Most people are likely familiar with honeybees, but perhaps not so much with leafcutter bees. Wild bees and other bees such as mason bees are also not a household name as their counterparts, the honeybees. And did you know there are about 25,000 different kinds of bees out there, out of which about 4,000 comprises wild bees, with about 400 of them not yet assigned any known names? Well, that is correct and it is apparent only honeybees are enjoying full glory when it comes to the recognition of bees for their pollination services. This is all happening at the expense of all these other kinds of bees. Leafcutter bees are among North America’s top pollinators and there has been an increased use of these pollinators in commercial farms such as blueberry and alfalfa plantations. In this article we dive deep into the world of leafcutter bees and will explain how to raise leafcutter bees.
Read More »How to Encourage Pollinating Bees in Your Garden
There is a lot of talk about bees in the modern age, and the role they play in the pollination of your favourite garden flowers and plants. Bees play an incredibly crucial part in our whole ecosystem, and they are worth looking after. It has been well-publicized that without bees, the world would be in a lot of trouble. We need to think about bees and their role, and your garden can provide them with the perfect little spot. In this guide, we look at how you can encourage pollinating bees to head to your garden, and in turn, help plants and even local crops to properly grow and spread.
Read More »Introduction to Apitherapy and Beehive Air Therapy
Apitherapy, also referred to as beehive air therapy, is an alternative treatment method that makes use of beehives and products that are derived from honeybees. It has been found to be an effective remedy for boosting body immunity and overall health in humans. Its use dates back to ancient times, about 460 BC when Egyptians and Chinese used it as a treatment for most health problems. The Romans and Greeks also used apitherapy.
Read More »Beehive Mesh – Adding a Mesh 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 Many Honeybees Live in a Colony?
There exist between 20,000 to 80,000 within a colony. Ideally there is one single queen for a beehive. This thus means one colony per beehive. Read more.
Read More »The Ethical Harvesting of Honey
Honey is the oldest source of sweetness known to mankind. Ever since we started exploring its benefits, honey has played a major part in food and medicines. The presence of honey was first discovered in Spain in the cave of Valencia. In the cave the honey seeker was portrayed on an 8000 year old cave painting at Arana Caves in Spain. This ancient painting shows a person extracting honey from wild beehive, which indicates that humans have been practicing honey harvesting for as long as 5000 BC. Today with all these years of experience and knowledge, there is new technology and better ways to harvest honey. Yet, the question lingers, are the ways of honey harvesting ethical?
Read More »Become a Beekeeper: Step-by-Step Guide to Easy Entry
Getting into beekeeping is easy with the right guidance. Following the right steps to become a beekeeper is crucial for your smooth entry into beekeeping. The process involves preparing yourself to start beekeeping, setting up to receive your first colonies of honeybees, and looking after them henceforth. In setting up your beekeeping operation, you will also take into account the goals of your beekeeping and the products you aim to get from the operation. In most cases, beekeepers are in it for honeybee conservation, profit, or both. The steps outlined in this article are the best for aspiring beekeepers to follow, whether they are aiming to be beekeepers for conservation purposes or for profit.
Read More »Plastic Beehive Frames vs Wood – Which is Better?
Beekeepers are offered two types of frames - those made using wood and those made using plastic wooden. Wood is natural and has traditionally been used to make beehive frames. Advances and innovation in apiculture has led to the advent of plastic frames. You may use the two types of frames together or use only one type of frame. In this article we'll discuss the comparison of plastic beehive frames vs wood.
Read More »What is Varroa Sensitive Hygiene in Honeybee Colonies?
Scientists have put in the work when it comes to efforts to counter the many threats that threaten honeybee colonies. The unleashing of Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) stock of bees was a game changer in beekeeping. Varroa Sensitive Hygiene is a trait that describes the ability of bees to recognize, open, and eliminate capped broods that contain reproducing Varroa mites. This special behavior is not common with all honeybees but can be seen in colonies that demonstrate strong resistance to Varroa infestations. This has made a tremendous difference in apiaries and made the work of beekeepers much easier. This minimizes the need to use potentially harmful chemicals to treat the deadly Varroa mites.
Read More »Freezing Honey – Can Honey be Frozen?
Honey storage is an important part of beekeeping. Both beekeepers and consumers of honey should know how to store honey without diminishing its qualities. Freezing honey is one of the available methods for storing honey. It preserves the nutritional and antimicrobial properties of honey. Improper storage of honey may result in loss of the honey’s flavor, texture and nutritional value.
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