Hobbies And Interests
The Beehive and the Bees
Basic beehives are typically comprised of a bottom board and five supers, each containing ten frames of comb. Comb serves as a nesting area and as storage for honey. Supers should be consistently inspected to ensure that combs used for hosting young bees are free from disease and are not being attacked by moths, and that those used for honey storage are well maintained.
It is best to purchase bees during the springtime so that you can increase the chances that you will have a good queen and a viable hive. You should also be aware of bee mites and inquire about the status of mites when considering dealers.
Protection Equipment
Most importantly, you need to be sure you have the basic personal protection equipment. This includes a bee veil and a good wide-brimmed hat to attach it to. A veil and long sleeves and pants with gloves will be sufficient to protect you from most stings, but bee suites can also be purchased. You will also need a good hive tool for moving the supers properly so that the bees do not become agitated. On the occasion that the bees do become agitated you will want to be sure you have a bee smoker. A bee smoker emits a gentle puff of smoke which has a calming affect on bees and can be vital when there is the threat of a swarm.
Extraction Equipment
The most basic piece of extraction equipment is a bee brush, which you will use to sweep the bees away from the combs when you pull them. Once you have pulled the combs, an electric knife can be used to remove the wax caps and a honey extractor is used to remove the honey. Extractors can range from large-scale electrical extractors to small-scale hand-powered ones. Once you have removed the honey you will need to filter it with wax paper or nylon to ensure the purity.
Beekeeping Seasons
Just like the flowers from which they harvest pollen, bees are seasonal, and it is important for any beekeeper to have an intimate knowledge of the seasonal habits of their colony. In general, during the springtime it is important for the keepers to ensure that the queen is laying eggs and that there is no sign of disease in the colony as the bees gear up for harvesting time. As summer progresses, around July you should ensure that there is plenty of room for the colony and the honey it is producing. The super frames will be removed for honey harvesting during this time as well. During the fall and winter, your most important job is to ensure the colony stays warm and is fed plenty of sugar and water.