Beekeeper practices

The mites are pretty common in the world of bees. They can spread over colonies, attaching themselves to bees. Varroa mites are the one that can really hurt the bees. When the infestation is low, colonies show very few symptoms. But as the mite population rises, symptoms become more obvious. It can ultimately lead to a drop in the honey bee population. A lot of products and procedures are available that can help you reduce or eradicate Varroa mites populaces. But how you apply those methods,...

If you want to get into beekeeping, but just as a hobbyist, try to do it at home. You can build a beehive in your backyard. But if you don't know what you are doing, things might become troublesome. Bees have always been around. And beekeeping is an old practice of obtaining honey. It came into existence so people won't have to go out for honey. With time, beekeepers have managed to perfect the art of keeping bees.

Most of the times, when you see a few ants in your beehive, do not panic. Usually, ants get drawn to the beehives due to the sweet scent of sugar water or honey. The honey bee in the colony may possibly ignore the ant incursion, provided, it is not disturbing them. Beekeepers are always more bothered by the ants than the bees are. Nevertheless, there can be situations where things might get out of your hand and ants may cause hive failure.

When you take your first step into becoming a beekeeper, there are two most important things. They are a bee and a beehive. Even before you buy your first swarm of bees, you need to install a beehive. There are many methods to install a package of bees in a hive. But you need to find the most convenient one that you can handle easily. Let's have a look at how you can install a package of bees in your hive:

Think about feeding sugar water to cute little bees. It makes a very pretty picture. However, while some experts advise not to feed the bees, some believe bees must be fed in particular cases. It could be done to give a boost to new bees or help the beehive during the winter times. Adding sugar with water is the first thing many new beekeepers begin with. If bees already have natural nectar or stored honey, do not use sugar water. If you feed them sugar water without requirement, they might...

Managing and maintaining apiaries have become an increasingly common sight today. While some do it as a hobby which they are passionate about, others pursue beekeeping as a source of income or as a way to harvest some fresh organic honey. However, there is one common problem that you have to deal with during beekeeping. Aggressive bees! Though they are docile most of the time and can be handled carefully, there are some cases where the bees become extremely aggressive and difficult to deal with.

Quite easily one of the most popular bees in the hive, here are some important things you need to know about the Queen bee.

The worker bees have one of the most important roles to play inside a hive. They are responsible for a number of activities and tasks that keep the colony functioning efficiently. But who are the worker bees? The Queen bee can lay fertilized and unfertilized eggs. While the unfertilized eggs become the drone bees, the fertilized eggs can either become worker bees or queen bees. The only difference is that the worker bees do not have the capability to reproduce and lay eggs.

Protecting your apiary from pest infestations and diseases is one of the most important things that you have to do. Pests can cause a number of damages to your hive such as rotting honey, the decline in the bee population, create aggression in bees, and much more. The only way to avoid this is through constant inspections and maintenance of your apiaries. The small hive beetle is one such pest that can cause a lot of problems to your hive. The adult beetles fly into the hive and lay their...

Are you thinking of setting up your own apiary but not sure how to go about handling the honey bees? Worried they might sting you? Don’t worry. This article can help you with all the tips and knowledge that you need to go about handling your colony the right way.

Beehive robbing is a situation where a beehive faces the attack from foreign bees. How much this situation is serious and how it can be controlled, let us know.   During the attack, the defending party will do or die to save their hive. Therefore this bee battle can lead to the death of so many tiny bees, or it can even kill the entire colony. It is such a tragedy not only for bees but for the beekeepers as well.   Another situation that can happen if the defending party fails to...

Beekeeping Inspection Like any other culture, beekeeping also needs full care and checking from time to time. It is the responsibility of beekeeper to keep an eye on what should be done and at what specific time. It is important to keep oneself acquainted with the needs of the bees. Though the general idea is, first beekeeping inspection starts with spring, which isn’t true because bees do need constant vigilance in order to avoid your loss of the colonies. Every season comes with its...