Organic Beekeeping

Organic beekeeping methods involve a set of treatments that use natural materials to promote honeybee colonies. It uses specialized beekeeping practices and honeybee nutritional supplements in order to enhance the growth of honeybees. Everything utilized in organic beekeeping can be handled or eaten safely by both beekeeper and the honeybees.

Organic beekeeping uses the methodology of traditional naturopathy that does not allow use of pesticides for promoting colonization of honeybees. When bees are exposed to these poisonous substances, their immune system can get adversely affected and eventually it may weaken. As a result they become more vulnerable to diseases. Therefore, organic beekeeping prohibits use of substances that can cause harm to honeybees and beekeepers. When providing solutions to diseases in a strong honeybee colony, substances used are wholesale, healthful and nutritious.

In organic beekeeping, it is essential to maintain the health of the bees. This is done by giving them nutritional supplements rich in trace minerals and proteins. Honeybees show is mainly due to nutritional deficiencies and toxic burden. Organic beekeeping methods deliver medicinal elements that offer nutritional values for the bees.
Organic beekeeping practices include:

* Honey bee nutrition
* Promote honeybee gardens
* Prudent Winter preparation
* Brood Spraying

In case you want to do organic beekeeping in your backyard or farmhouse but don't have the slightest idea about it, then you can join organic beekeeping classes. Here you will provide lot of information about beekeeping including how to spot the queen and clip its wings. In these classes, you will be explained about the various beekeeping practices. You will also come to know about the conventional hive structure. Experts on successful organic beekeeping can give you some useful tips

You can also take the help of Internet in case you want to know more about organic beekeeping. Bees are very important animals as they have developed an excellent process to make honey. Use of pesticides can be dangerous for bees, hence organic beekeeping does not recommend use of such substances.

Artificial breeding methods are literally killing these bees as they make use of insecticide; hence, there is an urgent need to promote organic beekeeping methods. Organic honey is a bit costly as honey to be labeled as organic; manufacturers have to meet stringent organic conditions and standards during honey production which include source of nectar, bees management, honey extraction process, processing temperature, transportation and packaging materials. Organic honey is thoroughly tested to make sure that it is free from residues of environmental pollutants such as pesticides. Only after going through all these details and confirming that no pesticides were used, the honey is certified as organic.

Organic honey farming has to meet extensive and rigorous monitoring of certification body. Regular analysis of honey samples is done to make sure that it is not contaminated with chemical residue.

Although organic beekeeping can be a tedious job, it is extremely beneficial for the bees. Honey produced by these methods is far more superior in taste than honey that is made by conventional methods

Commercial Beekeeping

Beekeeping has been a much sought after activity since ancient times. However, beekeeping as a serious profession is fast gaining popularity nowadays. There are various types of beekeepers. Some people merely pursue it as a hobby rather than a full time vocation. Commercial bee keeping is fast on the rise with it being the sole source of income for many. Commercial bee keeping means devoting all your time to this profession and making it a means of earning your daily bread. You can also hire beekeepers that can take care of your farm and bees.

Commercial bee keeping has a number of aspects. It involves varied processes, which require many efforts. Firstly investing in beekeeping is the major hurdle. If you plan to start beekeeping on a commercial basis, you need to invest a lot initially. You should also take advice of experienced commercial beekeepers when you decide to embark on this path.

There are certain beekeeping rules and regulations that need to be followed. Your bees need ample space to find their food and roam about freely. Commercial bee keeping involves renting or buying a certain amount of land exclusively for your bees. The bees should be kept in clean and hygienic conditions.
Commercial bee keeping also requires ample space for storage purposes. There are plenty of equipments required during the process of extracting the honey and your bees also require food that can be stored in this place.

Commercial beekeepers buy packets of bees with the queen bee. They fill the hives with these bees and start the further processes. Beekeepers need to keep a constant watch on the bees and avoid swarming of the bees.

There are numerous hives prepared for especially for the purpose for beekeeping. All these hives too need to be maintained and repaired in case of any damage. Commercial beekeepers have to extract honey during the spring season. After this season ends the bees thrive on honey and food that as been stored for them. The conditions too need to be maintained properly during the winter seasons as the cold winds may affect the bees.

Honey is extracted from the honeycombs by means of a honey extractor. However, before this the beekeepers have to ensure that the honeybees do not swarm around the comb. Honeybees are brushed off from the combs and sometimes bee repellents too are used. The honey that is extracted is collected in tanks and is then bottled in jars. This honey is then sold in markets.

Commercial bee keeping actually does not involve too many expenses. Only the initial investment proves to be a bit high. The commercial beekeepers earn their livelihood through production of beeswax, honey and pollination of crops.

Commercial beekeeping proves to be a great success in areas, which receive rain. So make sure that you choose suitable areas when you start with commercial farming. Beekeeping is an ideal profession for those who love being in nature and like the company of bees. Commercial beekeeping is an interesting occupation indeed and you can reap the benefits of this profession if pursued with enthusiasm and passion.

Beekeeping Suit

Beekeeping is a hobby for some people, while it is an interesting home business for some. If you are interested in starting this business, you need to know all about its accessories such as hive tool, smoker and bee suit and basic information about maintaining hives. Beekeeping suit is one of the important accessories required for this business.

Beekeeping suit is white coveralls with elastics in order to close off pant legs and cuffs in the sleeves, along with a veil and gloves. While working with the bees, you need a protection from their stings. These body care suits come with integrated veil and hood. They are quite reliable, easy to use, protective and comfortable.

Beekeeping suit is light, durable and comfortable. It is made from the quality material such as polyester or cotton and it is available in different sizes. Major features of beekeeper's suit are:

- It is totally safe and fully sealed with Velcro, elastic and double zippers offering more security.
- It has fully-integrated, convenient hood and veil. This suit offers great ventilation to feel comfortable.
- It has heavy duty, extra-long ankle zippers that enable you to use it easily with boots.
- It features double heavy-duty zippers from the crotch to chest offering better utility.
- The suit consists of extra utility pockets for better usefulness.
- Its additional unique hood support is helpful for ventilation, better head movement and safety.
- It can be easily washed.

The veil is the ultimate in safety, convenience and comfort. It is connected to the beekeeping suit with the zippers at the collar. It does not require extra hat, clumsy metallic zippers, no fumbling with draw strings or no breaking of draw strings. The veil enables free head movement and provides excellent visibility. Unique head-rib can keep the fabric away from your head-crown. The suit is provided with special pockets to hold the beekeeping tools as well as personal items. Zippers provided in the pants legs can make the suit easy to use and more comfortable.

Correctly sized, well-designed and properly worn beekeeping suit and gloves can offer comfortable and effective protection against the stings from bees, hornets and wasps. This suit can be used in different situations like beekeeping, africanized bee extermination, bee-swarm and colony removal, utility maintenance, commercial pest control and heavy-equipment contracting. Beekeeper's body suit offers following benefits:

- If worn properly, bee suit can keep the stingers away and protect you from the stings.
- A bee suit and gloves can help keep the stinging insects out of clothes due to suit's the zippers at the torso, collar and ankles, elastic cuffs at the ankles and wrists and Velcro seals at the front and back of the integrated hood.
- The white color of the beekeeper's suit is neutral, non-attractive in appearance. All stinging insects are usually attracted to darker areas of the body such as hair, ears, nose, eyes and mouth. The bee suit is white and hence, the bees hit the darker screened veil. However, they cannot penetrate the veil.

Beekeeping Kit

A bee keeping kit is the most important part of beekeeping. You will need all the protective gear and honey removing apparatus that you can get to give you sweet, sugary honey. It is a sweet source of nutrition and income for the whole family.

The basic bee keeping kits come with a hive that has its own specialties according to the one you order, a swarm box or catch box, beekeeping protective wear (that is, a veil and a suit), a hive tool, a smoker with a heater guard, PVC gloves with material arms and elbows, queen excluder and a bee brush.

The uses of each of the above items that are included in a bee keeping kit are as follows:

* The hive is where your bees are going to stay and make honey
* The swarm box is used to collect bees and keep them there
* Protective gear is a must if you want to avoid getting stung badly by the bees. Of especial use is the veil that keeps you head out of reach of the bees.
* A hive tool to a beekeeper is like a hammer to a carpenter. It is used to open hives, pry frames apart, scrape the wax and propolis from the hive parts.
* A smoker is useful to keep the bees at bay. The smoke when injected in the hive can make the bees think that there is a fire. So, they store up the honey in themselves and are less likely to bite you.
* A queen excluder, as the name suggests, is to exclude the queen bee from the other bees.
* PVC gloves are a part of the protective gear.
* The bee brush is used to brush bees away from the frame where you want to work. It gently moves the bees out of the way.

Along with a bee keeping kit you will need bees, too, if you are intent upon beekeeping! You can get them from a local beekeeper association or a vendor. There are some other things that you must keep in mind. You should be ready with all the equipment before you get the bees home. You should always keep referring to good beekeeping books and magazines to update your knowledge. Make a journal for keeping records of bee activities, the plants growing in the area and the important dates such as when the hives were medicated and the honey is harvested.

You should also have the phone and address of the local beekeepers association and the names and numbers of other beekeepers. If your budget allows you get some bee-sting cream, butane lighter for the smoker, a five gallon bucket with a cloth caddy to hold the tools, a sweatband, blank labels for jars and a honey recipe book.

As you advance in your beekeeping practices, you can take other tools and equipment that you may think suitable. Usually this basic bee keeping kit can last you long. You may not need replacements. Beekeeping is a profitable occupation that gives you honey and wax for sale. You can have the honey for your family too and still be able to sell. That's the beauty of it all. You can gain a lot from beekeeping besides sheer enjoyment.

Beekeeping For Beginners

Keeping a bee as a pet in a house, might be an unusual idea for most of us. However, there are many people involved in a beekeeping program and earning bucks regularly. Beekeeping is now been considered as one of the profitable business. Beeswax and honey are the two major products extracted from beekeeping. Apart from this, some people are in beekeeping just as a hobby. Today anyone can start his/her own beekeeping farm. There are lots of sources available on beekeeping for beginners, which can guide you through entire process.

Before you start with a beekeeping program, there are certain things that need to be considered. Every program on beekeeping for beginners first introduces you about beehives, bee’s behavior, their working environment etc. Below are some basics that should be followed while you purchase beehives.

• An ideal beehive should be square and must include at least 10 comb frames separated equally by five supers. The dimensions of such beehives are 18 5/6" X 14 15/16” and at least 6 ½” deep.
• It should be covered properly; by a sturdy bottom board and hive cover.
• The cells of beehives should be free of any brood diseases.
• These cells should be appropriate in size so that the larva will grow comfortably.
• The surrounding of beehives has to be free from attacking moths and wax eating moths.

In a beekeeping for beginners programs, the experts also provide detailed information on which kind of protectors need to be used while rearing bees for production. Today’s modern beekeeping suit includes gloves, veil, hooded suit and a hat. This suit is specially designed to use while collecting honey from bee combs. Bees have natural tendency to sting anyone who approaches to their comb. That is why; even if you are rearing bees, they will attack you to protect their comb. Although beekeeping is a bit difficult and needs lot of time, one should maintain beehive properly and protect it from various bee diseases to retain the product quality.

Once you get clear knowledge of bee working, your next step is to collect honey and wax from them. If you participate in a beekeeping for beginners program, you will get a clear idea of extracting instruments used in this profession. Bee brush, bee escape boards, bee blower are some handy equipments used to separate bees from frames. There are different methods used to take out honey from the combs. You can do it by hands or can use large extractor, usually made of aluminum to save the time. While extracting honey from a comb some times wax capping also comes along with honey. To remove such wax capping, electrically heated knife is commonly used.

Another great benefit of getting enrolled in a beekeeping for beginners program is you meet many experienced beekeepers. They can give you easy and handy tips on how to grow business? How you can take care of your bees? Which are common bee diseases and which effective medicines to be used?

Alternatively, it’s up to you whether you want to be beekeeper just as a hobby or you really want to earn money. Through a beekeeping for beginners program you can have better opportunities.

Beekeeping As A Business

Beekeeping as a business serves rural people in developing countries and is their major source of income and nutrition. Beekeeping is considered a sustainable form of agriculture as well as it is advantageous to the environment. This business can help people overcome the economic and social problems in the rural areas. In the last few years, there has been an intense development in beekeeping as a business. Earlier people used to keep bees as their hobby, but nowadays, commercialization has made it a business. You will find many professional beekeepers in your city.

Beekeeping as a business can offer people:

* economic solutions and a reliable source of income
* constructive economic growth
* sources of nutrition

Nowadays, beekeeping as a business is considered among one of the most beneficial businesses. One of the most significant features of this business is that there is a high demand for beeswax and honey in the international market. The export market is waiting for beeswax and other honey products, only the thing is that the export market requires top quality honey. Other hive products are also considered for marketing and the bees themselves as packages and queens also have a huge demand in the export market. In this way, beekeeping as a business is one of the most beneficial businesses.

If you want to lead your business of beekeeping to the pinnacle of success, you will have to get expertise in many fields, such as quality, range and potential of the products that can easily meet the requirements of the global customers. Although this business does not require any difficult processing methods, it is advisable to get thorough information in order to make your business of beekeeping more successful.

Many families maintain bee keeping as a business with the help of some workers. Micro-enterprise is a term related to this business, which generally refers to family businesses that are operated in the informal sectors. The micro-enterprises can provide a modest living and income for millions of workers and their families.

Beekeeping as a business can meet difficulties and challenges that many developing countries are facing currently. According to a survey, beekeeping business is one of the most dynamic economic sectors and it is growing at the rate of approximately up to 15% every year. Beekeeping as a business is highly flourishing in many African countries as there are a lot of bees markets where beeswax and other products are sold in a huge quantity. Many African countries have maintained this business as a tradition for a long time.

The joy of the beekeeping as a business is that it does not require costly ongoing aid. It does not require a large amount to start the business, only the thing required is thorough information as well as your interest and dedication. In this way, to become a successful beekeeper you will have to understand your bees well as well as what they require from you. While starting your business you will have to think about the place of your hive colony. According to many experts, the best place to set up hive colony is near the area where oilseed rapes are grown.

Beekeeping Facts

Beekeeping involves the cultivation of bees for production of honey and beeswax on a commercial scale. Beekeeping is very similar to farming. Most people take up beekeeping as a hobby. The origins of beekeeping are still a mystery. In some caves in Africa and Spain archaeologists have discovered drawings that depict people collecting honey. In ancient times artificial beehives were made out of clay vases, pottery, straw baskets and bowls.

There are various courses offered that tell us about different bee keeping supplies. Beekeeping is generally dependent on the activity of bees and they produce honey. Bees produce honey in only certain climates and temperatures.

Bee keepers should have enough knowledge about maintaining beehives. Here is some information on beehives along with advice about purchasing a beehive:

- A beehive consists of a bottom board and hive cover that has five supers in between. Every super includes of nine to ten frames of comb in which the young ones are placed along with honey and pollen. It must be square and should be tight. The dimensions from inside should be 18 5/6" by 14 15/16" by either 9 5/8" or 6 1/2" deep.
- The dark brood combs should properly checked to ensure that there are no moths attacking the frames, eating pollen and wax and from sticking the frames with webbing.
- Bee hives can be purchased either with the bees in them or without bees.
- Also make sure that you are purchasing the equipment at a fair price.

Introduction to bee keeping supply provides knowledge about the proper clothing such as gloves, hooded suit, veil and hat. Beekeepers usually wear protective clothing while collecting honey from the beehive. It is very important to wear a veil or a hooded suit to avoid stings from the bees. These protective clothing are usually light in color and are made up from a very smooth material.

Beekeeping is a very tedious, hard and time consuming work so it very important to have knowledge about bee keeping supply. They should have knowledge about the different types of beekeepers such as:

- Commercial beekeepers are the type of beekeeper who involve in beekeeping to earn. Beekeeping is their primary source of income.
- Sideliner beekeepers also engage in beekeeping but it for them beekeeping is the secondary source of income.
- Hobbyist are those beekeepers who do beekeeping as a hobby. For them beekeeping is not a source of income.

There are three castes of bees namely a queen, worker bee and male drones found in the colony of bee. A queen bee is generally the only female in the colony of bee while there are large number of worker bees around 30,000 to 50,000 in a single beehive. In spring the number of male drones ranges from thousands to only few in cold season. The queen bee usually lives for three or more years. A single queen bee is capable of laying thousands of eggs in her lifetime. In the breeding season a queen bee can lay up to 3,00 eggs in a single day.

Beekeeping Equipment

Beekeeping involves the rearing of bees for production of wax and honey on a commercial scale. Beekeeping is done in special wooden boxes known as hives. The hives are wooden boxes that can be opened from one side; they are also fitted with bars. Knowledge derived from books is not sufficient for beekeeping, this activity requires skill and practical experience. It takes years of experience for learning beekeeping and to get acquainted with the handling bee keeping equipment. Beekeeping is a time consuming and tedious task even if it looks exciting.

There are various ways and methods through which beekeeping can be practiced. Top bar method it the most ancient and commonly used technique throughout the globe. It is popular because it is simple to maintain and cost effective. It does not have any complex mechanism and consists of only few parts. Another technique is the Langstroth bee hive which consists of several boxes (also known as supers) and other parts in the bee hive. But in comparison with the top bar technique this method is relatively complex.

Following are some of the basic bee keeping equipment:

- Bee keeping wooden hives are the basic equipment used for beekeeping where the bees are kept. Hive stand helps to support the bee hive. Nowa dayssingle chambered bee hives are also available.
- Honey processing plant is the machine used for the processing of raw honey and removing the impurities like wax, water, pollen etc from the raw honey. It is a eco friendly and easy to handle instrument.
- Honey extractor is another useful instrument which helps to the extract the honey from the impurities. It has filter screen by which the honey can be extracted easily and the honey flows from the bottom holes into the extractor.
- Hive tools are instruments, which are well suited for the wooden hives and are made of steel. They are used by most of the experts and professionals. It helps in separation of the scraping fumes and supers.
- Hand operated roller is the bee keeping equipment which helps you to produce foundations of wax comb. This is the most economical and instrument which is available in small and medium sizes.
- Smokers are steel equipment which generate smoke that is needed to calm down the bees while removing honey or wax.
- Wax sheets provide a foundation for the bees to work faster and increase the amounts of yields.
- Needles are t common equipment which are used to separate impurities from the honey. However, they are not efficient in comparison with the Honey processing plant.
- Frame gripper is a useful tool which helps to remove the frames from the bee hives.
- Queen cage are the unique equipment where the queen bee can be placed. These instruments can be fitted easily in the hives.
- Queen cell protector helps to protect against chew down.
- Gloves are special equipment which helps to protected the hands of the beekeepers from bites of bees.
- Brush, wasp trap, pollen trap, honey tray, uncapping knife are also some of the commonly used bee keeping tools.

Before using the bee keeping equipment you should have a proper knowledge of their handing to get the best results.

Backyard Beekeeping

Many beekeepers in urban and suburban areas have kept bees in their backyards. You will surprised to see bee hives on roof tops. Bees have the ability to travel several miles in order to collect pollen and nectar, therefore they do not require flowering plants nearby. As there are plenty of flowers in suburbs, bees do not find it difficult to make a very good collection of honey.

It is essential that backyard beekeeping be done in a proper manner so that it does not become a big nuisance to their neighbors. If special care is not taken, beekeeping might give rise to problems for your neighbors, especially if they have pets or kids. Bee stings will probably be your neighbors’ biggest concern, therefore when it come to backyard beekeeping, some precautions should be taken so that your neighbors feel comfortable and safe with your activities.

If you have decided to keep bees, then fencing the backyard is very important. Normally a 6 feet high fence is sufficient and can serve many purposes. Fencing forces the bees to fly above people's head. Bees prefer to travel in a straight path and a fence helps in raising their flight paths over everyone's head. Fencing can also decrease the chance of a bee accidentally colliding with someone who is walking nearby. A fence can also hides the evidence that you are managing bees in the neighborhood

Honey bees require a lot of water particularly during summer and in early spring. They can simply go anywhere to collect water. They may also drink water from your neighbor's swimming pool or your pet's drinking bowl. So, to deter them from doing such things, you should make some arrangements of water for the bees right near to their hives.

One of the easiest ways to provide water to the bees is by starting a water garden in a whiskey barrel that has a floating plant. Your bees will simply love this arrangement as they like well-aged water. Your water source should not very near to their hive; it should be minimum 20 feet away.

Swarms can also cause problems to your neighbors; hence, it is necessary to prevent swarming. A swarm is a cluster of bees that is within 100 to 150 feet of their old home. They form a cluster for searching a new home. 'Bait hives' is the best possible solution to discourage swarming. Bait hives are attractive homes that are waiting for your bees to discover. A new hive or old hive body can be effectively used to make a bait hive. The old hive should have a volume of at least 1 cubic and opening size of 2 square inches.

When you are working inside a bee hive, sometimes a bee may sting an innocent bystander ( not the beekeeper). To avert this problem, you should work when most field bees have gone out to collect nectar. Bees exhibit defensive or gentle behavior depending upon the environmental conditions. When the beehive is under direct sunlight, they are gentle and generally do not harm anyone. The best condition to work with your bees is when the day temperatures are not very high (95F or higher).

If you are not able to find a suitable place, for backyard beekeeping, you can consult local beekeepers associations, gardening clubs and vegetable gardeners, as they understand the importance of pollination.

So in order to achieve success in backyard beekeeping, you should do the following:
* Fence your backyard
* Make provision of water for the bees
* Make a bait hive for swarm control

Apiculture Beekeeping

Honey bees can be easily be raised to get useful products like honey wax, pollen, etc. You too can even rear bees in your back yard so that you can generate honey for your household use. Moreover, products like wax pollen etc. fetch very good market value and thus, you can earn some extra money as well. The following article will give you some idea about apiculture bee keeping.

For performing apiculture bee keeping you do not need to have a large open space. All you need is some space where you can keep artificial bee hives. The artificial bee hives which are usually small wooden boxes can be kept in the backyard as well. You can also place the hives on roof or balcony as well. You may think that keeping bee hives in your house may be dangerous as bees can sting. However, the bee species which are reared are quite calm by nature and they hardly ever sting. Therefore, there is no need to worry at all.

However, you will have to care for the bees with devotion. The most important thing that is required if you want to perform apiculture bee keeping is that there should be a rich source of nectar producing plants nearby. Plants like clover or other meadow flowers are ideal for bees. A place close to oilseed rape field can also be chosen in order to practice successful beekeeping.

Artificial hives play a very important role in apiculture bee keeping. The most popular type of artificial hive is the Langstroth which has got its name from its inventor. The feature that makes it so popular is its brood chamber. The brood chamber is actually a wooden box having frames made from wax foundation. These are arranged vertically similar to the honey comb pattern.

This brood chamber acts as a nursery where where the queen will lay her eggs and the bees will store their food. If the previous chamber is filled additional chambers called as 'supers' are to be added. This is added in such a manner that the worker bees are able to pass into this new chamber but the queen cannot. Therefore, only pure honey is stored in this new chamber by the worker bees and this honey remains free from the contamination by queen and her larvae.

After getting appropriate artificial hives you will need to bring a colony of bees in them. There are three methods through which you can do so, you can obtain a colony of from an existing hive, or you can get a nucleus or you can get a swarm:

* Colony: Amongst all steps for bee keeping, this one is the easiest. However it is the most costliest as you will have to buy a whole well established colony.
* Nucleus: Nucleus comprises of a some hundred workers and a queen along with them.
* Swarm: This is the cheapest however the most dangerous and difficult as in this method you will have to find a natural colony of bees and forcefully introduce them into your hive. For this collect them, from a natural hive, into a box and then keep this box near your hive. They will tend to go into the hive naturally.

Just rearing a colony in your hive is not enough, you will have to care for these bees. There are several diseases and pests which can affect your colony. During the rains or snow fall you will have to provide them food like sugar water as the bees cannot go to hunt for food at this time. Moreover, collecting honey also requires some skills. Therefore it is advisable that you first learn all the aspects related to apiculture bee keeping and only then try to get involved in it.

How to Handle Bees

Intruders are going to get stung by the bees protecting the hive. As a beekeeper you will have to be prepared to receive your share of stings. If you have any fear of bees or of being stung, you will have to conquer those apprehensions. As you gain confidence and more adept at the handling of the bees, the stings will happen less frequently.

One of the tips you will want to learn is when to manipulate bees. You can open and examine the bee colonies on days that are warm and sunny with no wind. The older bees will be out searching for food on those days. The older bees will stay in the hive on colder, windy and rainy days.

When there is an abundance of nectar, bees are much easier to examine than when there is a shortage of nectar. Plying them with sugar syrup may help, but not always.

Spring is the best time to examine the bees because of smaller populations.

Bees will usually tolerate a moderate beekeeper manipulation for 10 to 15 minutes. It is best not to keep the hives open any longer than you have to. Brood examinations should never be drawn out. When examining the hives, if bees become noisy or very nervous, the hive needs to be closed. If there is honey in the combs, they will attract robber bees unless there is an over abundance of nectar. If robbing start, you will need to stop examinations for the rest of the day and reduce the entrances to the hives. Once the robbing starts it is difficult to stop.

If you need to manipulate a colony, have a lighted smoker that omits cool smoke. Before you open the hives, you want to puff smoke into the entrance of the hive. Move on to the other colonies allowing time for the bees to react to the smoke. Keep your smoker handy because you will need it while you are making your close inspections of each colony. If you have some of the bees looking at you, make them scatter with a few puffs of smoke. When you are around the bees, you should move smoothly and carefully so that you don't alarm the bees. When prying off the cover to the hive be as gentle as possible, bees are sensitive to vibrations. Avoid any jolting of the hives. After removing the cover to the hive, work from the back or the side of the hive. Remove the frame nearest the outside to be examined. If robbing is not a problem, lean the frame against the outside of the hive to give you more room to work. If robbing could be a problem make sure to cover the hives and never leave a frame out in the open.

If you are going to examine all the boxes, start with the lowest one. Make sure the boxes you are not examining stay covered. After examining the lowest box, examine each box after it has been replaced on the lower one.

When you need to remove the frame, pry it loose with the hive tool. With a firm grip on the loosened frame, gently lift it, trying not to scrape the bees on the adjoining frame. Leave the frame outside of the hive or box, to give you a larger working area. If you scrape the comb, do leave the bits and pieces in the hive or box. Only scrape comb that it in the way, scraping is irritating to the bees.

Clothing and Equipment Needed

One of the most important pieces of clothing a beekeeper wears is the veil. Bee stings on the face can be very painful and there is the possibility of damage to the eyes and ears.

If by chance a bee gets inside the veil, walk away from the hives and remove the bees. Never remove the veil when you are in with the hives.

Use protective clothing to avoid getting hive product on your regular clothes, and to protect sensitive areas of your body. Avoid dark or rough textured clothes. Bees are able to hold on to a rough texture material than smooth material. Wear white or light colored coveralls. If you are not using boots, do not wear dark socks. Boots that fasten over the coveralls or in the coveralls should be worn. A windbreaker jacket will help you to avoid being stung. Pants, veil, sleeves should be fasten securely to prevent bees from getting into your clothes. If a bee does get into your clothing, squeeze it in the clothing or walk away from the hives and open up your clothing to allow the bee to escape. Before handling bees, do not use any sweet smelling cologne, hair spray or any other products. The odor may irritate the bees or attract them. Glove should be used sparingly. Gloves are useful during bad weather or when moving colonies, but gloves can hinder the manipulating of the colonies. Without the interference of gloves, you will find that the bees respond better to a lighter touch.

As a beginner you will want to contemplate the number of colonies you want to start out with. Two or three is a good number to start off with because it will give you a chance to compare the two colonies, such as the growth and the production.

The equipment you will need to start off with for a complete hive is:

1 metal covered top

1 inner cover

1 bottom board

2 standard 10-framc hive bodies, each body contains 10-frames

1 queen excluder

2 shallow 10-frame supers with frames.

1 bee smoker

1 hive tool

1 pr. bee gloves

1 pr. coveralls

1 bee veil

You can buy this equipment new or used. If it is used you will want to make sure it is in good condition. Also have it examined by the Apiary Inspection Service for any possibility of disease. The equipment will run you $250 or more. If you are really talented and ambitious you can build your own hives. Just make sure you have the dimensions correct because bees will build combs where you least want them.

Getting Started in Beekeeping

If you are considering bees as a hobby or as a sideline business, there are things you will want to keep in mind before making that decision. Since there are many factors involved with making money with the honeybees produce, you might want to start doing it as a hobby. There is a significant amount of money in the start-up of beekeeping. Before investing any amount of money in your beekeeping project, you might want contact beekeepers in your area. As a rule, they will more than happy to share their experience with you. Most beekeepers love keeping bees and to them it is just a "hobby", but they can give you some insight into beekeeping. Take plenty of notes. More likely than not you will need them.

In making the decision of becoming a beekeeper, you will want to consider the safety of family, friends, and neighbors. You wouldn't want someone to get stung that is allergic to bee stings. The best course of action on that account is to ask your neighbors and friends, if any of them are allergic to bees. You will also be able to find out if there might be someone who would not like beehives so close to their proximity. You will also want to check with the county you live in. You will want to know about any ordinances or laws prohibiting beekeeping.

You will also want to consider whether or not you have a location that would be conducive to maintaining bees. You will also want to consider where the bees will have to fly to retrieve nectar and pollen. Keeping plants they like close by is not a bad idea either. Since bees need water every day, you might want to have water for them close at hand. You don't want them visiting the neighbor's swimming pool. Here is a list of spots unacceptable to the health of the bees.

How many months of the year will pollen and nectar will be readily available to the bees?

Will you have to feed them in order for them to survive and how much of the year?

Is there a water supply available year round for the bees? They need water every day.

You will need to consider what will be underneath the bees as they fly to get the nectar and pollen they require. The bees will defecate as they are flying and their feces will leave spots on everything below them. The feces can even ruin the surface of a vehicle. There are methods to use to force the bees to fly at a higher altitude, such as.a tall fence or thick tall plants near the hive.

You want the hives accessible year round.

You will want to avoid low spots for your hives because they hold the cold, damp air too long.

You will also want to avoid high spots for your hives because that would be too windy.

These are just some of the things you will want to consider before taking on this hobby.

During a nectar flow, many of the older workers will be in the field hunting for food. This is the best time to examine the colony. During the summer more bees will be in the hive and the situation can change, especially between the nectar flows. There can be some robbing going on at this time, which will make the bees even more defensive at any intrusion to their hive. Leaving the colony open for more than a few minutes can accelerate a robbing as can leaving cappings or honey exposed. It will become a necessity to reduce the entrance of a weak colony to prevent stronger hives attempt to rob from it. A honey flow will reduce the likelihood of robbing.

The mood of the bees can have a lot to do with the weather or the time of day. On the days of rainy weather, cool temperatures, early in the morning or late in the afternoon will be more likely to make them angry and they will attack. Always inspect them on warm, sunny days in the middle of the day when most of the bees are foraging.

Keep a constant warm water supply for the bees to cool the hive and dilute honey to feed t heir young. They will collect water from the closest water source. If you do not have a constant supply of shallow water for the bees, they will look for it somewhere else, like the neighbor's pool, birdbath or wading ponds. The bees are more likely to drown in those sources. If you have a water supply for them when they first fly out in spring, they will not go anywhere else for water. Once they find a water source, it is hard to keep them from going back to it.

A beekeeper must keep the bees in control every time the hive is open. A typical hive can house thousands of workers all capable of stinging. There are measures a beekeeper can take in the open that he can not take in the city because of the closeness of other people.

Smoke is the most important tool for the beekeeper opening a hive. Smoke should be used in moderation, but the smoker should be capable of producing large volumes of smoke on short notice. The beekeeper must smoke the entrance of the hive, under the cover, and periodically smoke the frames while the hive is open. Try not to jar the hive or the frames as that may anger the bees, which will make it hard for a beekeeper to do his work. The beekeeper must work quickly and carefully. By going through the frames several times a year, the beekeeper keeps the frames movable. Remove any excess combs.

Using gloves when working with bees make the beekeeper clumsier and he may lose control of the hive. The stings that the gloves are protecting you from are easily removed and the pain quickly passes.

Honeybees Go on Strike (comic)

Honeybee Colony Collapse to Devastate Food Companies, Result in Food Scarcity

Monday, May 12, 2008 by: Mike Adams
The ongoing phenomenon of mysterious honeybee deaths is starting to raise alarm in the food industry, which depends heavily on bees to pollinate many critical crops. "Honeybee health and sustainable pollination is a major issue facing American agriculture that is threatening our food supply and endangering our natural environment," said Diana Cox-Foster of Penn State.

I tend to think that honeybees are simply "on strike." They're tired of being slave workers for the very humans who continue to destroy their habitat, pollute their air and water, and steal the labors of their hard work (honey, bee pollen and free pollination services).

Honeybees pollinate 130 different crops, which supply $15 billion worth of food and ingredients each year. One out of every three bites of food on your dinner plate was made possible by honeybee pollination.

The Emergence of Colony Collapse Disorder

In late 2006, beekeepers in the United States began to notice that unusual numbers of honeybees were dying during the winter. Beekeepers reported losing between 30 and 90 percent of their bees, in contrast to the usual 20 to 25 percent.

The phenomenon, which continued through last winter, remains unexplained. Some of the potential reasons being investigated for the honeybee die-off are poor nutrition, invasive mites, diseases or toxins, air pollution, or a mysterious phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder, in which bees abruptly desert their hives and die (i.e. they go on strike). In general, human beings have a very poor appreciation of all the services "provided" by Mother Nature, including the removal of CO2 from the air by plants, the turning of soil by worms, and of course the free pollination of crops and orchards by honeybees and other insects.

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and a number of institutions are currently researching the causes of the die-off, the food industry is now entering the fray. International ice-cream giant Haagen-Dazs has announced a new program to fund and encourage research into the problem, with the hopes of staving off a crisis for its own business.

"Haagen-Dazs ice cream is made from the finest all-natural ingredients, and the plight of the honeybee could mean many of the ingredients used in our top flavors, like Vanilla Swiss Almond and Strawberry, would be difficult to source," said Haagen-Dazs brand manager Josh Gellert.

Nearly 40 percent of Haagen-Dazs' ice cream flavors include bee-dependent ingredients. "These are among consumers' favorite flavors," brand director Katty Pien said. "We use 100 percent all-natural ingredients like strawberries, raspberries and almonds which we get from California. The bee problem could badly hurt supply."

The "Haagen-Dazs Loves Honeybees" (HD loves HB) campaign includes the creation of a board of bee scientists to help guide research into the problem, a $150,000 grant to honeybee-related programs at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and a $100,000 grant to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honeybee Research Facility at the University of California-Davis

"Honeybees are in trouble," said Walter Leal, professor chair of the UC-Davis Entomology Department. "One-third of our nation's food supply depends on bee pollination, but bees are vanishing in massive numbers. This gift will help us to rebuild and revitalize our honeybee program."

The Laidlaw program suffered greatly from budget cuts and faculty retirements during the 1990s, before colony collapse emerged as a problem. The Haagen-Dazs grant will go toward a postdoctoral researcher's salary and toward funding research into colony collapse disorder and sustainable pollination.

At Penn State, the grant money will help purchase equipment that will be used to analyze samples and more effectively detect and identify viruses, pesticides and other potentially harmful substances. It will also fund small student research grants.

Beyond ice cream: The coming era of food scarcity

Of course, the honeybees-on-strike problem goes way beyond ice cream. We're talking about one-third of the human food supply here. If honeybees stop doing all the free work they've been doing to pollinate crops, humans are going to find themselves in very difficult situation regarding global food supplies. A global famine is not out of the question here, especially when you combine the loss of honeybee populations with the situation of rapidly deteriorating soil quality across the world's farmlands. Without usable soils and willing insect pollinators, humans will quickly find themselves chewing on their shoelaces, wishing they could bring back the "good days" when honeybees freely volunteered to work, and farm soils actually contained nutrients.

In my view, the collapse of honeybee populations is just one sign of many that humans have pushed Earth's ecosystems over the edge. We've polluted the skies, the land and the waters. We've raped the planet of its minerals, slashed and burned its rainforests, depleted its soils and devastated its wild animal population. We've dumped chemicals, radioactive waste and endless mountains of trash into the oceans and waterways. And then we balk when nature hiccups. We scratch our heads, wondering why some element in nature that we've exploited for so long suddenly stops behaving in the way we want. Why are the ocean fish populations collapsing? Why are our food crops nutritionally depleted? Why are infectious diseases now threatening to unleash a new pandemic? Why are honeybees going on strike?

The answer, of course, is because humans have turned planet Earth into a toxic world. We've poisoned the one thing in the universe that openly and unselfishly offered to give us so much for free. Yet instead of appreciating Mother Nature, we've chosen to betray her. We've turned what was once an Eden into a toxic world, and it's only a matter of time before the destabilizing, harmful practices we've adopted to feed an expanding human population come back to haunt us in a devastating way.

There is a tipping point where Mother Nature will simply refuse to cooperate, and this honeybee collapse is one sign that we may have already crossed a threshold, beyond which balance will only be achieved by a sharp decline in the human population.

Not coincidentally, the loss of food pollinators will cause precisely that. As I've said many times before on NaturalNews, eventually humans will live in balance with nature. The question is whether we will consciously create that balance as a mature species, or if we will be starved into submission by a global ecosystem that refuses to support such a large population of human beings. One thing for sure: The problem of rampant obesity is about to come to an end. A few years from now, the very idea that half the people in any nation could feed themselves into a state of extreme obesity will be considered outlandish.

The alarm bells are ringing, folks. We have reached the limit of the planet's ability to absorb our pollution and environmental devastation. I sadly predict the human species if not mature enough to make the necessary forward-thinking changes, and that it will only learn from disaster. That disaster is coming. Prepare to live in a world where food becomes desperately scarce. Prepare to see the human population collapse in almost precisely the same way the honeybee populations are collapsing.

As go the insects, so go humans.

Survey shows US honey bee deaths increased over last year

By JULIANA BARBASSA
Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim picture, with 36.1 percent of the nation's commercially managed hives lost since last year.

Last year's survey commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America found losses of about 32 percent.

As beekeepers travel with their hives this spring to pollinate crops around the country, it's clear the insects are buckling under the weight of new diseases, pesticide drift and old enemies like the parasitic varroa mite, said Dennis vanEngelsdorp, president of the group.

This is the second year the association has measured colony deaths across the country. This means there aren't enough numbers to show a trend, but clearly bees are dying at unsustainable levels and the situation is not improving, said vanEngelsdorp, also a bee expert with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

"For two years in a row, we've sustained a substantial loss," he said. "That's an astonishing number. Imagine if one out of every three cows, or one out of every three chickens, were dying. That would raise a lot of alarm."

The survey included 327 operators who account for 19 percent of the country's approximately 2.44 million commercially managed bee hives. The data is being prepared for submission to a journal.

About 29 percent of the deaths were due to Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious disease that causes adult bees to abandon their hives. Beekeepers who saw CCD in their hives were much more likely to have major losses than those who didn't.

"What's frightening about CCD is that it's not predictable or understood," vanEngelsdorp said.

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania's Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff announced that the state would pour an additional $20,400 into research at Pennsylvania State University looking for the causes of CCD. This raises emergency funds dedicated to investigating the disease to $86,000.

The issue also has attracted federal grants and funding from companies that depend on honey bees, including ice-cream maker Haagen-Dazs.

Because the berries, fruits and nuts that give about 28 of Haagen-Daazs' varieties flavor depend on honey bees for pollination, the company is donating up to $250,000 to CCD and sustainable pollination research at Penn State and the University of California, Davis.

Why are the bees dying? Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)

Why are the bees dying? Why are honey bees disappearing from across the US? Well, Burt's Bees (http://www.burtsbees.com) is raising awareness about an environmental issue called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) to find out and help save the dying bees. Colony Collapse Disorder is the sudden dying of bees causing the whole honey bee colony to collapse leading to widespread disappearance of bees from our environment. While the exact causes for bee Colony Collapse Disorder are unknown, we do know that forces like habitat destruction, misuse of pesticides, invasive species and global warming create risks to honey bees. You can help the disappearing bees. Spread the word about Colony Collapse Disorder.


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