Bee Keeping Tips for Beginner Beekeepers
There’s a lot that goes into bee keeping than harvesting honey. Before bees can even start making honey, they have to build a comb, raise young ones, and visit lots of flowers. The job of a beekeeper is to nurture and monitor their progress. And just as with animal husbandry, beekeeping takes a lot of learning to do it well. Here are some basics to get you started
Bee keeping is local
Bees are largely influenced by their environment, which means that for them to thrive, they have to be in the right climate and environment. For this reason, you want to familiarize yourself with what beekeeping entails in your locality. Consider joining the local beekeepers association or club and finding a suitable mentor near you.
Learn about bees
You want to learn as much as possible about the bees themselves. Considering that many variables could affect the bees, you need to be able to spot any changes every time you get into your hive. To make the right management decisions, you should be knowledgeable enough to figure out why bees are behaving in a certain way and how different conditions or actions may affect their well-being.
Get the right equipment
Bee keeping is not a cheap hobby. As such, it’s important to note that there will be lots of initial outlays when starting. You may need to get gear such as a hive tool, smoker, and bee suit. You also need to budget for the hives to store your bees and the hive stands that you place the hives on. You also need bees, which could add up to a pretty penny.
You might be tempted to save some money by getting second-hand equipment. However, this comes with a risk of disease, which could be hazardous to your bees. This is better done later on while you’ve learned about bee diseases and how to manage them.
Create an apiary
To keep bees well, you should have an apiary. While you can successfully keep bees in the back garden, it’s best to keep them away from people. This way, you don’t have to worry about what will happen if the bees swarm or they sting someone.
Bees prefer having an open, sunny place away from frost pockets and overhanging tree branches. You should set up hive stands in such a way that you have good access to the hive from the back. In case the apiary is set up close to other animals, ensure that the area is fenced off. Plus, consider setting up the hive entrances away from public pathways as it could get busy in the summer.
Look at bees as often as possible
Consider teaming up with other beginner beekeepers to go through hives together. Attend demonstrations, take courses, and offer help to local apiaries when you can. Lend your services to novices starting bee keeping or other pros who might need a hand. Find any excuse at all to be near bees or around other beekeepers. This will help speed up your learning, and raise your confidence in handling bees.