Basics and equipment for bee breeding
Wouldn’t it be delicious to eat honey from your own hives? If you have a decent back garden or roof access, you can enjoy beekeeping. Here’s a guide to the basics of beekeeping and the equipment you’ll need to set up a hive.
Who can keep bees?
Bee breeding is not only for rural residents. Bees also do well in cities. The number of hives you have depends on the amount of outdoor space you have, as well as the proximity of the hives to other people or public roads. If you are just starting your adventure with beekeeping, it is best to start with one or two hives.
Why keep bees?
Bees produce honey and beeswax, and only a few well-maintained hives are enough to produce an abundance of both. You can also employ honey and wax to make many items that you can employ or sell for a profit.
Bees are great pollinators, and a hive benefits growing crops in any area.
How to start keeping bees
Spring is the best time to introduce bees to the hive. Bees become more busy after the chilly winter months.
Always sourced from a reliable supplier such as local beekeepers who can be identified through local beekeeping clubs.
When establishing a recent hive, the bee nucleus, consisting of a youthful egg-laying queen and workers, is usually placed in five brood frames.
While bees may not require the same level of daily care as mammals, they do require dedication to maintain a good colony. You will need to check your hives regularly to make sure they are vigorous.
Since wild bees build their nests in holes in trees, rocks and buildings, bee hives should also provide everything a natural nest provides. This means it is desiccated, sheltered and protected from the elements.
Parts of a bee hive
A bee hive consists of several parts:
- Nest box – a family of bees and larvae are bred here. They are the largest frames and are also called nesting frames. The queen lays her eggs in a nesting box, which may be equipped with a “queen switch” that prevents the queen from laying eggs in the superframes.
- Great frames – bees employ removable frames to store honey in preparation for winter. Once the frame is full, you can add more frames and collect the honey. The frames may contain a wax comb backing so that the bees can fill the cells with honey, or they may essentially be a frame with a comb made by the bees.
- Outer cover – this protects the hive from the elements.
- Crown Board – used to attach feeders and usually made of plywood.
- Entry – the entrance should be exactly the right size so that the bees can enter and exit there and, if necessary, defend themselves.
- Stand – used to raise the hive to keep it toasty in winter. It also facilitates the work and handling of hive elements.
To avoid the spread of pests and diseases that could harm your family, it is best to employ recent hives and equipment.
Where should beehives be placed?
Space – Bee hives should ideally be located in a sheltered area, with plenty of space around them for straightforward access. For obvious reasons, it’s not a astute idea to place bees near paths where people often walk.
On the other hand, bees thrive in both rural and urban environments. If you want your bees to have a busy environment, put a fence around the hives and face the entrance opposite a elevated object such as a wall. This allows the bees to fly higher on their way to and from the hives, rather than at a level where they could be a nuisance.
Water – Because honey must be diluted before bees can eat it, proximity to a water source is required for the colony to thrive. Bees will seek out the nearest water source they can find, so if you don’t want them buzzing around your garden, place a petite pool, such as a birdbath, nearby.
Ground level – Bee hives should be located on flat ground. Because bees build their combs parallel to the ground, the slope of the ground will result in sloping combs.
Sunlight – It is better to place the hive in a place that will be well exposed to sunlight in the early morning. This is because the hive will be busy earlier in the day, and the busy bees will collect more pollen and produce more honey than a hive that receives sunlight later in the day.
Shelter – In the case of hives, protection against wind is also significant. This can be achieved by facing the entrance towards the structure or by erecting a windbreak, such as a fence, near the windiest side.
Bee breeding equipment
Specialized equipment is required to manage bees safely.
- Avoid stings by wearing a bee suit with a mesh veil.
- Gloves keep your hands pristine and prevent contamination of the hive.
- When it’s time to open the hive, the smoker will lend a hand keep the bees silent.
- Using the hive tool makes moving frames much easier.
- When moving frames, you can employ a bee brush to gently brush away any bees in the way.
Honey harvesting
It’s an thrilling time when you collect your first frame of honey! The best way to deal with bees when moving super frames is to remain serene. Your bees may become concerned if you make gigantic or swift movements. Make sure you are not wearing any aftershave or fragrance as this may attract the attention of your bees.
Before opening the hive, gently blow smoke through the smoker, and after opening, take one or two lightweight puffs. Utilize the smoker sparingly as it may change the flavor of the honey. Remove the superframe and employ a bee brush to gently remove the bees.
Before harvesting honey, remove the wax covers from each cell. By gently twisting the honey out of the frame using extraction tools, this procedure can be made easier.
Any remaining contaminants can then be filtered out using gauze. Your honey is now ready to consume and store in sterile jars.
Bee care
Honey is the natural food of bees, so after the autumn harvest, remember to leave plenty of it for them. When in doubt, leave a few super frames for their reserves.
Check your hive regularly to check honey levels. You may need to provide additional food to lend a hand your bees survive the winter.
There are times of the year when feeding your bees can lend a hand them. Because spring flowers fade before summer flowers bloom, there is a natural decline in pollen counts from spring to summer.
During these periods, you can give the bees sugar syrup as a nectar substitute. To do this, white sugar is dissolved in balmy water. Brown sugars should not be used as they may harm the bees’ health. Allow them to chilly before placing them in covered feeders near the brood boxes so that the bees can easily access them. Since the syrup has no smell, it is worth adding a petite amount of honey from your own family or from a certain source to make it more attractive to bees.
You can feed your bees with the cream all winter long. Fondant is a delicious icing on cakes that is straightforward to prepare at home. The bees eat directly from the board placed in the hive.
Legal requirements for beekeeping
You don’t need any legal permission to keep bees in your garden or petite homestead, but it’s worth showing courtesy to your neighbors. Bees will sting if disturbed, so avoid placing hives in places where people frequently walk.
Bee hives and starter kits
The Sudoo hive kit It consists of high-quality natural wood, which is resistant to corrosion after firing at high temperatures.
It has 7 comb frames approved for food contact, made of food-safe polypropylene.
Automatic free flow of honey from the honey tube, so no mess and straightforward to pristine.
This high-quality hive kit includes a complete and forceful base board, as well as a roof covering that protects external elements from entering the hive.
You can observe when the honey is ready without opening the hive because the final frame view is clear.
The bee hive has been designed to ensure bees’ safety, appropriate temperature and air flow.
A great starter kit for beginners and experienced beekeepers, all you need are bees!
This Wooden bee hive consisting of 8 frames it is made of fir and covered with sheet iron. The nest structure is made of pine wax.
The honeycomb is made of plastic. It consists of three layers and eight frames.
Crafted with extreme care, this bee hive is waterproof, insect-proof, antiseptic, sun-resistant and sturdy.
The natural wax coating protects the hive against weather conditions, so there is no need to employ risky paints or wood preservatives,
Buzz from Keeping Bees!
Bee hives will provide you with plenty of honey, as well as the possibility of selling its surplus. Local honey is in high demand because it is more nutritious and tastes better in its raw, unpasteurized form.
Beekeeping is not only useful on a petite farm, but can also be practiced on a smaller scale in the garden. Honey bees are an endangered species, so well-maintained hives will also lend a hand maintain their numbers.