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Beekeeping For Fun

For more information on the merits of beekeeping, visit Beekeeping Secrets

Do you adore honey? Did you know that it's relatively easy to keep bees and generate your very own honey? In this guide, I'll examine many of the steps needed to begin your own beekeeping hobby or endeavor for either fun or profit, maybe even both.

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 workers. They do the best part of the labor, collecting nectar, water, and other things necessary for the survival of the colony. Then, there are drones, and finally the queen. There is only one queen per colony, and she can lay up to 2,000 eggs each day. If another queen is hatched, she can begin her very own colony.

A colony of bees can have anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 members. The majority of these members are female workers. The life span of these little workers is a tad 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 a few hundred male drones. The females 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 learning something about bees, if you don't already know about the subject. It's called the science of entomology. Look it up and review some of the information. Maybe even get a good book on the topic. It will be worth your while. 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 sure you get your first set of bees locally, as they are very susceptible to climate differences, and ones from other areas may not fare as well as local ones. A radically different environment, can be the death knell of your hive, so be careful with your selection of bees. Picking the right breeder is fundamental. You need 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 starter setup, start with six combs, a fertile queen, and some workers and drones. A moveable frame hive is critical to good beekeeping, and don't get a previously owned one. You never know what's been in it, and there is a possibility that it is disease-ridden. Buy new. For yourself, you'll need protective clothing, including a veil, boiler suit, and gloves. A few more items will be needed, including a smoker, hive tool, and a feeder. This is the basic kit you will need to start your own colony. To see who makes the best equipment, there are many different sites on the Internet where you can read reviews. Once you find a local supplier, check the products they have to see what other folks are saying.

Harvesting honey is by far one of the joyous aspects of keeping a beehive. There are few things better than raw, unadultered honey straight from the hive. You want to make sure that enough honey has been produced during the season so there is a surplus. 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 lucky, the honey produced will not only be tasty, but also unique. This uniqueness will help to sell it, if that is your desire.

Last updated 20120517

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