In a honeybee colony, the queen bee has a very important function that is made possible by her mating flight. Read on to understand what is the honeybee queen mating flight and its benefits to a honeybee colony. Without a mating flight, the queen bee fails in her most important duty which is to lay fertilized eggs in the beehive. Unfertilized eggs result in male drone bees that do not do any work in the beehive. Female bees are called worker bees and they do all the work in the beehive including producing honey and making honeycomb using beeswax. The honeybee queen mating flight is, therefore, very important for the queen to be able to lay fertilized eggs.
Read More »Bee Pollen – Health Benefits and Possible Side Effects
Bee pollen is considered a medicine in most states due to its many benefits. As a matter of fact, it is duped as a “superfood” due to its many health benefits.
Read More »Top 27 Best Bee Friendly Plants & Flowers for Your Garden
Bee friendly plants are not only important for the beekeeper, but it is also essential for farmers and homeowners who have crops. Bees not only benefit from the flowering garden but they also help to pollinate the plants. This is why bees are so important – they are a crucial …
Read More »Keeping Honey Bees Safe While Transporting and Relocating Hives
Although large numbers of honey bees are routinely transported for the purposes of pollination all over Northern America, a move can still be stressful for them. When you are relocating hives, it's important to have everything planned in advance to minimize disruption to the bees. Whether you're moving house, bringing home a new colony, or simply want to reposition your bees in cold weather, being well prepared will help the move go smoothly.
Read More »How to Use a Beehive Windbreak
The work of a beekeeper is quite exciting and varied. Individual beekeepers use different methods to tackle some of the challenges they face. Beehive management in cold regions has its unique challenges. One of them is how to keep the beehive at a temperature conducive for honey bee colonies. Bees can warm the hive themselves, but is costs them more energy and food resources to do so. One of the more popular methods is the use of beehive windbreaks. They can be used all round or on selected sides of the beehive. Windbreaks reduce the speed of air flowing around the beehive, thereby reducing heat loss. In this article we'll discuss how to go about using up a beehive windbreak in your beekeeping operation.
Read More »How to Properly Prepare Beehives for Winter
Winter can be a harsh season for many species. But those who are already of a delicate constitution can be at risk for survival. Bees are among those that need a lot of preparation before and caretaking during the winter season. Honey bees remain active throughout the year while other bees and wasps hibernate. Honey bees have the natural ability to ride out the freezing temperatures of winter by creating their own heat source. Even with these favorable abilities, honey bee colonies suffer many losses due to various other factors. Sometimes, they require human intervention to give them a better chance at survival.
Read More »Adding a Mesh Around the Beehive to Keep Out Predators
Beekeepers often ensure security for their honeybees by adding a mesh around the beehive to keep out predators. This is usually in addition to other preventive and active measures they take. Proper beehive security depends on the proper setup, management and maintenance of all the security measures you use in your beekeeping operation. Honeybees have a number of predators of different types. When you leave honeybee colonies in your apiary vulnerable, they are attacked by birds, small animals, and large animals. This article explores the safety of beehives with a detailed investigation of the use of meshes around beehives to keep out predators.
Read More »How to Combine Honeybee Colonies
Raising honeybees is a practice that has been around for centuries. It is believed that humans have kept bees for more than 9,000 years. This is such a long time and thanks to all the efforts put into it, modern beekeepers can now focus on best practices of raising honeybees. Weak colonies have proven to have the least chance of making through the colder months such as winter, hence the need to sometimes combine honeybee colonies. This strategy makes it possible for the beekeeper to go into winter with a stronger colony. Combining two weak colonies is the sure way of creating a robust colony. Nonetheless, we describe this as an art since it takes skill and experience to do it. In essence, you do not just wake up one morning and decide to dump bees from a hive to another. Doing this proves to be harmful rather than helpful to the honeybees. In this article, we exhaustively explore the art of combining honeybee colonies. Join us in this exciting journey.
Read More »Beekeeping Insurance – Should You Insure Your Beehives?
Beekeeping insurance offers a way to mitigate the costs associated with these losses. In this article, we'll discuss what beekeeping insurance is and how it can help you to have a better peace of mind.
Read More »The Ultimate Guide for Using Essential Oils with Honeybees
Essential oils are concentrated hydrophobic liquids. They have different aromatic compounds and are extracted from plants. Using essential oils in beekeeping helps beekeepers avoid applying chemicals and contaminants in their beehives. Using essential oils with honeybees is safe. The oils easily evaporate at normal temperatures, leaving no traces behind in beehive products. Make sure to get your essential oils from reliable sources. You should also have the proper equipment for use with essential oils for honeybee colonies. The equipment must be kept clean at all times.
Read More »