The Beekeepers Seasons and Honeybee Activity (part 3)

Months in this article relate to the northern hemisphere cool temperate climate.

APRIL
In the beehive:

With blossom time well underway, the bee colony is also increasingly active. The bees are busy foraging, building and raising new bees. However, to say that the bees are at the beginning of a long foraging season is not quite true. Often the honey flow does not begin until May and ends at the beginning of July. April shows which of the colonies will be able to survive. The winter colony, with its long-lived bees, becomes a summer colony with short-lived bees. It is a good sign when this process of transformation starts late and a great mass of winter bees is available to take advantage of the early honey flow.

Jobs for the beekeeper:

A fine day in April is the time to carry out the first major inspection of the colony. Dirt and debris should be removed from the floors of the hive. If the colony is strong and large, it can be extended. Combs and drone frames, lightly sprayed with honey solution, can be introduced into the hive - but not until the first cherry trees are in blossom, because cherry blossom time is building time.

Rear-opening hives can be extended by gradually adding frames of foundation and empty frames. The frames of foundation are hung by the brood nest, taking care not to disturb anything. Any colonies, which are unsettled or queenless, should be united with others. For queenless colonies this is easy: the bees are shaken onto a cloth near the hives and then beg an entrance into other colonies. Weak colonies will have a bad queen, and it is advisable to find her and kill her. The bees can then be treated as above.

Any brood comb or comb filled with food can be hung in other hives. In a hive with supers a complete colony can be united with another quite easily. The queenless colony is simply put on top of another colony in its original hive. A newspaper soaked in honey, with small holes in it, is placed between the two. This allows the colonies, with their different odours, to get to know each other slowly. Gradually they bit through the paper.

As a rule of thumb, it is important to remember that strong colonies grow stronger and weak colonies weaker. If the weather is bad and the honey flow late, it may be necessary to feed the bees. This is a time when both bees and brood need lots of food. They must get it before they have an acute shortage, so they may need to be fed as early as Match. From April onwards you will need to check the quality of the combs.

Why Become a Beekeeper and Make Your Own Honey?

Why keep bees?

If you ask a beekeeper this question, he will probably look at you quizzically and say: 'Bees? I keep them because I like them!' This is certainly as good a reason as any for keeping bees, but the inner satisfaction for many beekeepers comes in part from their recognition of the vital role played by bees in nature.

Bees account for 80 per cent of all pollination by insects. Honeybees alone carry out more pollination than butterflies, wasps, bumblebees and flies put together. They have the advantage of being able to pollinate many different types of plant rather than being restricted to just a few, as many wild bees are. Because they overwinter in a colony, large numbers of honeybees are ready to collect pollen in the spring, when most plants are in bloom. In addition, honeybees practise flower fidelity and do not pollinate at random, which ensures that the pollen reaches the correct plant.

Throughout history the bee has been considered a sacred creature, with its products held in high esteem. Even today bees fascinate many people because of their ordered social structure in which thousands of bees can live to together harmoniously. They feed on pollen and nectar from plants; products which would otherwise go unused. The amazing fact is that in taking they give something back as well; giving insect-pollination by transferring pollen from one to another and enabling seed formation.

If you are seriously thinking about becoming a beekeeper, first ask yourself if you have what it takes. The first and most important prerequisite is a love of honeybees. If you are really interested and want to study nature, you are already halfway. A colony of bees can be very fascinating, but that do not mean you should launch yourself into beekeeping without any prior knowledge and without asking the advise of an experience apiarist.

First of all there are certain basic facts and rules to learn. If you want to get it right, you have to adapt to the laws of the bees, and not vice versa! It is vital for a novice to understand that every bee colon has an individual identity and needs individual handling. This means one colony may react completely differently from another colon to the same thing. What is right for one particular colony in one particular year may be completely wrong the following year. That is what makes beekeeping fascinating; it is full of surprises!

When the beekeeper finally sees capped honeycombs hanging in the hives, his heart will probably beat faster, because this is where the 'sweetest' part of his work begins. To learn more about beekeeping on by blog.

For all the facts on how to become a beekeeper and make your own honey, please visit my blog, http://basicfactsofbeekeepingtomakehoney.blogspot.com/

Honey bees

Royal Jelly honey

Royal Jelly is a milky gelatinous substance secreted by honey bees. They use this to feed all the bees in the larval stage in a bee colony. The queen bee, however, consumes it her entire life allowing her to produce up to 2000 eggs per day and live considerably longer than her worker bees. It's packed with proteins, vitamins, and antioxidants and is becoming a fast growing dietary supplement with a wide variety of uses.

* Improve your energy level (nature's energy drink)
* Enhanced sexual stamina
* Strengthen your immune system
* Slow the signs of aging (healthier looking skin and hair)
* Reduce the symptoms of menopause
* Lower your cholesterol
* Lower your blood pressure
* Relieve pain from arthritis
* Relief from hangovers

Royal jelly is actually sold in several different forms. The first and most common is the capsule that you take along with your daily vitamins. The second is the raw form bought from apiaries and comes directly from the hive. You can eat it or add into your favorite recipe in order to get your daily intake. Make sure that the is shipped to you via next day or two day air in order to ensure freshness. The third way is by eating raw cold packed honey. This is honey that is hand packed directly out of the hive.

Included in it are bee pollen, bee propolis, and royal jelly that can not be separated from the honey since the honey is not processed at all. You may find that the amounts of these additives are not high enough for you so in that case I would supplement with raw royal jelly and add it to the raw honey. This is the purest most natural form of honey and in my opinion the most pleasurable way to get your daily intake of royal jelly.

For more information about royal jelly please visit us at http://www.everythinghoneyonline.com/royal_jelly.

Why Royal Jelly honey is So Good

Unlike honey, Royal Jelly is not collected by the honey bees from flowers. It is a creamy white substance specially created by worker bees to feed the queen bee throughout her larval and adult life. The worker bees mix honey and bee pollen with enzymes in the glands of their throats to produce the jelly, an extraordinary and only food source for the queen bees and also often called "milk of bees" by many people.

Royal Jelly, an expensive item on the shelf, is increasingly becoming more and more popular as a beauty bee product. Precious and rare, and treasured as a beauty secret of royalty, Royal Jelly nourishes the body on the inside and revitalizes it on the outside as well. More and more girls are coming to understand what this stuff is as its benefits are extensively associated with healthier skin and hair and more youthful appearance. It is not only used in dietary supplements, but also as additions to skin lotions, creams and cosmetics. European women also have used it for its beauty benefits for centuries. Rich in estradiol, a major estrogen functioning as the primary female sex hormone, this natural substance is commonly known to be effective in treating women who have problems with their menstruation such as abnormal cycle, pain, discomfort, and fatigue.

Hailed "one of nature's best kept secrets" by Royden Brown, author of the Bee Hive Product Bible (Avery, 1993), Royal Jelly contains an extraordinarily high concentration of vitamins B5, B6, and amino acids and is believed to be a potent antioxidant a special rejuvenating substance that promotes tissue growth, muscle and cell regeneration. It is taken as a health and energy tonic and remedy for a host of ailments such as:

1) Poor digestion
2) Stomach ulcer
3) High cholesterol
4) Insomnia
5) Menopausal symptoms
6) Fatigue
7) Colds and flu
8) Stress reactions

I found at the supermarket a drink called "Royal Jelly Honey", which was basically honey mixed with the "bee jelly". So far, I have already bought two bottles from the shop. My husband likes it a lot and will always ask me to mix him a glass of icy Royal Jelly honey drink whenever he has a sore throat. It tastes a bit sour and unusual when you first drink it but subsequently I think it really tastes great, especially that it was mixed with chilled water, very refreshing! Besides mineral, amino acid, and vitamins, this special jelly also contains 10-hydroxy decenoic acid which gives the sour taste. This acid can inhibit the bacterial growth and has the function of anti-cancer.

As the "milk of bees" is ultra sour and has a bitter taste and a strong odour, it is normally sold in capsule form for easy and convenient consumption. I have been advised that for best health results, the most ideal time to take this health supplement is in the morning when your stomach is empty.

Source: www.benefits-of-honey.com/royal-jelly.html

R. Tan is the owner of the website benefits-of-honey.com which is a rich honey resource community specially built for all the honey lovers and fans in this world. She has packed this website with a wide range of quality contents on honey based on her knowledge and experience with honey, so as to promote its invaluable benefits which she believes could bring many positive spin-offs in everyone's daily life.

Beekeeping for Beginners - How Do Bees Make Honey?

The first thing Honeybees do is Gather the Nectar.
The Field bees which are the older bees leave the colony to gather nectar from any plant that has flowers. Nectar is comprised of a approximately 80% water and it also contains complex sugars that is produced by flowers. The field bee uses his proboscis which is a tube-like tongue and sucks the nectar from the flower and then stores it in what is referred to as a honey stomach which is a specialized organ that Honeybees have.

The bee returns to the hive with the Nectar.

When the field bee returns to the hive they are met by house bees, which are young worker bees. They suck the nectar from the field bee's honey stomach using their proboscises.

Conversion of Nectar into Honey by the House Bees.

The House bees produce enzymes in there mouths that convert the nectar into unripe honey. This process takes about 20 minutes to accomplish.

Placement of Unripe Honey into the Hive Cells.

At this point the Unripe Honey has a high concentration of water. The house bees then place the Unripe Honey into the cells of the beehive.

So how is the honey is Ripened?

The House bees place the unripe honey in the hive cells and leave it exposed. THey use their wings to produce a strong draft which helps evaporate the water. They also use their proboscises to draw excess water out of the honey.

Now the Honey is Ready for Use.

Once the water content of the honey is reduced to a level that is satisfactory to the bees, they seal the honey in the cell with a layer of wax. The honeyBees abdomen produces a wax that is produced in small sheets underneath it's abdomen. When the honey is sealed inside the cell, it is finished and ready to be eaten by the honeybee colony or harvested for human consumption.

Interested in becoming a Beekeeping Beginners?
For more information: Beekeeping Beginners

Beekeeping, Honey Bees open feeding vs beehive top sugar syrup feed bottles.Corn feeders

Raw Honey - What is So Special About Raw Honey?

Raw honey is another food on the long list of raw foods that has been proven to be better for you than what is typically available in the grocery store. We have known for years that when you boil vegetables that they loose some of their nutritional value. The same is true for honey. Honey contains tons of vitamins and minerals as well as several byproducts including, bee propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen and wax. Honey also has the distinction of having antiseptic and antibacterial qualities innate in them. When it is heated and strained, (as most honeys are at your local markets) you loose not only those added nutrients but also the antibiotic characteristics. Basically it is stripped of much of the healthy benefits that give it it's wonderful reputation.

The vitamins that are found in honey include B6, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and some amino acids. There are also several minerals including copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and zinc.

When you consume raw honey vs. strained, heated or blended honey, you give your body a shot of all of these great vitamins and minerals as well as a quick jolt of energy. Raw honey has carbs that can increase energy and strength as well as increase your endurance. It is also been known to reduce muscle fatigue. Honey is the oldest most natural energy drink on the planet and it's good for you too!

So what is so special about raw honey. It is the worlds oldest super food that not only can provide you with tons on health benefits, too many to mention here, and it tastes good too. Make it a habit to spread some honey on your morning toast, use it in your tea or even substitute it for sugar. However you choose to incorporate honey in your life you will reap the benefits of this truly splendid gift from our friendly neighborhood bees, just make sure it's raw honey.

For more information on where to buy raw honey online please visit us at http://www.everythinghoneyonline.com/raw_honey

Essential Beekeeping Supplies and Equipment

If you are planning to start a beekeeping business, you need to know about the important beekeeping supplies and equipment. You can easily find them in the local beekeeping store or online. The beekeeping supplies may vary from a beekeeper to beekeeper, depending upon the type of hive. However, the basic supplies required by almost all beekeepers include bees, hives, swarms, nuc boxes and frames. It is also important to buy bee medication and mite control supplies, so that you can gain more profits from beekeeping.

Bees:

You can buy the bees and queen bees from variety of sources. You can buy them in packages or in nuc boxes, which have a nuc comprising a small colony and an adult bee. It is always advisable to select the bees from local source, so that you can avoid the problems of diseases, pests and bee stains.

Hives:

Hives are available in different types like Langsroth hives and top bar hives.

1. Langsroth hives come with removable frames, so you can pull and inspect them for possible parasitic infection or diseases. You can use them conveniently to split the hives into another colony for the purpose of reproduction. They are useful in extracting honey without killing the bees.

2. Top bar hives are inexpensive and easy to use. They need to be hung along the top bar provided. If you use these hives, you need to rebuild combs after every harvest.

Beekeeping equipment:

Supers:

Supers are essential to protect the beehives from extreme weather conditions. They contain 9 or 10 frames and they can be either deep or shallow. The deeper super serves as the brood chambers, where the queen lays eggs and the bees care for the larvae. The shallow super is used as honey stores.

Personal equipment:

Beekeeping equipment like veil, gloves and a beekeeper jacket are useful in protecting your safety. If you are a novice beekeeper, you should wear protective clothing, including hooded suit, gloves and a hat.

Smokers:

Smokers are simple fireboxes that are used to generate smoke for harvesting honey from the hives. A smoker includes a funnel and a chamber for combustion. The smoker allows you to keep the bees from becoming disturbed. A gentle puff of smoke calms the bees and lets you continue your work without any stress.

Honey extracting equipment:

Extracting equipment plays an integral role in beekeeping. If you need to harvest a small amount of honey, you can simply use a bee brush to sweep the bees from each frame. You can use bee escape boards to direct the bees on a one way trip from the supers. Extractors made up of stainless steel are more durable than plastic extractors. You can go for either manual extractor or an automatic one, depending upon your budget.

Besides these important types of equipment, you can also plan to buy some equipment like fumer board that helps you to get the bees out of the hive. This equipment is saturated with chemicals that act as safe bee repellents. Starting your own business beekeeping can be very rewarding. The right equipment will help you get started quickly and easily.

To Learn How To Get Started Beekeeping, Check Out,
http://www.beekeeping-basics.com

How Do Honey Bees Make Honey?

Honey bees are the types of bee which make honey, and you'll find thousands upon thousands of different species scattered all over the World - with the exception that is, of the North and South Poles and some of the extremely hot deserts. If you love honey and the wonderful health benefits it bestows upon you, you may be tempted to keep some of these industrious insects yourself, either as a fascinating hobby or as a profitable business venture. But let's look first at how these busy little creatures actually make the product they're so famous for.

Making Honey

Making honey is no easy task and all the little honey bees work extremely hard. In each hive you'll discover a queen bee that gives birth to workers bees, and it's the worker bees that make the honey. Basically, you have two types of worker bee - the older worker bee and the younger worker bee. The older worker bee will leave the hive to collect nectar from surrounding flowers. Once his little honey stomach is full, an inversion procedure occurs whereby enzymes break down complex sugars into simpler ones. On returning to the hive, the older worker bee will disgorge the resulting liquid, and the younger worker bees then take over. They'll taste and test the modified nectar, convert what they consider suitable into pure honey, and deposit it in the top of one of the honey comb cells. They'll then fan the honey by flapping their wings for several hours, so that any remaining water evaporates and the sugars thicken. Finally, they seal the honey up.

Beekeeping

Beekeeping is an extremely rewarding and satisfying activity, but you need to take it seriously and with care. If you're new to it, the ideal way to learn is by watching an expert. Once you're confident that you know what you're doing, then it's time to purchase your equipment. You'll need a new, good quality hive - ideally of red cedar - including roof and floor, three super boxes, a crown board, a queen excluder, and a separate brood box. You'll also need protective clothing, tools to open the hive and extract the honey, and a smoker to stun the bees slightly whilst collecting the honey. If you're not surrounded by plenty of colorful flowers then you may also need a feeder to feed sugar syrup to your bees.

Once your beekeeping equipment is installed, the next step is to get your honey bees. Packaged bees are a good option for the beginner as, although they don't produce tremendous amounts of honey, they're non-aggressive and easier to handle. Make sure you keep your hives clean, surrounded by colorful, pesticide-free flowers, and you're sure to enjoy the benefits not only of deliciously healthy honey, but also of bee pollen and royal jelly.

Honey bees have a tremendously hard existence and receive very little reward for all the good work they do of pollinating flowers and making honey. Without them you'd have far fewer flowers and crops, and wouldn't be able to benefit from Nature's most powerful natural healer and medicine. So, make the most of honey and even consider keeping your own honey bees. It's a fascinating hobby, you'll grow to love and respect the little creatures, and your health will benefit no end.

Janette Marshall publishes Health Benefits of Honey, a resource dedicated to offering you complete information about honey and its medicinal properties. You'll find more articles about honey and honey bees at her website.

Backyard Beekeeping - How to Turn Your Yard Into a Honey Bee Sanctuary

The U.S. honey bee population has dramatically decreased over the last two decades. The demise of these incredibly beneficial insects has received a lot of press in the last several years, and rightly so. One third of our nations food supply is at stake if the honey bees do not make it.

Fortunately, there is a lot that individuals can do to turn the tide. Turning your yard into a honey bee sanctuary is one of the best things you can do to help on a local, small-scale basis. There are two ways I recommend doing this:

Consider establishing one or two hives in your backyard. This can have a profound impact on your vegetable gardens and flowers. Many gardeners do not realize how, over the years, the proliferation of their vegetables has diminished because of the decrease in the honey bee population. This is partly why my husband and I began our incredible journey into beekeeping. For years, we struggled to get our orchard to bear any fruit. After reading articles on the importance of these little pollinators, we purchased our first two hives and have not regretted it.
Make your yard bee friendly: Avoid pesticides, if at all possible. If you must use them, try to spray late in the evenings after the bees have returned to their hives. Learn what flowers bees like and plant plenty of them in your flower beds. If you have pasture or open fields, consider planting plots of clover or alfalfa and letting the plants flower and seed. In our area, clover honey is in high demand because of its sweet, mild flavor.
If you decide to establish some hives, be aware that there is a vast amount of information online about beekeeping. New beekeepers can quickly become overwhelmed. Much of what is written online is not geared specifically towards backyard beekeeping and some of the information is contradictory and confusing.

After starting our beekeeping hobby, my husband and I quickly realized that, in our part of the country, finding a reliable source of beekeeping equipment meant driving hours, or paying high freight costs to get the equipment shipped in. Because of this challenge, my husband started building beekeeping equipment for local beekeepers. But as a result, we found ourselves bombarded with numerous questions from new beekeepers. We realized that there was a lot of beginner beekeepers who wanted simple guidelines to help them get started. Because of this, we developed some recommendations in order to take the confusion out of beekeeping and give newbies a successful start. Here are some of those suggestions:

Before you buy your first hive, read up on all the information you can. There are some excellent forums online, such as http://www.beesource.com. The winter is an excellent time of year to learn about beekeeping and it is a good idea to have a basic knowledge of what is involved before committing your time and money.
Read all you can, but be prepared to sift through the information. There are numerous methods to beekeeping. To make matters worse, beekeepers will many times contradict each other! But keep in mind that just because one beekeeper's method works well in one part of the country, does not mean it will work well where you live. In the same way, using two different types of hives can result in two completely different outcomes. For example, some beekeepers recommend using screened bottom boards on their hives because this helps with hygiene and air circulation. But if you live in an extremely cold climate, other beekeepers may recommend a solid bottom board in order to keep the hive warmer.
Be willing to take a leap of faith. So you read up on all the beekeeping information you can. Maybe you joined a local beekeeping association or tagged along with another beekeeper while he worked on his hives. Regardless of how much you now know, you will still have to make scary leaps of faith based on what you believe may be the best for your own situation. The only way to learn in beekeeping is to select a method of beekeeping that sounds right for you and go for it. Just be prepared to stumble along the way and change courses, if needed.
Join a local beekeeping association. You will meet other more experienced beekeepers who can offer you advice and recommendations based on your specific area.
Join up with another local beekeeper. Most beekeepers are more than willing to help other newcomers get started. Many have been beekeeping for years and will welcome a strong set of arms to lift honey supers and bee hives. Be prepared to work hard as you glean information and ask questions.
Do not be surprised by setbacks. We had bees mysteriously die out, queens disappear, and swarms fly away. But we also had numerous successes, as well. Beekeeping is as volatile as the wind and if you expect perfect hives, brimming full of honey every year, you will quickly get discouraged.
Small scale beekeepers are absolutely critical to the well-being of the honey bee population, so go for it!

Eileen Ranck lives in Meherrin, Virginia with her husband and three children. They own Ranck's Quality Fencing L.L.C., a premier fence contracting business that installs fences throughout Virginia and North Carolina. On the weekends, however, they can be found on their farm. They enjoy building beekeeping equipment, raising bee queens and nucs, and selling their own delicious, local Virginia honey. They are passionate about beekeeping and helping others get started in this fascinating hobby. Please visit their websites for more information.

http://www.honeyrustler.com

Dadant Beekeeping Supplies

Dadant and Sons, a company based out of Hamilton, IL has been in the business of providing beekeeping equipment and attire for the past 140 years. ...
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The Most Needed Beekeeping Supplies

Starting the beekeeping hobby could be a hard task. It is because you have to deal with the different beekeeping information and details that could launch you into becoming one of the most victorious beekeepers in the world. Beekeeping supplies should be prepared at all costs so you will have a victorious beekeeping journey for life.

The basic beekeeping supplies needed for your beekeeping journey starts with the bees, the hives, nuc boxes, frames and swarms. But beekeeping supplies vary from each beekeeper. For starters however, they should be equipped with the beekeeping supplies that aim for gaining more pleasure than profits right away. It is also advised to have beekeeping medication in order to control the supplies that you have.

The first beekeeping supply that you should have is of course the bee. You can purchase bees from different sources. You can have them in packages. It is advised that you choose bees carefully so that you will not face further problems most especially with pests and diseases that your bees might encounter sooner or later.

Next are the hives. These beekeeping supplies come in different types. The Langsroth hive is often the commonly chosen hive for it comes with removable frames. You can inspect the bees just in case they are already being infected by pests. Top bar hives are also chosen yet they are expensive kinds. These kinds of bee hives are however, easy to use.

Supers are also needed since they are necessary in order to safeguard the beehives from tremendous climate conditions. They are full of 9 or 10 frames that can be either profound or shallow.

Other beekeeping supplies used as personal equipments are gloves, veil and beekeeper sheathing. These are helpful in shielding your protection. If you are a beginner in beekeeping, you are supposed to be dressed in defensive garments, together with hooded costume, hat and gloves.

Another beekeeping supplie needed are smokers. These are simple fireboxes that are utilized in order to produce smoke for yielding honey from the hives.

You also need to have honey extracting equipments. Extracting gears play an important position in beekeeping. If you require yielding a little quantity of honey, you can just use a bee brush to brush the bees starting from each frame. You can also employ bee escape boards to start a way for the bees. Extractors composed from stainless steel are tougher than artificial extractors. You can set off for either labor-intensive extractor or a mechanical one. Just make sure your budget fits in.

Andrew Dickens is a hobby Bee keeper and beekeeping, has a lot of benefits to offer. If you can overcome the fear of being stung by a bee, then beekeeping can be worth a try. You can find most of the topics regarding his written works at this site: http://www.beekeepingsuccess.com/.