Honey Bees- Biological View

Honey bees play an important part in the essential biological process, simply known as Pollination. Pollination is a mechanism in plants for transfer of male gametes (pollen) onto the female part of the flower. It is during pollination that honey bees play their part. In return they extract the nectar from the flower, take it up to their hives and process it further to convert it into the honey- the sweetest substance that we know. These are some of the fundamental honey bees facts which can help any beekeeper to take up the task of beekeeping. Un-fertile female bees have much to do as they are generally known as the workers. They are responsible for the prosperity of the hive and contribute by feeding and cleaning the queen, gather water, pollen and nectar. Moreover, heating or cooling of the hive is also within their work-schedule.

Beekeeping Tips and Honey Collection

Beekeeping is an art which can be defined as the keeping and maintenance of beehive and extraction of honey when it is ready. The following are 10 important tips for you to carry on beekeeping so as to harvest fresh honey.

1-Health of Colonies: It is the first and foremost priority of a beekeeper to maintain the health of honey bee colonies. This is because some colonies tend to carry diseases, produce less than optimum yield, and are aggressive and lethal. Hence, the colonies of bees should be well guarded and cured from all possible threats.

2-Equipment: To start off, you ought to have the right set of equipment which is required for this enjoyable, yet demanding task. The first tool you require is the bee hive components. For beginners who want to start backyard beekeeping, the purchase of ready-made bee colony or package bees is highly recommended so that they can cut through the red-tape and start beekeeping without further hurdles. Though, the experts suggest that the beginners should go with the second option, i.e. package bees. Other things required are a protective gear and tools for managing the beehive while making sure that honey is extracted safely. A protection gear is required because bees’ sting and sting badly. Though, unless they are stimulated, these creatures do not sting.

3- Smokers: Smokers is a modern device which aids in beekeeping. As the name suggests, it emits a smoke which affects the bees in a way that it causes a stimulated response. The released smoke causes the bees to evacuate their hives in response to a false “fire alert”. The case is similar to people rushing about after hearing a cry “fire, fire, fire!” The guard bees’ pheromone is also distorted due to which the required information is not passed to the member bees. In other words, smokers make beekeeping and honey collection very simple.

4-Timing of harvest:  It is important to harvest the honey for the hive at an appropriate time; not too early and not too late. Timing affects the color of honey which in turn, affects the selling of honey. Though, the color of honey does not alter the taste of honey, but the high demand is for light colored honey. Leaving honey in the heart of hive for a long time turns its color darker and less demanding. The same goes for extracting it too early, in which case the honey appears lighter in color.

5-The color and taste of honey:   The color of honey depends upon the floral source where the bees collect the nectar.There’re 300 types of honey available in all over United States ranges from light to dark brown that depends upon  the floral visited by honey bees.Generally the taste of light color honey is mild against dark one which is strong.

6-Beekeeping permits: Before starting to inquire anything regarding how to raise honey bees, it is recommended that you get in touch with your local authorities or search up the permits for beekeeping. Though, in a general sense, the advantages of beekeeping to an area are massive. The more lethal insects, for example, wasps and hornets are kept out by the presence of mild honey bees. Secondly, as described at the start, honey bees provide the plants with an excellent facility; pollination.

7-Local Bee farming:  It is highly recommended that you read the beekeeping manual before attempting to plunge into this task. Besides the long and boring work of going through the manual, you can adopt an easier option of local bee farming. In more advanced societies, bee farming courses are offered which are aimed to equip the interested lot with sufficient practical skills of beekeeping .This will provide you with the practical supervised experience which is highly appreciated.

8-The best hive: As the hobby of beekeeping is slowly starting to take a professional look, the associated people have come out with more hive designs. For beginners who are starting in this era, things can get very difficult, as far as hives are concerned. From the two major types, Langstroth Hive and The Top Bar Hive (TBH), the former is mostly recommended.

9-Physical requirements: The primary duty is to be able to handle the bee hive so that the honey can be harvested while bearing the inevitable stings. So, one has to have courage to come near the beehives and tackle the inevitable calamities. Though, it does not sound crazy once you have worn your protection suit.

10-Beekeeping Guide:  A beekeeping guide can easily be accessed through the internet or any other local source. The main sections of such a guide are the methods on how to raise honey bees, local beehive plans, bee information and all about bees and honey extraction etc.

Beekeeping is an emerging hobby which is being adopted by many people all around the world. Though, the task of playing with honey bees and threatening-looking bee hive seems bewildering, but with the required precautions and knowledge, one can not only keep one’s day busy but also make profit out of this business.