BeeKeepClub Resources and Guides for Beekeepers

Maintaining hygiene in the beehive contributes greatly to having a honeybee colony that is healthy and productive. Hygiene prevents occurrence of diseases that affect honeybees. In a beekeeping operation, there are many aspects of hygiene. They encompass apiary hygiene, beehive hygiene, and the general hygiene of your beekeeping operation. Honeybees clean their beehive or seal up unwanted materials in propolis and resins. Sometimes, however, you need to help the bees maintain the best hygiene levels in the beehive. Beehive hygiene is largely about cleanliness, and the environmental conditions inside the beehive. Here is all the information you need, and useful tips about maintaining hygiene in the beehive.

Royal jelly is one of the products derived from the honey bee. Research has shown some of its key ingredients are beneficial for our health. It is highly nutritious and boasts antibacterial and antioxidant properties. It is also one of the best products to use against inflammation. You can ingest royal jelly or apply it to the affected area of your skin. The key components of royal jelly include: 50 to 60% water, 18% proteins, 15% carbohydrates, 3 to 6% lipids, and 1.5% mineral salts. It also contains traces of vitamins, which include Vitamin B. Its antioxidant properties can be linked to its plant-based chemical referred to as polyphenols. In this article, we shall discuss how to harvest royal jelly.

The Perone Beehive is an ingeniously designed hive that aims to better the way honeybees are raised. It derives its name from its inventor Oscar Perone. Its current design has been arrived at after innumerable trial and error, carried out for more than 40 years by the inventor. The design is inspired by the honeybee's natural environment, trying as much as possible to imitate wild bees. Join us as we find out more about this unique design of hive that has won the hearts of many.

Honeybee brood simply refers to all stages of a honeybee, save the adult bee. Precisely, it comprises the egg, larva, and pupa. Honeybee brood is mainly found inside the beehive for domesticated bees. They are an important part of the colony since this is where the future of the colony is pegged. This is the future generation bees that will develop to be workers, drones, or the mother queen bee. Together, the brood and adult bees with their segregated duties, make up a super force that functions as one. The thousands of individual honeybees that collectively exist mutually, make it possible to survive and thrive even in harsh environs. It is therefore important for the beekeeper to fully understand the working mechanism of a brood and colony as a whole. Without a deep understanding of colony functions, it proves impossible to manage or raise successful honeybee colonies. Therefore, analyzing brood comb is without a doubt an important part of beehive management. In this article, we'll discuss how to identify and analyze brood comb.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a common condition that is characterized by a mysterious loss or disappearance of the colony’s adult worker bee population. They leave behind a colony that has few bees, with such small numbers that the colony becomes unable to sustain itself until it eventually collapses. Additionally, the queen bee, a few young worker bees, and plenty of food reserves are usually left behind. These food reserves even remain untouched for several weeks by invaders such as robber bees, hive beetles, and wax moths. Colony Collapse Disorder has a serious impact on beekeeping, with the majority of affected beekeepers reporting a loss of up to 90% in their operations. The cause of Colony Collapse Disorder is yet to be pinpointed with certainty. However, its effects are massive and apparent.

Honeybees serve a key role in agriculture for humans. The nectar collected by honeybees is used for making honey, and it is the only food made by an insect which humans consume. The worker bees play the role of converting nectar into honey using their enzymes. Moreover, honeybees also provide pollination services, and this is where bee brokers come in. A bee broker may be described as the individual who is in the honeybee business for commercial purposes. They engage in a number of activities which we shall discuss in this article.

Langstroth beehives are synonymous with modern beekeeping. From the invention of the beehive, it has gripped the beekeeping industry like a giant. The iconic beehive provides a great home for honey bee colonies when built well. It is divided into the lower section, beehive boxes and the upper section. Langstroth beehives have several components that are held in it including beehive frames. This article guides you on how to make Langstroth beehive frames. The frames are held in beehive boxes that make up a beehive stack. We will look at deep beehive box frames, medium and shallow beehive box frames. The frames you make can be used in both 8-frame and 10-frame Langstroth beehive setups.

The Kashmir Bee Virus is one of the diseases that affect honey bees. Just like any other viruses and pathogens, it spreads swiftly in honey bee colonies. This is attributable to the fact that honey bees are social insects and thus viruses will spread due to close contacts among the honey bee, sharing food and clustering during periods of confinement.