Searching for an informative yet compact introduction to beekeeping?
Well, most beekeeping articles are technical and so, I’ve tried to make it easier to understand.
Whatever I’m suggesting is based on my personal experience on beekeeping that’s a successful one.
Bees are wonderful creatures and great workers who benefit the whole planet in various ways.
Beekeeping or apiculture is a great way to sustain with own products and help others with organic resources.
So, without any further delay, let’s begin!
What Is Beekeeping And Why Is It Important?
Beekeeping, also known as Apiculture, is a scientific process of rearing honeybees.
The purpose of beekeeping is to produce honey and wax through the management and care of honey bees.
It requires an apiary near flowering plants where bees can create many beehives to live.
Beekeeping has multiple importances that are listed below:
- Beekeeping lets you produce honey, which is highly nutritious and delicious. Apart from relishing homegrown honey, you can also make a good income by selling it.
- Beeswax can be used as lubricants and in multiple household tasks. You can also sell wax, which is a huge demand in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other industries.
- Beekeeping aids pollination, which can help you to grow several crops. If you’re growing flowering plants in the backyard, beekeeping will ensure healthy growth.
- According to science, beekeeping is a highly stimulating hobby. If you’re planning to choose a new hobby related to gardening, beekeeping is a perfect match.
When Did Beekeeping Start?
Beekeeping is an ancient hobby that dates back almost 9,000 years ago.
The first instances of beekeeping are probably in North Africa inside pottery vessels. And the instances of humans collecting honey date back to about 10,000 years ago.
But, commercial beekeeping was introduced for the first time in Ukraine at the beginning of the 19th century. Petro Prokopovych is the person who started operating 6600 colonies for apiculture.
In the USA, commercial beekeeping was introduced by Moses Quinby.
Is Beekeeping Legal?
Beekeeping is legal in the USA but there are different state ordinances.
And so, it’s legal in some cities whereas illegal in others. For example, in Virginia, there’s a Virginia Bee Law that the citizens have to abide by in order to start apiculture.
The Virginia Bee Law states that beekeepers should ensure a proper environment before getting started. Also, the beekeepers may need to present a health certificate from the Office of Plant Industry Services.
So, the rules and regulations may highly vary from state to state.
What Are The Basics Of Beekeeping?
Below are the basics of beekeeping that you need to be aware of:
- The first thing to do before beekeeping is obviously checking whether it’s prohibited in your city. If the law permits you to start apiculture, you’re good to go!
- Bees love to live in colonies and so, it’s the foremost criterion of beekeeping. You need to make sure that you provide them with a safe environment in greenery to live in.
- Keeping your bees near entrances or close to children and neighbors can cause problems. That’s why you need to choose a calm and safe area.
- Your apiary needs to be near flowering plants as bees will need nectar. Though bees can fly far for nectar, it leads to predation, and wing damage and reduces their life span.
- Some plants to grow in the backyard along with beekeeping are blackberries, alder, dandelion, scotch broom, skunk cabbage, poppies, etc.
- Bees need plenty of sunshine and good drainage for the hives. However, if you’re living in a humid state, you also need to provide shade to your bees.
- Bees have numerous varieties and breeds that you can choose from. But, you need to make sure that the breed you choose is suitable for your climate.
- You can begin with just one hive in the first season to adapt the technique. In the next season, you can expand the number of hives to two or three.
What Are The Types Of Beekeeping?
Beekeeping follows almost the same technique regardless of different types.
The two main types of beekeeping are hobbyist beekeeping and commercial beekeeping.
Hobbyist Beekeeping
Some homesteaders start gardening as a way of finding sustenance when it comes to food and lifestyle.
So, for them, beekeeping is mostly a hobby that lets them grow honey naturally and sustain it. The
best part of hobbyist beekeeping is that there’s no commercial target that needs to be achieved.
Commercial Beekeeping
Commercial beekeepers are keen on growing bees for honey and wax to sell them and earn a living. Also, there are people who do it as a part-time business.
Whichever group it is, commercial beekeeping always has a financial association.
If you ask me which type of beekeeper I am, I’ll say that I belong to the first type. But, I’m planning to expand my hives soon and gradually give commercial beekeeping a try.
How Difficult Is Beekeeping?
Beekeeping is indeed a complex process that isn’t the easiest among homesteading tasks.
That’s because it doesn’t mean keeping a commune of bees in your garden and looking for honey. Instead, beekeeping is an exciting process of looking at the lives of bees very closely.
Well, bees have a wonderful lifestyle that doesn’t match with any other animals or insects. The way they build their hives and follow a specific system commanded by a queen bee is beyond imagination.
And identifying the queen bee among a whole group is fascinating, isn’t it?
Technically also, beekeeping is a bit challenging owing to the precautions and learnings involved. That’s why beekeeping needs a little care, passion, and dedication to start with.
But, having said that, I’ll always agree with the fact that anyone can start beekeeping.
What Are the Advantages Of Beekeeping?
I’ve already mentioned why beekeeping is important to homesteaders. Now, I’ll add a few more points on some of the biggest advantages of beekeeping.
Beekeeping is a great hobby that lets you produce your own honey. Apart from being a sustainable option and a steady source of income, is there any greater cause?
So, the question is, how does beekeeping help the environment?
- Bees are one of the best insects to spread pollen from flowers. As a result, a lot of plants can reproduce at the right time and grow their family. This is how they maintain the ecosystem of forests and gardens.
- Beekeeping allows you to make your garden more fertile, helping plants to grow. As a whole, beekeeping will make sure that you care for the planet. That’s because beekeeping will help you to maintain the ecosystem of the whole planet.
What Are the Disadvantages Of Beekeeping?
Well, there’s a positive and negative side to everything and beekeeping is no exception. Here are a few disadvantages that some homesteaders have addressed recently:
Honey bees are known to be non-natives and not as good at pollination as solitary wild bees. That’s why honey bees won’t give you the best results unless you attract solitary bees.
Honey bee stings are quite painful and many homesteaders are scared of them. And some people are allergic to the sting, which can lead to dangerous physical conditions at times.
For beginners, the cost of initial beekeeping may seem higher than many other homesteading tasks. The cost of supply of honey bees is something that you need to consider before starting.
Is Beekeeping Profitable?
Yes, beekeeping is profitable if you do it seriously and with proper dedication.
That’s because you can easily sell the excess honey and wax from your garden.
Today, there’s a huge demand for organically processed superior-quality honey and beeswax.
Beekeepers Honey
Beekeepers honey is a form of raw and natural honey processed in an organic way.
It’s unfiltered and unheated to retain the natural ingredients. The best part of beekeepers’ honey is that it’s quite healthier than store-bought honey.
The nutritional value of beekeepers’ honey is very high. It contains essential minerals such as iron, copper, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and potassium.
Also, it’s dense with niacin, pantothenic acid, ascorbic acid, and riboflavin.
What Are The 3 Types Of Bees?
The 3 types of bees are queens, drones, and workers.
While the drones are male bees, the queen and the workers are female bees. Each of them plays a significant role in their commune.
The queen is the leader of the commune who is reproductive and commanding. The workers, smaller in size than the queen, work to build the hives and perform other tasks.
The drones don’t have stingers and are identified by the larger eyes.
What Is Bee Language?
Another fantastic fact is that bees have their own language, which they use for nest-based communication.
They communicate about the resources, their locations, and other informative facts for the sake of survival. It’s known as the bee language or dance language.
Which Bee Hive Is Best?
Langstroth hive is the best hive common among beekeepers.
Introduced by Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth, the hive usually comes with removable frames to help bees to build comb. In this hive, the boxes of the hive are vertically aligned one after another.
Apart from the Langstroth hive, two other common hives are the top bar hive and Warré hive.
While the top bar hive is known to be the oldest, the Warré hive is the latest one.
What Is A Male Bee Called?
A male bee is called a drone, which usually appears in early summer.
You can easily spot them as they are stingless and have bigger eyes.
What Is Female Bee Called?
A female bee is either a worker or a queen.
The queen is the one who reproduces baby bees and leads the whole commune.
A worker is smaller in size than the queen and plays a subordinate role to the queen.
What Is Queen Catcher?
A queen catcher is a beekeeping gear that beekeepers use to safely catch queen bees.
There are various types of queen catchers are available. These are usually made of plastic and crafted with the right technology not to harm the bees.
How Many Bees Can Live In A Hive?
In a hive, generally, 20,000 to 70,000 bees and even more can live.
This is the common number but it can vary depending on the size of the hives.
In a commune, there’s only one queen bee and the rest of the population is divided into drones and workers.
How Long Do Honey Bees Live?
Honey bees live for 30 to 60 days, according to experts.
But, queen bees usually have a larger lifespan of 1–2 years. Some experts suggest that worker bees live for a lesser number of days in summer than in winter.
What Are The Equipment Used In Beekeeping?
Building Beehives
With a new cover, this guidebook covers information on bee space, building beehives, and more for aspiring beekeepers.
Bee Hive Kit
It’s a compact kit comprising an 8 feet wooden beehive that you can easily install in the backyard.
Bee Hive Smoker
This is another useful kit consisting of a beehive smoker along with a heat shield to calm bees and save beekeepers from stings.
Beekeeping Water Dispenser
This is a much-needed beekeeping instrument that lets bees drink water and survive peacefully.
Beehive Uncapping Knife
This equipment aids beekeepers by allowing them to uncap beehives and extract honey with ease.
Conclusion
Introduction to beekeeping is quite fun and interesting if you follow the above tips.
These have worked excellently for me, helping me to build communes of happy bees.
I’m sure you’ll soon become a pro in beekeeping and start enjoying it.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Homestead Lifestyle Board!!
