Beekeeping for Beginners – you need to know?
Beekeeping for Beginners. How to get apiary.
First, than bees start, need to determine the type of hive and necessary inventory to stock.
Further – select the appropriate breed of bees, and only then buy themselves bees, which also must be able to choose.
But this is just the beginning, because without the basic knowledge of common mistakes beginners you can not escape.
As no where to go wrong? Let's deal with!
If you are interested in the basics of beekeeping for beginners, think, how to start an apiary, to begin, it should first be acquainted with theoretical basics.
Today the apiary for bee breeding can be seen as people with experience, measured several decades, and those, who only has chosen this difficult path as their hobby or as a means of additional income.
Today the region can be called rather bee studied and developed.
But, if the fundamentals of beekeeping, as well as some knowledge of bees familiar to many inhabitants, it tricks and intricacies of the process of breeding bees are known only to professionals.
Initial knowledge base novice beekeeper
so, you decide to become a professional beekeeper or diluted several families of bees for himself and his family needs.
What you need to know? Firstly, learn as literature, describing themselves bees, their livelihoods and features: important to know, they live, who is a member of the family, who functions, what they do, how and what eat, and more.
Do not particularly focus on such details, how, example, body temperature of bees, as this will help to understand the beekeeping.
Also pay special attention to the place, inhabited by bees, learn, how to properly equip.
All these activities perform better in the autumn-winter period, so the spring can already begin to implement their ideas into practice.
Per-second, if you have neighbors or relatives, which seriously and has long been engaged in beekeeping, then contact them through: better seasoned beekeepers nobody teach that, to begin organizing the apiary for beginners.
Only they can convey important experience, accumulated over the years, by, who have just decided to follow in the footsteps of more experienced friend.
The choice of the hive and its equipment
Before you start a bee novice beekeeper must acquire a necessary tool for their accommodation, care of, choose the type of hive, and buy bees.
Buy a few hives framework (the number depends on, how many families you plan to buy).
This is the best accommodation for your bees, since Specially engineered hollow not suitable – they can not be dismantled and transported to a new location, without damaging the same nest.
Hives come in two varieties:
- horizontal;
- vertical.
They differ from each other certain advantages and disadvantages.
The vertical design of the house will be more convenient for your new pets, as well as close to the natural conditions of their habitats, but it is more suited to professional beekeepers.
The horizontal well will be more convenient to use is a beginner beekeeper because of design features.
Be sure to pay attention to ventilation.
It should be a good, as dampness – it enemy of bees.
Now hive must adapt to the life of future owners.
You must buy the frame, which should ideally fit it in your hive, easily removed, and inserted back.
Framework should be more, than hives for bees, because often there are situations, when they should be replaced.
Also, at the initial stage you need Wax – is the basic element, which will be created honeycomb.
It is a thin waxy material, which consists of small hexagonal pieces.
Inventory novice beekeeper
Where to start, If you master the beekeeping for beginners?
Of course, with purchase of necessary equipment for beekeeping.
It can be of several types:
- he, which is designed to work in the apiary;
- he, needed for the care of bees;
- he, which is required for the extraction of bee products and work with them.
To work in the apiary novice beekeepers need protective clothing (overalls, special sleeves, hat with fine mesh, protecting the head and face area), and chimney, which makes working with beehives and discourages worker bees.
Caring for the bees – an important part of any beekeeping. If you do not correct it, the, probably, you lose your family.
so, you need:
- drinker;
- cell, which is intended for females detention, and cap for replanting cancer in the family;
- feeding, in which you submit a hive sugar syrup;
- royivnya, which is adapted for, to remove a swarm temporarily hold it;
- Natural Brush zmitannya bees;
- grid in order to separate the working part of the nest of cancer when working with the latest.
The third group of tools include:
- extractor (a device for separation hundred and honey);
- extractors (vidbrakovannyh required for melting wax honeycombs in the department of unnecessary impurities);
- chisel and several different size blades for separating honey from the frames;
- accessories for frames navoschuvannya (wire, rink, light, special punch).
Further, beginner beekeeper should think about buying containers for honey, as well as devices for additional cleaning product.
Buying bee hives
For the beginner it may be the whole problem, as it is not yet familiar with the, that the best breed of bees and suitable for its location, How to choose a quality family and other difficulties because of lack of experience.
If the first question is usually easy to understand, since most of beekeepers do not stop at specific breeding species, and includes hybrid swarms, then the second will have to suffer.
The best solution in this case will help the beekeeper friend, which can take a retailer.
If a beginner is deprived of such a possibility, you should contact an experienced beekeeper, which could help in choosing family.
When shopping, pay attention to the following points:
- Most of the frames should be as close to the brood solid. The more schilnische frame and covered with brood, the better the family. Example, swarms of elite brood sows almost entirely beyond.
- Take a look to the bottom of the hive. If you see there are small lumps of dirty gray-white, then in any case do not buy bees here, as it sign of illness – askoferozu.
- Observe several hives in the apiary vendor in terms of comparison bee fly. If it is about the same everywhere, it is a good sign. If weak – it is a sign of poor families or, where the disease.
- Note the bees themselves. If your eye catches the fact, there are many individuals without wings or bad wings, it is also an occasion to find another seller.
- Be sure to inspect the potential purchase during the day, transport and organize night, when all the bees returning to the hive at night.
Recommendations future beekeepers
- Buy inventory and equipment only in specialty stores for beekeepers.
- Start work beekeeper best practice in spring, When you start flowering gardens.
- Families buy from people, you trust or those, whom you recommended.
- Pay more attention to the uterus and bees, because only in this case the family can be called strong.
- In no case do not try to start at the beginning of many families, because you do not have experience. The optimal number for a beginner: 3-5 hives.
- If you are familiar beekeepers, you can take to help them and take the time necessary equipment, then buy more missing, because once purchased will be very expensive for your wallet.
- Most hives should be easy, strong, dry and have good ventilation.
- In no case do not use the apiary strongly smelling substance. Also, do not use them myself before going to the bees.
- Cooking hives and bees to winter in advance.
Common mistakes beginners
Errors can occur in all, especially beginners, but from, as you progress in a difficult situation and do to solve this problem, will depend on your further comprehension of beekeeping.
Some of the newcomers, making a mistake at the beginning, throw this occupation, considering it laborious, uninteresting and too troublesome.
The most frequent errors are beginners:
- reluctance to study literature and videos on the topic in advance, in preparation for beekeeping classes, as some believe, independently learn easier and faster, walking on the path of trial and error;
- improper care, violates the normal functioning of a healthy family;
- not timely detection of disease, why kill the queen, bee larvae or individuals and do all the family;
- improper care in preparation for winter living beehive, in which new individuals are not displayed or dies swarm;
- lack of food in winter;
- incorrect location of hives: not near water or honey plant, including your pets could collect nectar;
- violations of conditions of storage of finished honey: high humidity in the hive, no ventilation, etc.;
- holding weak bee colonies.
To these or any other errors not caught novice beekeeper must carefully examine all, regarding this activity and life of bees.
Moreover, if necessary, make the best compendium of critical points, to which you can return to repeat the material or for, to learn, that interest you.