2011 November | Beekeeping Made Easy for Beginners

Archive for November 2011

Beekeeping for Beekeepers and Beyond

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Tue 29 November 2011 | Author admin

Beekeeping for Beekeepers and Beyond

Article by Imogen Brown

I first kept bees as a child in the beautiful North East of Scotland where the long summer days and rich purple heather supplied our family and friends with the sweetest of honey. I quickly became captivated by bees and remain so to this day…. I know you are going to feel the same.

I have spent several years teaching beginners as well as more advanced beekeepers. Along the way I have talked to many people who would love to start beekeeping but feel overwhelmed by all the information that is available and so give up before they even start.

I don’t want you to give up before you have had time to find out how transformational this pastime can be. So using my years of experience as a beekeeper I have put together ‘Beekeeping for Beginners and Beyond’ which is everything you will need to know to start beekeeping and become a successful and confident beekeeper.

So don’t just tell yourself, that you will get around to it next year, start today and next year, reap a bumper honey crop and start stocking your local store!

As well as being a fascinating hobby and contribution to helping the dwindling worldwide bee population, you could also use your beekeeping skills to make extra money or indeed turn it into a full-time business, I can also show you how to do this.

‘Beekeeping for Beginners and Beyond’ sets out all the information you will need as a new beekeeper in a clear and concise way and is also a valuable reference book as you gain more experience.

This book is well written, fun, easy to use and full of useful tips to help you every step of the way.

Don`t understand something or want more help…. as part of this package you will get access to my personal email address, so I am offering myself as your own your personal tutor, can’t be bad!

Here are just some of the topics covered In ‘Beekeeping for Beginners and Beyond’.

History of beekeeping.All the equipment needed to get started and progress as a beekeeper.Choosing the right hive.Where to place your hives for the best results.The different members of the hive and their roles and life cycles.What to do if you get stung and how to avoid it.Types of honey bees.Where to get your first bees.How to introduce new bees to a hive.How to look after your hives for long-term success.What to look for when inspecting your colony and how often.How to manage the queen.What to do if you lose a queen.How to avoid swarming.How to collect a swarm.Feeding your bees.How to increase your number of hives without buying more bees.Learn More Click HereAll about honey.How to gather your honey crop.Wintering your bees.How bees communicate.Diseases and pests to look out for.Controlling and managing diseases and pests.A year in the life of a beekeeper.

As well as many many more tips and tricks of the trade throughout to help turn you into a master beekeeper.

Learn More Click Here

About the Author

Learn More Click Here

Posted in Beekeeping Book | Tags: Beekeepers, Beekeeping, Beyond | No Comments »

Initial Thoughts on The Beekeeping Hive

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Tue 29 November 2011 | Author admin

Initial Thoughts on The Beekeeping Hive

Article by Ben Field

The central piece of equipment needed when starting to keep bees is the hive. It is important if you are to be successful at beekeeping that you fully understand the hive.

When beekeeping was first carried out beekeepers used raffia baskets known as skeps or pottery jars (hives) or even hollowed out trees (bee-gums). They all had the disadvantage that the bees needed to be driven out or killed so that the honey could be harvested. Then a wild swarm would need to be captured to establish a new nest in the controlled hive, skep or bee-gum. Not efficient for the honey maker, the bees didn’t like it much either.

In the 1850′s LL Langstroth developed a hive that took his name and today this hive is by the far the most popular. A different designed the ‘top-bar’ hive is now growing in popularity in areas of Africa and Asia being cheaper to establish. This type of hive is far less efficient the bees making less honey, but I am told the honey is of a better quality.

In the Langstroth hive, also known as a movable frame beehive, we have the first hive where the bees did not have to be driven off or destroyed so that honey harvest could be made. Langstroth’s objective was to protect the bees but he designed the hive that established beekeeping as we know it today.

The basic structure is rectangular boxes stacked on top of each other all supporting combs. Normally ten combs are suspended in each box. These can easily be withdrawn containing their honey when the time is right and replaced with an empty comb if required. The honey can then be extract from the comb away from the hive.

The beekeeper provides a base for the bees to build their comb. This is made either from a thin sheet of wax or plastic. Imprinted on the sheet is a hexagonal pattern this is used by the bees to hang a wax structure which forms the comb. They are then able to deposit honey and pollen into the cells of the comb.

As well as the design of the hive a prospective beekeeper needs to consider the location of the hive. Close proximity to large areas of plants is not as important as many people think as the bees will travel considerable distances to gather nectar – up to fifty miles round trip per day! It is however important that there is a supply of water close to the hive. We don’t want bees visiting local swimming and paddling pools for a drink and disturbing all the neighbours in the process. The yard where the beehive is located should be surrounded by a six foot high fence. Not to stop people seeing what you are doing but to encourage the bees to fly over head height.

It is very important that the beekeeper has first discovered whether there are any local regulations or bylaws controlling the keeping of bees. (these are rare but do exist). And most important of all is to have fully discussed your intentions with the neighbours. Many arguments why they should welcome bees into the area exist but two are: with friendly non aggressive honey bees dominating the area there is less likelihood of aggressive insects like wasps and hornets visiting. The pollinating effect of bees will mean much healthier harvests in the area. If these don’t work the promise of honey can swing most opinions.

About the Author

Ben Field is a beekeeping expert. For more information on beekeeping hive,visit http://www.thebeekeepingcenter.com.

Posted in Beekeeping Hives | Tags: Beekeeping, Hive, Initial, Thoughts | No Comments »

Beekeeping Lessons

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Sun 27 November 2011 | Author admin

Beekeeping Lessons

Article by Matthew Lee

Compared to painting, stamp collecting, playing basketball, or knitting, beekeeping is the kind of hobby that can provide you with a lot more benefits aside from getting sheer enjoyment. Aside from being a nice past time, it can increase your knowledge about bees and nature, thus educational, aside from being challenged and entertained while doing it. It can also be a great source of income once you take it seriously.

Beekeeping, or what

Posted in Urban Beekeeping | Tags: Beekeeping, Lessons | No Comments »

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Archive for November 2011

Beekeeping for Beekeepers and Beyond

Initial Thoughts on The Beekeeping Hive

Beekeeping Lessons