Today, many people, tired of the hustle and bustle of the city, dream of silence, peace, measured life. And some also seriously think about the possibility of acquiring their own apiary. The decision is really successful on any side. However, if you want to achieve a good result, and not be disappointed, having spent several months of time and a lot of effort, then you need to learn more about caring for bees in advance. For beginner beekeepers, there are many pitfalls that can cause a lot of trouble.
Benefits of own apiary
Of course, own apiary has many advantages. It has long been observed that observing bees (and you cannot work with them without it) allows you to relax even better than when observing aquarium fish. In addition, you can get the right amount of valuable product - honey. Having established how much honey one swarm of a selected breed produces in a given area, it is easy to calculate how many hives need to be installed in order to get as much product as needed.
At the same time, you can be 100% sure that only a high-quality product gets on the table, and not half diluted with sugar syrup, which, alas, is quite common in shops and various fairs.
Finally, excess can always be sold. Honey for a long time remains usable (in general, experts agree that it can be stored generally indefinitely) and at the same time has a high cost. It is not surprising that some people, after trying beekeeping as a hobby, having studied bee care for beginners and selling the first excess of the product, give up work over time, preferring to do what they love and making a lot of money.
So if there is such an opportunity and craving, then trying to get bees will be useful to everyone.
Buying bees
One of the most important issues on which beekeeping will be a pleasure for a novice or will disappoint beekeeping is choosing the right breed. Before you figure out where to start caring for bees, you need to decide which breed is the most suitable option for your region.
It is worth exploring the features of all breeds on the market. For example, the Carpathian ones work slowly, but constantly. Focusing on a relatively mild climate and long summers, they mainly collect meadow honey. Forbs provide the richest bouquet of aromas. At the same time, Carpathian bees provide a good collection even with a relatively weak honey plant.
But Central Russian bees are significantly different from the Carpathian. They are larger and can withstand lower temperatures in winter, which will be an important plus for many regions of our country. This is especially important for beginners - care for bees in the spring, and at any time of the year, will bring less trouble. However, they specialize in one plant. For example, while linden blossoms, the bees will actively work without being distracted by other honey plants. This allows you to get a monoflore product, which is appreciated by some gourmets. In the short flowering time of some crops, they collect a large amount of honey. In general, it is best to choose these bees. Care and maintenance in the north-west of our country will cause the least problems.
However, it is worth learning about other options. In the market you can see many other breeds - Caucasian, Italian and others. Examine their features to decide which is best for you.
The next important question is how many hives to buy? Some beginners find it best to start with one. It would seem logical. Why spend extra money if a hobby subsequently disappoints? But in fact, experts recommend buying 3-5 bee families at once. Yes, costs will increase several times. But it's worth it!
To begin with, swarms differ in character. Yes, yes, surprisingly, but any beekeeper agrees. Some work better, others worse. Some have a very evil character, while others are more flexible. It would be bad if a meeting with one lazy and embittered family spoils the impression of bees in general. In addition, care for one hive takes almost as much time as for five - a daily inspection, checking to see if everything is in order in the family. But with five families you can get five times more honey than with one! And it is definitely worth it.
Required Inventory
So that for beginners, care and breeding of bees do not cause unnecessary trouble, you need to seriously approach the equipment that will be used during work.
Of course, first of all, it is a suit and a special beekeeping mask - without this equipment it’s simply dangerous to climb into the hive for a scheduled inspection or removal of frames with honey. Do not forget about gloves. Some beekeepers prefer to work without them so that their hands do not lose their sensitivity. But decide for yourself which is better - slight discomfort at work or a few painful bites.
Also do not forget about the smoker - you can make it yourself or buy in a store. It allows you to clean the framework of bees, ready to the last to protect their wealth.
You will need a beekeeping chisel, which allows you to easily pick up the frames and remove them or simply redistribute them in the hive.
An important tool is the brush. With its help, you can quickly remove the most persistent bees from the framework. However, some experts prefer to use the capercaillie or black grouse wing - soft, not causing damage to bees.
Do not forget about the hives themselves - it is advisable to have at least one reserve, and preferably a few, if the swarms begin to go out one after another and everyone will need to quickly provide suitable housing.
Make sure you have enough wax frames. In late spring and early summer, bees collect honey quite quickly - just manage to extract it.
It is not superfluous to take an instructed store that allows the bees not to interfere in the midst of work - instead of picking up the full frames, you should give them a few empty ones so that the toilers fill them with honey.
Finally, honey extractor. The most expensive purchase - the cost ranges from 5 to 50 thousand rubles. You should not buy it right away - you have to sell a lot of honey to justify the costs. It is better to try to negotiate with familiar beekeepers about renting equipment at an affordable price. Yes, it is possible to drive out honey without a honey extract, but this requires a significant investment of time and effort at a relatively low productivity.
Choosing the right place for the hive
Before telling a novice beekeeper about caring for bees, you should give some tips on choosing a place where to equip an apiary.
First of all, the hives must be at least four meters from the fence that separates your site from the neighboring one - this is prescribed in the law. Of course, if you set hives in the middle of meadows, such problems will not arise.
It is best to place beehives under the dense trees so that they are in the shade and do not overheat in the sun.
Before installation, it is necessary to provide for the presence of a drinking bowl, otherwise it will be difficult for bees to get used to it. Immediately after the first departure, the bees will find a suitable source of water and will prefer to fly there, even if it is at a great distance and in someone else's territory.
Finally, it is advisable to set the hive with a letok north or east.
Remember - you cannot change the location of the hives. Bees very painfully tolerate such changes. Therefore, it is advisable to foresee everything in advance so that subsequently you do not have to regret the unsuccessful decisions.
First inspection
Giving tips on caring for bees to a novice beekeeper, it is worth noting that each inspection is a serious stress for small workers. Therefore, it should be carried out as infrequently as possible. But at the same time, no less than once every 10 days. Otherwise, you may not notice a serious illness or other problem that could lead to the death of the swarm.
On the first day immediately after installing the hives, inspection is not worth doing. After opening the door, leave them alone. Bees will inspect the territory, get used to it, remember what the new habitat looks like.
When the time comes, you need to recall certain rules. Their observance is the key to proper care for bees for beginners.
When inspecting, you need to stand on the side of the hive or behind - in no case, in front, so as not to become the object of attack. When you open the lid, immediately blow a little smoke inside. After that, use the chisel to carefully slide the frames, inspecting each of them. You need to work smoothly, without sudden movements. When pulling out the frame, be sure to hold it above the hive. There may be a uterus on the frame - if it falls, then at least into the hive, and not into the grass, where it will be more difficult to find it.
Check to see if there are eggs in the frame. If there is, then everything is in order - the uterus is alive and working productively. If there are no eggs (experienced beekeepers can even determine their age), then there is reason to worry - you may have to urgently look for a new one so that the hive does not die.
If the hive is completely free of bribes (fresh honey), the bees will have to be fed. It is best to make syrup by mixing sugar with water in a 1: 1 ratio. About 500 grams of syrup are consumed per family per day. This is a temporary and necessary measure - for a long time the bees will not last on such food, since they need fructose, and not sucrose.
Spring work
Now it's time to tell novice beekeepers about the care of bees in the spring.
Before you take out the bees from Omshanik, you need to listen to the hum. From it, a good beekeeper can easily determine whether everything is in order with the hive. If the uterus is healthy, and there is enough food, then the roar of the swarm will be smooth, deep, calm. Any deviations indicate some problems in the family.
When the temperature rises to +12 degrees Celsius during the day, and at night does not drop below +8, it is time to take the bees to the usual apiary. Previously, it is worth mowing grass there, and if there are anthills, destroy them so that they do not pose a threat to the bees.
A day after putting the hives on the street, you need to make the first inspection of the year. From this begins the care of bees after wintering. For beginner beekeepers, this will seem difficult, but having gained enough experience, you can easily do all the work. It is necessary to identify the presence of queens - this is a paramount task. Also, make sure the bees have enough food. If stocks are depleted during the winter, be sure to put an untouched frame to feed the insects before hard work. From this begins care for bees in early spring.
Also monitor the cleanliness of the hive: pollution is always a source of diseases that can weaken and even destroy bees. If the hive is clean, then everything is in order, you can close it and proceed to the next. Otherwise, the bees will have to move. This is one of the most important stages of bee care in April. Beginner beekeepers should get ready for the fact that you need to act carefully and quickly.
Moldy and crippled must be immediately removed and replaced with more fresh, clean ones. Old can be safely processed into wax.
It is especially important to remember for beginners to beekeepers: caring for bees in the spring is very important, since it is he who sets the pace for the whole working year, allows bees to feel excellent.
All of the above actions apply to April. However, the work is not limited to this. For example, in May, spring care for bees in the sunbeds includes reproduction. If the weather accompanies, then it is possible to remove the queens, creating new families and expanding the apiary.
What to do in the summer
Summer is the hottest time for the beekeeper. Therefore, it is definitely worth mentioning when talking about caring for bees for beginners.
In June, the reproduction of swarms ends. It is advisable to remove subsequent queens from the hives while they are sitting in the queen cells. Otherwise, you can get 4-5 swarms per season, but they will all be weakened, they will not have time to collect enough honey, even to winter, not to mention the sale or consumption by the owner.
In June, various melliferous plants bloom most actively, therefore honey is pumped most often. Be careful that the bees have empty frames. Otherwise, they will create additional wax on the walls of the hive, making it difficult for the beekeeper to continue working. Always have fresh frames on hand, or better, a store with them to quickly set it up and allow the bees to continue working. Do not forget to put a grate that does not allow the uterus to reach the store, then there will only be honey without brood, which is very convenient.
In July, usually replaced by young uterus of the old. Without this, there is a great risk that the old uterus will die, dooming the hive to extinction. It is also very necessary to inspect the shops - at least twice a week. The hardest time for any beekeeper! In large apiaries, the honey races are noisy almost around the clock. But also the most profitable one - from a good hive you can get tens of kilograms of fresh, aromatic honey in a week. Additional work on the care of bees in sunbeds is not carried out.
The end of the second trick usually occurs in August. Shops are cleaned, families are carefully inspected. Weakened from illness or other shocks should be increased - install additional cells where the uterus can lay eggs. It is also important to examine the feed supply, replace the honeydew with flower honey. Make sure you leave enough so that the bees survive the winter without any problems. But you can’t leave too many frames - they quickly cool and cool the hive, which affects the health of the bees. It will not be out of place by the end of August to fumigate the winter house with sulfuric smoke and whitewash - cleanliness is above all!
As mentioned above, honeydew can not be left for the winter. The fact is that due to the shortage of honey plants in August and especially September, bees begin to collect all the sweets, including milk left by aphids. The honey obtained is quite suitable for short feeding - for example, it should be put in the hives in the spring. But eating it is not worth it, as it tastes not too good. Moreover, it should not be left for the winter in the hives - the bees, having eaten it, often begin to get sick. Many do not survive the winter.
It is very important to determine if honeydew is in honeycombs. To do this, it is advisable to take a little sweet product from different sites and conduct a simple experiment. Dissolve it in a small amount of water without residue. If flakes formed at the bottom, then honey contains a pad. All frames from the hive must be removed and left until spring. If there are no signs of a paddy, then part of the framework is removed, and the rest are left for wintering.
Works that are performed in the fall
Autumn is a long-awaited vacation time for the beekeeper. It remains only to complete the work already begun. For example, finish building families. You also need to collect damaged and other defective cells, sending them for re-melting.
Letters no longer open completely - only half. Thanks to this, rain and cold wind will not cause unnecessary problems for bees.
In October, if several sunny days are expected, open the summer door completely so that the bees make the last flyby of the year. After that, shortly before the first real frosts, you can clean the bees in the previously prepared Omshanik for wintering.
In winter, we also don’t sit idle
Do not think that in the winter the beekeeper has no business. No, proper care for bees lasts all year. In winter, you can perform work for which usually in spring and summer there is no time. For example, to clean old beehives, if necessary - to paint them if they were very peeling in the sun.
The same can be said about the old framework - clean them of mold and wax residues, prepare them so that you can immediately put them into action in the spring, without wasting extra time, which is especially appreciated in the hot season.
At this time, the hives themselves are kept in Omshanik. It is important to ensure that the temperature here is in the range from -2 to +2 degrees Celsius. If it is colder, the bees will not be able to warm and will be sick. If the temperature is higher, then the bees will not go into winter mode, they will be active, they will consume a lot of honey. It will not be enough until the spring - you will have to additionally feed. The optimum humidity is 75-85%. With low humidity, the bees begin to hurt - dryness affects their breathing system. High humidity often leads to mold and associated infectious diseases.
Look into the Omshanik several times a week to listen to the hives and determine if everything is in order. It will not be amiss to put a few mousetraps and regularly check them - finding a source of honey, some mice actively use the drowsiness of bees and enjoy sweetness.
Conclusion
Now you know enough about beekeeping. The above information is enough to carry out all the basic annual work, to get a rich harvest of honey and at the same time provide the bees with a comfortable, even happy life.