Beekeeping 101 - 6 Things To Start With...



To begin with, you might not require loads of stuff, nevertheless you will find several necessary things that you'll really need to get for your beekeeping interest.

Firstly, you will need to obtain your personal bees. At this point, there are several different kind of honey bees to choose from. They've some scientific names e.g. Apis Mellifera (the most popular in North America), Apis Mellifera Ligustica (Italian honey bee), Apis Mellifera Carniola and also Carniolan honey bees. Our recommendation would be to pick any type that is mild and also makes plenty of honey. The most popular will be Italian Honey Bee.

Next, you will have to purchase a home for the bees, i.e. the beehives. Again you can find numerous kinds. Probably the most popular would be the Top Bar Hives and also the Langstroth Hives. Each one has its benefits and drawbacks. It can be beneficial to consult a few seasoned beekeepers in the area for guidance. You'll find beekeepers organizations that you can easily tap on.

Additionally, obtain a hive tool - that's a tool to prise open the hives and also to split out the casings since bees are likely to cling on those stuff and it is really tough to deal with them without this type of device.

Next, you will have to safeguard yourself by using beekeeping suit. This is the white apparel which you notice beekeepers put on, the hat as well as the gloves. There are actually reasons for that, probably you are already aware that bees perform sting!

Aside from that, you will probably have to deal with bees which is challenging once they are around you. Note that you simply stay out from the pathway or entrance from the hive and try to handle the hives simply at off-peak interval, i. e. not when there're leaving the hives every day and returning from the afternoon. Despite these "precautions", there will be bees around which is why you require a bee smoker. The purpose of the this is to be able to emit smoke in order that the bees will not focus on you...

Smokers can be small or large and they are made of different material. You can get whichever you like since they serve similar functionalities. The three popular material for smokers are stainless steel, copper of tin plated. They are different in pricing. Stainless steel is the best, but it cost the most.

When you are starting out, you may desire to opt for the cheaper ones. Once again, there's no right or wrong, if you can afford the much better ones, by all means, go ahead.

Lastly, get the feeder to feed your colony. This is certainly very useful specifically during winter if food are rare. Nonetheless some beekeepers exercise feeding the newly acquired bees so they start off well from the new place.

Basically you have the smaller top up feeder as well as the bulk feeder which will contain up to be able to 20 liters connected with sugar syrup. This is certainly essential during wintertime, so you can certainly fill it up to last the winter. The smaller ones will only handle 1/10th of the bulk feeder.