Considering Backyard Beekeeping
Backyard beekeeping is becoming increasingly popular. Have you ever thought about trying it yourself? There are several good reasons for bee keeping.
First of all, they are our pollinators. Without bees or some other kind of pollinator, like bumble bees or mason bees, we would not have fruit, we would not have grain, nor would we have any one of hundreds of different crops. And of course, we wouldn’t have honey.
Many people are turning to backyard beekeeping for the joy of the hobby, to insure a better home garden crop and to have their own honey which has not been so over processed. It is now fairly easy to find beekeeping supplies, such as clothing, hives and bees.
There are several things to consider if you are thinking about keeping bees.
. You will get stung eventually. So Reconsider your desire to keep bees if you are allergic to their sting.
. Does your city allow beekeeping? You should check out your municipal regulations before starting to keep bees.
. Placement of the colony is important. You don’t want to put a colony where a lot of people will be passing by. The city may even have regulations about where you can placea bee hive in your yard.
. Place the colony in the sun. This will help keep the bees active when the weather is cold.
. Keep the hives dry. Bees can handle cold better than they can handle wet. Although, if you live in really cold areas, you may want to wrap your hives with tarpaper or other insulation.
. Bees should also have a source of water for your bees.
Beekeeping equipment you will need for keeping bees include:
. Protective clothing – suit, mask and gloves.
. A smoker – this makes the bees more docile when handling them and the parts of a hive.
. A hive. This can be bought or made. Quite a few plans are available.
. Bees, of course. You can purchase bees along with a queen. Or you might even be lucky enough to attract a queen to your hive.
There is quite a bit of information on backyard beekeeping for the home gardener and sources of beekeeping equipment and supplies.
Here is some additional information about backyard beekeeping:
Home Garden Diggers 