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.