Many people are enthusiastically jumping into honey bees
beekeeping these days, as declining feral bee populations resulting from foreign pests and ailments have been all over the news. The decline in wild bees has made the role of the individual backyard beekeeper that much more important, honey bees playing such a central role in the pollination of food crops.
If you're interested in starting a simple hive in the backyard to do your part or even in eventually developing an extensive apiary for running a bee product business, here are a few helpful tips to assist you in getting started.
Be a Willing Student
Learn as much as you can on the subject of bee keeping before you ever take action. Learning the basics is enough to get you started, but true success will come with real knowledge. Familiarize yourself with bee behavior and social structure. Learn about best practices in bee keeping. Study the natural food sources and life cycle of bees. Educating yourself as best you can on all aspects of bee keeping and honey bees will make your hobby more rewarding and your business more profitable.
Set Up the Hive and Grounds
Beekeepers generally use an artificial hive for housing
honey bees. There are a wide selection of hive available on the market, and the design you select will be mostly dependent on personal preference. The type of bee keeping you have in mind or the variety of bee products you intent to sell will also factor into the decision.
You'll want to set up the hive and the apiary grounds before ordering your bees. Place the hive in a location that provides some shelter from the weather and which is also in proximity to local food and water sources. A fresh water supply must be available year round, and you may need to add such a supply to your grounds.
Stock Your Supply Shelves and Bee Medicine Cabinet
After studying bee keeping practice, you'll have a good idea of what supplies, tools, supplements and medicines may be required for your bee keeping venture. Purchase these supplies in advance so they are on hand when needed. Consider keeping a bee medicine chest fully stocked in order to handle any disease or pest issues in a timely manner.
Purchase Your Bees
Some of the most experienced beekeepers choose to capture feral bees, but most of purchase bees from a supplier. Bees arrive packaged, with each parcel weighing somewhere between two and five pounds and containing thousands or tens of thousands of bees, including a queen. A good bee keeping guide in addition to the materials which are often included in bee packages will assist you in getting the bees settled into their new home.
Continue to Learn and Grow
No matter how much you study the topic before getting involved, there will still be so much more to learn, and some of that learning comes from hands-on interaction with the bees and the hive. Remain committed to your new hobby or business. Set a schedule and stick with it. You'll get the hang of it, and before you know it, you'll be the one educating others on the topic of honey bees bee keeping.
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