missouri, Topeka KS, Manhattan KS, Wichita KS, Columbia MO, Springfield MO, and Joplin MO
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