Beekeeping: What I Have Learned

Beekeeping!

Pictured: This is my daughter, suiting up to help with the bees.

I’ve been beekeeping since 1998.  When I started out, I knew very little about honey bees and caring for them and had a lot to learn. I started to research as much as I could and gathering information from everywhere.  There is tons to learn about bees, as they are fascinating creatures.

I learned that beekeeping has a very interesting history.  I learned about all the bees in the hive, their life cycles, and their jobs, all the parts of the modern bee hive and their uses, beekeeping tools and their uses, and very importantly, how to put on a bee suit so you don’t get stung.  Side note: I have been stung by bees, but never while wearing a bee suit.

Other important things I learned about beekeeping; how to light a smoker, how to install a package of honey bees, what to look for in a beehive, why honeybees swarm and how to catch a swarm, products of the beehive, how to harvest and store honey, honeybee diseases and pests their treatments (natural and not), and much more.

Over the years we have collected lots of equipment; bee suits/veils, gloves, smoker, brush, frame lifter, feeders, boxes, frames, spinner, bottling tank, cappings scratcher, straining box, uncapping knife, honey strainers, and more.

When you start beekeeping there are many decisions to be made. My husband has built most of the boxes and frames from kits, but you can buy a whole hive already put together, if you prefer.

We have enjoyed getting up close and personal with the bees and have even gotten the kids involved. Having the kids suit up and join us is the most rewarding part.

It has been real learning experience for the whole family.

Come and learn with us…