A Beginner’s Guide to Beekeeping

A Beginner’s Guide to Beekeeping In the last couple of years, beekeeping has witnessed increasing popularity in the country. According to statistics by the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, there are anywhere between 115,000 to 125,000 beekeepers across the country. If you have taken interest in starting your own beekeeping farm, whether out of pure fascination or to make a profit, here are five helpful beginner tips to get you started in beekeeping. #1 Find a Good Location Beekeeping needs close and frequent monitoring, so choose a location that is easily accessible and has a good layout.

Whether it’s in your garden, roof, farmland or a nearby apiary, make sure you can effortlessly reach the location of the beehive with full beekeeping equipment on. #2 Get The Bee Hives The majority of beekeepers start with a standard langstroth hive or a classic langstroth hive, in addition with a second hive of the same type for easy interchangeability. Langstroth hives are recommended for beginner beekeepers because they have plenty of resources available which is incredibly beneficial when you are just starting out. Other types of hives are more for seasoned beekeepers with years of experience under their belt. #3 Order Bees or Capture a Lead on a Swarm One of the best options for this is feral swarm, which are comparatively easy to lure into your hive using an attractant such as a citral or lemon grass extract. You could even hire a more experienced beekeeper to capture swarms and get on their list.

The only major precaution with swarms is that they are not guaranteed, so ordering at least one package of nucleus colony from a bee supplier is a good idea. #4 Buy Equipment Beekeeping requires using specialized equipment. Because of the innate risk involved in handling bees, you will need protective gear and bee suits, along with equipment such as a smoker, hive tool, gloves and others. To Buy Beekeeping Equipment at reasonable prices, visit Meyer Bees. #5 Attend Courses And Read Books on Beekeeping There are multiple courses on beekeeping offered every season. Look for a comprehensive course that is meant for beginners that is at least 20 hours long. If you need help in finding a suitable course, other beekeepers from your local association should be able to provide you with plenty of help. You could even reach out to providers of quality courses.

Reading books on beekeeping is another incredibly effective way to learn more about farming bees. And there are plenty of good books out there. For a start you could begin with ‘The Idiot’s Guide to Beekeeping’ Once you’re done with this, you can move on to other books that are for more experienced beekeepers.

#6 Join a Bee Club There are many benefits of joining a bee club. And the most significant one is that it’s a place where you meet people of similar interest. By conversing with people with varying degrees of experience, you can learn a lot of things, not only from experienced beekeepers but even novices like you. You can learn from each others’ mistakes and share the good techniques and experiments.

Final Thoughts Whether it’s a new found hobby or an effortful commitment for making profit, beekeeping is an enjoyable yet labor intensive work. But for passionate beekeepers, there is nothing more satisfying than reaping the benefits of your work during harvest season.