Beekeeping Equipment Garden Nursery Landscaping Guide
Beekeeping Equipment In Your Backyard
By Rodger G Allenby
Like most hobbies, being a keeper of bees requires some basic
beekeeping equipment before you can establish successful hives.
Of course you should have this equipment before you get your bees
delivered.
When you first begin, you will want to think about the number
of colonies to start out with. After all, they are part of your
equipment. Two or three is a good number to start, as it gives
you a chance to compare the colonies for such things as growth
and production.
The Honey Is Stored In Hive Supers
Obviously, the first pieces of equipment you will need are the
actual honey bee hives. Your beehives should have five hive bodies
or hive supers. Hive supers are a very important part of the hive
because this is where the bees will be storing the honey.
These five supers should be located between the bottom of the
hive and the hive cover and are important because they are not
only where the bees will store the honey, but that is also where
they will raise their offspring.
Deep Supers With One Size Foundation
Once you have an active hive, each super will contain nine or
ten frames. Whether you choose hives with shallow supers or deep
supers is up to you. The advantage of deep supers is that beekeepers
only have to buy one size of foundation.
Alternatively, the disadvantage is that when full, a deep super
can weigh in excess of one hundred pounds. Once you have your
hives for keeping bees, make sure you place them on a flat surface
so that the hives won’t tip over in a powerful wind.
Place Hives Away From Animals And Humans
Another thing to consider about placement is to be sure you put
them where humans or animals aren’t likely to cause a disturbance.
The next piece of essential bee supply equipment is a smoker.
A smoker is what is used to encourage the bees to leave the hives
when you are getting ready to perform maintenance or when you
are ready to harvest the honey.
Best Material For The Smoker
A smoker is surprisingly simple in its design and consists of
a funnel, a combustion chamber and bellows. Many beekeepers claim
that old, clean burlap is the best material to use for the smoker
because burlap is easy to ignite and actually smolders and smokes.
Other beekeepers sometimes prefer to use dried corn cobs. The
bellows will keep the fire going once it has been lit in the combustion
chamber. The funnel directs the smoke into the hive, which encourages
the bees to leave.
Bee Brush To Brush Bees Out Of The Way
You won’t be ready to receive your first shipment of bees until
you have the right beekeeping equipment. A bee brush is used to
gently brush bees out of the way, which helps the beekeeper examine
the frames.
When it is time to harvest your honey, you will need what is
called a fume board. A fume board is a board that is saturated
with bee-removing chemicals and is then used to coax the bees
out of a super and so you can take their honeycombs.
Buying Used Equipment Online
You can buy beekeeping equipment that is new or used. If it is
used, you will want to make sure it is in good condition and have
it examined by another beekeeper for any possible diseases. On
average, the basic bee equipment will cost you around $250 to
start.
You can find some great prices on beekeeper supplies on Ebay,
if you don’t mind getting used equipment. There are also several
catalogs and websites that offer bee equipment for sale and many
of those offer beginner’s packages.
About the Author:
Rodger G Allenby has written a number of articles on gardening
and landscaping including Garden
Supplies, Green
Lawn, Grass
Seed, Bird
Baths, Hummingbird
Feeders, Gardening
Tools, Backyard
Putting Green, Backyard
Ideas, Backyard
Landscaping Pictures, Outdoor
Fire Pit, Underground
Pet Fence, Potting
Table, Backyard
Fences, Fish
Ponds, Enclosed
Porch.
Keep a lookout for more of his articles on this website.
Little Known Honey Bees Facts....
What are honey bees?
The honey bee is a member of the apis genus.
It is in the same family as other bees but it has a very specific
purpose and one that is immensely beneficial to mankind. It produces
honey. Chances are unless you live in a climate that is very cold
or too hot, you have seen honey bees flying around.
The honey bee goes out to gather pollen
and nectar and transports it back to the hive. What you might
not know is that there are several different varieties of bees
that make honey. Some are found in the wild and are not suitable
to beekeeping whereas there are some that are great for farms
to produce their own honey.
The honey bee is a very diverse creature
that can often hold several jobs within its lifetime. The honey
bee has a very caste specific system in which different bees hold
varying jobs that ensure the longevity of the Queen and the hive
itself.
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