Beekeeping is a rewarding and profitable experience that can yield a large, delicious honey harvest. To maximize honey production, beekeepers should focus on queen management, hive optimization, and feeding techniques. They prefer orienting their hives east or southeast and focusing on high-yield bee species and maintaining optimal hive health.
To maximize honey production, beekeepers should add boxes to hives for receiving incoming nectar during major bloom periods, known as supering. This process is important for optimal ventilation and honey production. Beehives should be placed near a source of water and in an area with adequate vegetation, such as coffee. Merge colonies to produce strong hives, and provide water for the bees if they are not near a water source.
Monitor the hive periodically until the honey matures and inspect for and manage skilled beekeeping and good bee stock. Plan your beekeeping year in advance and get the right equipment. A beekeeper can have several apiaries and organize apiary inspection and honey harvesting in a planned way. Apiaries can also be integrated within the farm, and a study by Workneh concluded that beekeepers can increase their profit more than double by using box hives instead of traditional hives.
In dry weather, bees may collect water at neighbors’ swimming pools, so it is essential to ensure that bee flight paths do not cross sidewalks, playgrounds, or other public areas. By following these tips, beekeepers can unlock their hive’s full potential and maximize their honey output.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Two Colonies In One: A Proven Way To Increase Honey … | One very effective way is to practise migratory beekeeping, like Paul; he continually moves bees from crop to crop, and honey flow to honey flow … | thewalrusandthehoneybee.com |
| Managing bees to maximise honey production | Skilled beekeeping and good bee stock are the foundations of successful productivity. Plan your beekeeping year in advance. Get the right equipment. Use the … | nationalbeeunit.com |
| Weak colonies, how do I maximize honey production | Merge colonies, a strong one will make more honey than two weak ones. Or two from three, basically move what you need to produce strong hives. | beesource.com |
📹 How to Grow a TON of HONEY with ONE Beehive in Just 8 Months!
In this video, I give you 5 tips on how to grow a ton of honey with one beehive in just 8 months! I recommend the Prong garden tool …
How Many Hives Does The Average Beekeeper Have?
Each season, many aspiring beekeepers buy supplies and bees only to discover they can't have hives on their property. Typically, backyard beekeepers possess 1 to 2 acres of land, managing around 2 to 3 hives, though 2 to 5 hives is recommended for beginners. For commercial viability, beekeeping operations should have between 350 and 400 hives, with most commercial beekeepers managing about 350 to 500 hives on average. A small-scale beekeeper can handle 100 to 150 hives while maintaining a full-time job, with an ideal hive density of 2 to 3 hives per acre.
Experienced beekeepers advise newcomers to start with at least two hives to mitigate stress and potential problems down the road. Though having a single hive might seem practical, it is often insufficient. Thus, the common recommendation for beginners is to invest in two hives.
For those considering hive placement, it's essential to account for factors like forage availability, climate, and the local ecosystem's health. Proper beehive density is crucial not only for honey production but also for the well-being of the bees. While the average hobbyist keeps 3 to 5 hives, many have just 1 or 2. The general consensus across surveys indicates that most beekeepers operate with fewer than 5 hives, often amassed through years of experience. The quantity of hives in any given apiary can vary widely, influenced by multiple factors, making it a common but complex question in beekeeping.
Why Do Bees Add Boxes To Hives?
To enhance honey production from honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.), it's essential to add supers—additional boxes—to hives during peak blooming periods for incoming nectar. This process, known as supering, typically occurs as the hive population grows from Spring into Summer. Beekeepers must determine the right moment and type of box to add. To facilitate this, it’s advised to "pry the box loose" using a hive tool and "set it on end" to avoid squishing bees.
A second box provides room for bees to store pollen and nectar without restricting the queen's laying capacity. If a ten-frame box has six or more full frames, or five frames crowded with bees, it's time to add another box. However, if the frames appear less full, it's best to wait.
Introducing a second brood box hinges primarily on the need for more space. When bees fill their hive, they can exhibit swarming behavior due to overcrowding. To prevent swarming, beekeepers should add more space, accommodating the queen for egg-laying. Swapping hive or brood box positions in Spring can facilitate better access and encourage growth. Moreover, adding a second brood box is advantageous when anticipating a strong honey flow.
Ultimately, the key reason for expanding the hive is to ensure adequate space for brood and honey storage, thus steadily enhancing colony productivity while preventing swarming. It's crucial to only add space as needed, maintaining optimal hive conditions for the bees’ well-being.
How Do You Maximize Honey Production?
To optimize honey production from honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera L.), it is essential to add supers to hives during major nectar flows. Supering involves placing additional boxes on hives to capture incoming nectar, which is crucial for maximizing yield. A productive queen can create and maintain a large brood nest, resulting in a sizable bee population. The article explores various factors influencing honey production, such as bee health, environmental conditions, and management practices.
Key strategies for enhancing production include understanding honey bee life cycles and behaviors, maintaining hive health, and recognizing the impact of environmental variables like weather and pollen availability. Beekeepers can significantly boost output by focusing on high-yield bee species, ensuring strong colony sizes, and preemptively building colonies before nectar flow.
Additional techniques discussed involve queen management, hive optimization, and feeding practices. Identifying local nectar sources and strategically planting them can further increase honey yields. Minimizing hive numbers at locations, swarming prevention, and establishing strong colonies ahead of main nectar periods are crucial for maximizing production.
For successful beekeeping, it is vital to properly establish apiaries, protect against predators, treat for pests, and create bee-friendly environments. This comprehensive approach to managing colonies and maintaining hives can lead to impressive honey harvests, particularly through expert strategies identified for the upcoming seasons.
How Do You Sort Hives?
If you have mild hives or angioedema, consider these remedies: avoid triggers, use over-the-counter anti-itch medications, apply cold compresses, and wear comfortable cotton clothing. Protect your skin from the sun, as hives—itchy welts on the skin—can indicate serious issues, especially if breathing becomes difficult. Treatments include home remedies, like aloe vera and oatmeal baths, and antihistamines. It's essential to identify the cause of hives to effectively address them and prevent recurrence.
Additionally, while discussing Hive, it’s noted that it may not be the best tool for certain queries due to its OLAP/reporting design. In Hive SQL, columns in SORT BY influence sorting before reducing data, with different behaviors for Order By and Sort By in query execution.
What Is The Organizational Structure Of A Beehive?
The honey bee colony is an intricate social structure primarily composed of three types of adult bees: the queen, worker bees, and drones. The queen, the sole reproductive female, is tasked with laying all the eggs in the hive and can live up to four years. Drones, the males, exist solely to mate with the queen. The worker bees, which make up the majority of the colony and are sexually undeveloped females, handle all other responsibilities. Their duties include gathering nectar, guarding the hive, caring for the queen and larvae, cleaning the hive, and producing honey.
The hive's physical structure is noteworthy, with bees constructing hexagonal cells from beeswax to optimize space and efficiency, used for storing honey and pollen and housing brood (eggs and larvae). Hive bodies—also known as supers or brood boxes—are essential living spaces that enable the colony to thrive.
The organization of a honey bee colony is vital for survival, with each bee having a specific role to ensure the productivity and protection of the hive. Communication and teamwork are fundamental for the bees to raise and sustain their community. Beekeepers studying hive structure can effectively manage pests, control temperature, and optimize space.
Understanding the components of a hive, including the bottom board, hive body, supers, and covers, allows beekeepers to maintain a healthy environment for their bees. This complexity of behavior and social organization allows honey bee colonies to flourish and play a crucial role in ecosystems. Each colony's meticulous division of labor, with approximately one queen and 100 worker bees for every drone, underscores the efficiency of their collective efforts for survival and reproduction.
How Do You Split A Beehive And Prevent Swarming?
To split a beehive, first open the hive and remove two frames containing brood at various stages, along with two frames of honey and pollen. Shake off the bees and set the frames aside in a box, then fill the new box with empty frames, ideally with already drawn comb. Keep the original queen in the parent hive, ensuring she remains content, while the frames with queen cells will form a new colony. This method helps prevent swarming and aids in expanding the number of colonies, an essential practice for beekeepers. Splitting hives can be performed to increase hives, raise queens, or grow the workforce, particularly during spring or late summer.
To effectively split a hive, first identify a strong colony and then remove selected frames with eggs, larvae, and nurse bees to create a new hive. This approach is crucial for controlling swarming, which occurs when a hive becomes overcrowded. The simplest method, known as a "walk-away split," involves moving the top brood box to its bottom board to form a new hive. By doing so, you can reduce swarming losses and potentially grow your apiary.
Another effective technique is the Taranov split, where the queen does not need to be located, making it simpler for the beekeeper. In anticipation of swarming, managing the space within the hive by adding another box can also discourage bees from feeling crowded. Keeping the original queen in the new hive or allowing the old hive to raise a new queen are both beneficial strategies to mitigate swarming and maximize colony strength. Splitting hives is thus a practical method for thriving beekeeping operations.
How Do Bees Organize Their Hive?
Camazine proposed that the intricate patterns seen in beehives stem from a self-organizing process governed by three fundamental rules: (i) the queen lays eggs in the comb's center, (ii) workers randomly deposit pollen and nectar, and (iii) bees preferentially remove these resources from the brood nest compared to honey storage. The hive's functioning is a marvel of teamwork, with hundreds of worker bees performing essential tasks, such as comb construction, honey storage, and hive maintenance, while the queen's role is to coordinate and motivate them through pheromones.
A colony thrives on the collective efforts of its members, with a group of 300 workers capable of gathering around 450 grams of honey in just three weeks. In their quest to build a hive, worker bees forage for nectar and pollen, crucial for sustaining the colony. Inside the hive, typically composed of a queen, drones, and numerous workers, bees communicate vital information about foraging locations and food quality through a unique "waggle dance." The spatial organization of the hive is carefully arranged, with brood at the bottom, a dedicated band for pollen, and honey stored above.
The unique structures they create reflect their social organization, essential for the colony's survival and productivity. Bees also produce wax from specialized glands, which they use to construct comb, further demonstrating their remarkable adaptability and efficiency.
How Far Away Should Beehives Be From The House?
When positioning a beehive near your home, general guidelines suggest maintaining a clearance of 4 feet on either side and behind the hive, with a minimum of 25 feet at the entrance. Ideally, beehives should be at least 3 feet away from a house, but this can vary based on your backyard size and the hive's location. If the area has high traffic, adjusting the distance is prudent. The ideal placement is generally at least 25 to 30 feet from living spaces like houses, decks, and patios, which helps prevent unwanted encounters between bees and people.
To respect neighbors’ property, it's wise to keep the hive at least 10-15 feet from property lines. This distance lessens the likelihood of bees straying onto neighboring properties. Additionally, when managing multiple hives, maintaining a distance of at least 10 feet between them is essential for optimal efficiency and preventing overcrowding.
Considerations such as hive temperament and weather can influence hive placement. For beekeepers with limited space, a minimum of 3 feet from living areas provides a good rule of thumb. However, some experienced beekeepers prefer to keep their hives well over 30 feet from homes for added safety. Confirming with local zoning codes is also crucial before installation. While bees can thrive in close quarters, thoughtful spacing is necessary to facilitate movement during hive maintenance, further ensuring a successful beekeeping experience. Ultimately, aim for sufficient room for lifting and stacking boxes, balancing bee wellness with homeowner comfort.
How Do You Arrange Bee Hives?
To successfully set up a beehive, the entrance should face South, Southeast, or East, allowing access to morning sunlight. This orientation encourages bees to forage early in the day. It's essential to protect the hive's North side from harsh Winter winds and ensure there is adequate space to walk around each hive, avoiding placement near traffic areas to minimize stress on the bees. Elevating the hives helps with drainage and safety. Location is crucial: select an area that provides morning sunlight, preferably free from early shade.
When assembling a hive, start by placing the baseboard on a stand, then add the brood chamber or deep super topped with deep frames, followed by inner and outer lids. New beekeepers may feel overwhelmed, but the process is straightforward, especially using a beehive kit.
To reduce colony stress and improve management, some beekeepers arrange hives in an arc or offset them, ensuring hive entrances face different directions. This method varies bee flight paths and reduces drifting. Maintaining a distance of at least 20 feet between hives is ideal for safe and comfortable access. Considerations for sunlight exposure include ensuring hives receive 6-8 hours of direct sunlight to keep bees active.
Overall, remember the basic hive components: bottom board, supers, frames, and covers, and follow these guidelines to promote a healthy, productive beekeeping environment.
📹 8 Tricks To Encourage Your Bees To Build More Comb EVEN IN JULY! #beekeeping
We all know a hives first year is spent building out the comb and not being able to harvest any honey. But what if I told you there …
I have blueberry bushes for 4 years and no berries until I started raising bees 4 years ago. Now I have berries and all my flowers, vegetables and raspberries are so much more productive. Look into the Demarri method as it will stop swarming and give you more honey. I get 150+ lbs/ hive. I’m in NJ, USA and have been following you for years. Yes a hive in the sun will reduce the beetle population with the entrance facing south or North in Australia.
Making a drinking game out of the bee/honey puns will surely put us under the table lol. Temperment is a very real thing. My neighbor’s bees are always visiting my flowers and are very friendly and easy to work with as they buzz around. They’ll land on you, say “hi” and just relax for a bit before flying off. If I acidentally knock one off a plant, it never holds a grudge. Fun fact: the only bees that are disease and pest free are found on the island of Pitcairn, population of 50 people. The honey is so good, it gets shipped to the queen of England (when she was still with us).
I never thought I’d see a article on bees from you, but I suppose it only makes sense. I love honey bees, they’re fantastic creatures. People who aren’t into gardening would probably think this statement is quite sad but I enjoy perusal bees fly about doing their thing. During the summer I often have honey bees come into the garden and they just fly about doing what they do completely ignoring me even if I get close. I’m lucky in as much as I see all types of bees from the spring onwards. I often see honey bees and bumble bees. I see solitary bees from spring onwards, Miners, Leafers, Mason, Flower, you name it, it’s probably been in my garden. Butterflies are a close second though.
I made the shade mistake my first year. I did move my two hives that fall and it was very difficult. Daily I would go out to the old location, scoop up all the bees that had returned to the old spot, and take them to the new. It takes a new generation of bees hatching, up to 23 days, in order to sort things out. That’s the best advice, get help in t he bee-ginning, especially with site selection and hive orientation in regards to sunrise/sunset and predominant wind patterns. Great article!👍
Thanks Mark. Ive had my flowhive for the same timeframe as your hive but instead of getting my bees straight away I joined our local beekeeping association and found myself a mentor and am going with him to his hives to do inspections and recently did our first small extraction. I probably wont have my bees until spring this year, but it is giving us time to learn, to make a beautiful area in our paddock planted out with lavender and some building of wind screening to protect the hive. Today we met with the DPI to discuss the fact that even though we are varroa mite free down here at the moment they believe we will see them enter our area relatively soon. So now comes the learning about those rotten things. Due to the bushfires in our area in 2019 and the crappy weather we’ve had this summer Im in many ways happy that I didn’t get my bees just yet and can move slowly into the world of beekeeping…..all while I look at the built hive sitting in our shed 🙁 I shall live vicariously through perusal your articles, understanding the fear, the fun and the joy that they bring) Congratulations on your first wonderful harvest and as always Thankyou for sharing it 🙂 Theresa – South Coast
Here in Perth (Western Australia, not the one in Scotland) there is a small company that sells honey in a few stores and you can buy honey that was made in a specific suburb of Perth. Because I live in Subiaco, I would always buy honey from a hive based in Subiaco where there are a lot of nice gardens for the bees. The honeys tasted different as each suburb offered a different array of flowers. I would really encourage everyone to buy honey from a local producer. Excellent article my friend. I love the amount of Australianisms you use – “ya bees will bugger off!” – such an Australian dad way of wording it 😆
I’ve been a beekeeper for about 12 years. Here in California where I live we have a lot of Africanized bee influence in the feral population and it can really produce some aggressive hives when new queens mate with feral drones. I always re-queen them with queens purchased from northern breeders and it’s night and day the difference in temperament after the new queens offspring replace the old bees. Working with aggressive colonies takes all the joy right out of keeping bees.
In Australia do to your heat its better that the hive is in the shade. While they are good at regulating there temperature. You don’t want them to work to cool the hive or heat it, you want them doing other tasks like gathering honey. Or cleaning out the hive, the bees, fighting pests etc. There is a guy on YouTube that made what he calls a bee barn and has grate success with it because its fully insulated. But as a Slovenian i prefer our method where we build the bees their own house to keep their temperature stable.
Great article! If you don’t want to have your own hive, search out your local bee club and see if any members are willing to sell or let you ‘work off’ a couple jars of honey or perhaps they could place a hive at your place (they care for it). This would support their endeavor and give you local honey which is supposed to be good for plant allergies.
Throughly enjoyed this article. I’m in North Carolina, USA & just got my 1st hive last August. As soon as my new hive arrives I will be splitting my hive as it is busting at the seams with lots of bees & their resources. I am so looking forward to adding honey supers this year & harvesting our own honey.
I’m in a very similar climate in Texas, my bees share a paddock with our poultry and they’ve done a bang up job of keeping hive beetles well in check. (My hives face east, have morning to midday sun then shade in late afternoon) your tips are right on, I advise every beekeeper to have 2 hives, even in the same yard, hives will behave differently and offer more learning opportunity along with a backup in case of a colony loss.
Hi Mark. Followed your website for a few years now on gardening and I really enjoy it and make use of your advice. I bought a nuc of bees just before Christmas, originally because my grandkids took me along to a course their homeschooling mob had going and I really enjoyed it and thought this might help pollinating in my garden, particularly my 15 year old orange tree that drops the fruit when it’s about the size of my thumb. Next spring will be the test! I bought a flower hive, much to the dismay of the nuc supplier however there’s plenty of tips on the ‘net to help me out!
Nice article! I took a beekeeping class, it was fascinating. Unfortunately I haven’t actually lived anywhere that beekeeping would be a good idea! But…I have finally managed to attract bees to my yard to pollinate my garden and fruit trees. I love perusal the happy little honey bees. And I am propagating the plants they seem to love. I guess they are making honey somewhere, that’s good enough for me 🙂
Beekeeping is quite an adventure, it is actually hard to keep your beeyard small and managable, because their natural behaviour is to expand and multiply. In the climate you have, you can easily get about 70 kilos of honey per colony. They basically need acces to water, pollen and nectar. Keep an eye on what is flowering nearby throughout the year, you can extarct some very good honey if you know what they are bringing in. If you are in a very hot climate, try finding a place where they get morning sun, and partial shade in the afternoon, it helps them regulate the temperature inside the hive. Treatment for desease is a must today, sadly, specially varroa mite (we don´t have hivebeetles in my country yet, luckily). Another tip is Not to use a brush and no leather gloves if possible, they really hate those 😁. Love to see you are doing some beekeeping!
I have been wanting to get bees. You inspired me to give it a go. Thanks. I live in Florida and I have learned that all the hives have been infiltrated with African bees. But here in my area bees are scarce. I have tons of flowers and rarely see a honey bee. We have our native pollinators for our veggies and I make bee hotels for them and they do a terrific job of pollination, but honey would be nice.
Always find your articles very inspiring. I’ve tried lots of new things after perusal you do it first and have become far more self sufficient as a result, and have adapted it to the Northern Irish climate. Bees is definitely on the horizon for our garden so I’ll be perusal this a few times and definitely getting a bee mentor.
Hi Mark off topic a bit. You said you suffered really bad flu. Have been on Serrapeptase ( natural from the good old silk worm.) for a long time. I was an ex smoker which got me onto it. Have found no sinus headaches, sinus clear, ears clear ( helped my tinnitus from army/ machinery) plus have my balance back. We travel quite a bit and so far haven’t picked up any bugs. The household has been smiling. I also put two nurses who had asthma and they thank me everytime they see me. Hope this tip helps,love natural remedies.
I always love your innuendos, your dad jokes were on point today as always!😂 I have a fellow who manages a bee box on my property. He’s also a coach/mentor to others in town and I want to do the same as you. That honey harvest of yours is the thing that I know will push me over the edge one day and start being a real bee keeper! Oh, raw fresh honey! 🍯 Just the thought of it makes my mouth water! Here in Florida my bees gather outside and even beard all summer, day and night for months and never seem to want to leave. We have an absolute TON of flower growers all around us for many blocks here in town so they have plenty of food! 😁
Great article Mark. Apiculture (beekeeping) is quite addictive. In my early teens we were lucky than a bee swarm from a neighbours tree settled in our back yard and started us on the journey of beekeeping. My father and I did quite well and at one point had almost 20 beehives in Sydney all of which averaged over 50kg per year of honey and in many years much more. We ended up submitting our honey and extracted beeswax in the Royal Easter Show and were fortunate to win numerous awards for both. You will learn a lot about nature keeping bees and I’m sure the pollination of your numerous fruits and vegetables will improve and also your yields. Is this the case ? Keep up the great work – you are a great example for people to follow.
I am all for reuse, buy second hand etc but for bio security and management in general, I totally agree. Get bee gear new. I got my bees in October (in Victoria so waited for good weather!) and we have had about 10kg so far. It has been a little bumpy, lost a Queen about two months in and had to replace her, but loving it so far.
I’ve gotten 28 lbs since May 7th, so 6 weeks, from my first hive that I started last year. It’s going strong so expecting at least another 7 lbs this week and we’ll see how July goes. My second hive, that I started this year is still building. Hoping for some honey from the new hive in the next couple weeks and this fall.
This was a good general beginners beekeeping article. As a 3rd year beek, I was looking for something a bit more in depth based on the title. To actually begin focusing on increasing honey production above a “normal” amount, a lot more than just the basics is required. Beekeeping is a deep, challenging hobby that will keep you learning through trial and error for many years.
I have loved bees to the end of every day as they are the LIFE of humans and yet many people underestimate the value they bring to our lives. Yes I know its a lucrative business, w were on a fishing charter tour with an owner who was having a whinge about the cost of his main beekeeper!!! Seriously, he was earning a fortune from this amazing individual and the wonderful bees that were helping to create the lifestyle he was living. BEES ARE UNDERESTIMATED for their VALUE ON LIFE as we know it. Thank you for this content as I’d love to have a hive on my place even if it means somebody else does the looking after but we still get to have them.
you can make propolis from bees for your health benefits Propolis is a natural resinous mixture produced by honeybees from substances collected from parts of plants, buds, and exudates. The word propolis is derived from Greek, in which pro stands for “at the entrance to” and polis for “community” or “city,” which means this natural product is used in hive defense.
I remember feeling for you on that first-day article. You were obviously frightened and I sure didn’t blame you! Fresh, raw, organic honey is a gift from God. I don’t consider eating it to be non-vegan because as long as the beekeeper is a good person who takes utmost care of his bees every step of the way… I’m not eating the bees just as a person who doesn’t eat meat but keeps a family cow because they loves milk is not injuring the cow in any way (as long as the calf is still being well fed as well.) No harm, no foul (to others).
Definitely a future plan for us. Our current home just doesn’t have the space for it but we own 40 acres surrounded by miles of forest and fields and definitely want to set up a hive or two when we build our future home. If only getting set up to collect maple syrup could be so fast…unfortunately trees grow much slower than hives!
My favourite thing about straight from the hive honey is the taste variances. All the honey at the shops is honey mixed together from hundreds of hives which makes it all taste the same, whereas when it’s direct from one hive, there’s a clear difference in taste from spring collected honey to autumn collected honey, it will taste different depending on what flowers the bees were collecting the nectar from, which makes every jar a delight to taste and stops honey from getting dull and boring. I want to get a hive for myself and was planning to do so this winter, but health and $ is delaying everything for me so I’m not sure if I’ll hit that goal this year, but I’m going to try.
Well done on giving bees ago. I’ve been thinking about it. Your article has shown me that’s it doesn’t really look that difficult. I’m certainly going to consider it now. Can you do a article on chooks? Set up, care ect. Thanks for the great articles. I’ve learnt quite a bit from them. Along with a few corny jokes!
Mark, couldn’t help but notice you don’t miss an opportunity for a pun. Good on you! I LOVE Honey! But it really irritates me when people ruin it by adding corn syrup &/or too much Heat in processing it. I look for the PURE Honey & don’t usually find it in supermarkets. Thanks for the update, I was wondering how your beekeeping was buzzing. As a Nutritionist, I believe Honey is one of the MOST Nutritious & Healthy foods out there. I call it my ‘medicine’. (I don’t do pharma meds). Just like I call my fresh Spring water my medicine. GREAT article!
Hi, southern/mid-western American here – Is Fake honey a common problem in the world? Most of the honey in my local grocery stores, and even walmarts, are locally sourced raw honey with a few exceptions but i tend to buy local products when ever I can. How can a person tell if it is fake or been tampered with? Also – awesome article as always. I wish i could keep my own bees since honey is so expensive, but I live in the central part of my city, adjacent to a childrens playground and my wife is highly allergic to bees.
I buy raw unfiltered honey at Aldi. I prefer the sqeeze bottle and they cost $10 for 400 gm. A rare luxury for me. Nothing like honey insted of the pure rubbish they can label as Ausie honey. My brother has relatives who are bee keepers. They have a very large business. A semi trailer to move hives. A huge shed with extractors etc. At times he hires a helicopter to place hives. Great to see you doing it. Keep up greaf work and top article content.
Awesome article, Mark, as always. My partner and I love perusal them. We brought 5 acres near Townsville and slowly getting things set up to bee 🐝 the way we want. Water catchment being priority #1. But eventually we will get bees 🐝 and thinking of a Flow-Hive instead of a conventional hive. Love to hear your thoughts. Grant & Isabel.
If you find a young hive all dead with the wax looking kind of shiny, you know they did in fact die of heat. What a well-established hive can handle can be too much for a smaller hive. Clear sunlight coming in their front door first thing in the morning, but shade in the middle of the day and the afternoon, is the optimal for them to have their sunlight without being roasted alive on those forty-something degree Australian summer days. Clean accessible water very close to home also makes it easier for them to handle the heat.
Boy, youre in rare form today Marc! You should do stand up! Lolol i still wish we were neighbors. We’d all have so much fun! I got bees a few years ago and they went to work right away. I used a top bar Hive and they made some cross comb. I was trying not to bother them too much, so i put off fixing it. Next thing i knew, they were gone due to hive beetle. They had made a bunch of comb and were making honey, but i let them down. I waited a couple years and bought more. They started working right away. But absconded 5 days later. I asked around and the general consensus was the queen was not mated. So i still want to keep bees, but its a crap shoot, you know?
Honey bees have been doing their thing for over 20 million years….they mostly take care of themselves, just check in to see if there is something going on with them…..and intervene only when needed. For any new beekeeper, do not plan to make money on this hobby. I have been keeping bees since 2009, I have just started to make money the past couple of years. This is truly a hobby, and you WILL make mistakes and bees will die out. This can be quite discouraging, and expensive to replace the bees. It is a rewarding hobby, and pushing through the bad times will get you past the learning curve.
I am so glad your bee’ing so happy to bee with your new bee’s whilst having honey to spread the bee-yond your own slice of bee-read. On a Real non pun note though, don’t forget to bee-hive your self. 😉 Also Great article, I am allergic to Bees, which is a pity, since well, I mean I don’t go out of my way since I know generally they are not going to attack me, but stops me from having my own hives, and I love planting my vegetables and fruits every year and love perusal them buzzing from those plants, or even from my non fruiting plants like lavender etc., and yes I do Bee-hive, and they always do as well! 🙂
In the USA, most counties have bee groups where old men will fight tooth and nail to help any new person get in to the hobby. If you show any promise at all you will have no trouble finding a mentor. They will also probably be able to teach you how to use a ham radio in my experience. Make sure you return their effort and be a good friend or mentee in return. They will likely end up being good friends. This hobby mostly atracts other nerds with similar interests (quails)
Hi Mark, I finally caught a recently uploaded article from you. Usually it’s a few days old before I see it. Congratulations on your beekeeping! It’s something I’d love to do but I don’t have the space for it….tiny backyard, etc. There’s some beekeepers near me and I buy my honey from them. I hope the Australian government goons aren’t still going around and destroying people’s beehives, by pouring petrol in them and sealing them up, with the excuse of killing mites. That was heartbreaking to see since they were deliberately destroying hives that didnt have mites too, against the pleas of the beekeepers. Hope beekeeping goes well for you and best of luck! 😊😊
My Father was a bee keeper. He had several hives at home. He also had several hives at friends homes to get different types of flowers. He maintained them all and when it was time to extract honey the homeowner would get half and my Dad would get the other half. The hardest part was over wintering them as he would lose several hives.
Nice article Mark, has your area been affected by that mite which was found in NSW ? I own 1 hive amongst my bee-keeping friends hives and it’s brilliant, he tends to them and just takes a % of the honey when harvested and I enjoy beautiful raw honey. I can feel an episode of how to make mead on the horizon. Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask, what corps were you in the army ? I was a ginger beer
I stepped on a bee and I couldn’t even wear pants for two weeks the amount of swelling was so severe. Turns out I’m severely allergic to bee stings, couldn’t breathe and felt like the flu for weeks. I still have immense respect for these essential working parts.of my garden but there’s no way I could go near a hive. There’s not enough Benadryl even though I’m highly interested in beekeeping
Mark, watch out for those comments that have nothing to do with the content of the article and say things like “Distinguishing one from the other is the art. Your articles are simply the best, you need to know that💋” and the profile picture is some boobs or butt. Those are scambots and should be reported. Also, never, ever, EVER click the links in their youtube profile.
It does seem like a pretty good time to invest in bee hive with Veroa Mite now being present in the country. Personally I’m rather concerned about the idea of all the wild bees in my area suddenly dying off if or when those nasty little parasites make it to my area, meaning that more of my plants will most certainly end up going unpolinated. This would seem to mean that farmers and gardeners alike will become more relient on bee keepers and perhaps also native bees to do our pollinating for us, which lets just say i am pretty sceptical about their ability to do this. So given all this having your own bee hive might turn out to be a good investment not just when it comes to honey, but also in terms of self sufficiency when it comes to the pollination of your plants.
I’m vegan so don’t eat honey. Though, I’m not overly opposed to people having a hive to keep bees thriving in the burbs. I personally think Flow hives would be something I would let my husband have. That’s quite the haul you have! What a privilege for the bees to have blessed your family with all that nectar. But geez, any bees that end up in the Graviton, Hooley Dooley 😵💫 🐝 😅
My daughter got into bee-keeping after a queen-bee decided to take up residence in a nesting-box she’d installed in one of her gum trees. A local bee-keeper was able to move the swarm to a bee-hive, he’d supplied and she was off and running. The bees were initially hostile but have become less aggressive over the ensuing months. The freed nesting-box has been taken over by another queen which she’s decided to leave alone, at least for now. Her first has produced 3 litres of which I’ve one jar that I sample everyday as part of my health regime, being an old fart.
Be aware that most states in Australia require hives to be registered with the dept of Primary Industries, to track bee pests and diseases, which protects the apiary industry. I would strongly recommend you do a beekeeping course before getting a hive. The Amateur Beekeepers Association is an invaluable source of support, knowledge and expertise. There are clubs all around Australia. Definitely worth joining.
I wonder, does Australia has the beekeper wars as well, or do you have a cooperating communities? Here in Poland beekeepers are known to often destroy beehives that belong to their neighbors so bees wont compete over the same areas. This is causing bee population to reduce each year and is a major concern for ecological organizations. Is this a thing in Australia as well.
I had a friendly hive then got a second one that was incredibly aggressive. If my husband and I even went outside in the back they would chase and sting us. Then the second hive robbed out and killed the first hive. Then we called a bee group and said if they would take away the hive I would give them all my equipment. My husband and I were finally back to our peaceful garden.
Glad you stayed with it there Mr Mark. I’ve been beekeeping for about 15 years now, one apiary in the southern USA and another in the arctic in Central Alaska. Totally different processes due to the different climates. Welcome to the club Sir Also, is that chain store you showed Woolworth’s still operating in Australia? They left the USA in the 1980’s.
I’m an experienced beekeeper and you were pretty much spot on. You could also feed any hive sugar water/ a honey bee healthy type feed that doesn’t have a honey box on it. I’ve had them build out comb in the fall feeding that formula in spite of the local beekeepers saying they won’t build out comb that late in the year. LOL
This is my first year with bees however I have been taking classes for more than 2 years. My priority this year has been building comb. My temperatures have been ideal in the mid-’90s. Have screen bottom boards as well as place the hive in the shade. Your article is timely and very informative. Luckily, I have been fortunate and doing many of your recommended things. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thank you. Your way of explaining is wonderful. I’m a new Beek but I recently did what you covered here because my hive had over 9 frames of honey in the brood box and a small patch of brood (late winter here in Australia) so I wanted to create more space for her majesty to get laying If she doesn’t get cracking soon, I’ll have to incite a revolution and replace her
Great article explaining checkerboarding! I do all deeps in my apiary. It makes it easier to store everything and its much cheaper to stock up on hive components like frames because I can buy in bulk. I noticed that a lot of times my bees would rather build comb on top of the frames instead of outwards in the single deep. I think it has something to do with bees wanting to instinctually build comb in a circle and not a square like they do in nature. So I add another deep box on top as soon as temps stop dropping below 50F at night. As they build up they fill out the bottom box because in nature they need to build the top first to support the bottom of the circle. To encourage them to move up into the top box I take a frame of capped brood from the middle and move it to the top box. I check back a week later and if they haven’t started drawing comb in the bottom deep yet then I checker board. If its warm enough when I first add the second box then I do some lite checkerboarding then too but conditions have to be perfect for that because I don’t want to stress them out too much.
CONGRATULAYIONS on a really good article. You made a very valuable point that I have seen many “proclaimed to be” experienced beekeepers articles ignoring and that is placing both drawn and foundation frames in a production super. You are dead right and totally accurate in that alternating drawn comb frames with foundation frames is a no, no in the production supers. That will almost always cause very thin foundation-based frames and very thick drawn comb frames. Again, you are right in that this only matters in production supers and is not of much concern in the brood chamber. Again, congratulations on a very, very good article. Keep them coming.
I’m doing this very thing now. I took 7 colonies and split them into oblivion this year. I was over 50+ at one point but I’m back in mid 40s now. I’m adding second deeps and checker boarding in 10 waxed foundation frames and plan to just keep them in .8:1 and pollen patties until I bulk them up with 2:1 in September. I love the article and am now a subscriber! Thanks!
Good point to put a super frame in brood box to get comb build up…..sometimes I run a super frame below all the time. I’ve found when they build comb below the shorter frame it will be used for drone production. Since varroa mites prefer to lay eggs in drone cells to get a few more days of development, you can use that lower hanging comb as a mite trap of sorts, just remove it after the drone cells are capped and before they start emerging…you lose a few drones but there seems to always be plenty around…
All female bees including the queen have the glands to produce wax. The queen will not, she has other jobs Worker bees will post swarm but once they have went through the reserves they brought from the mother hive, the worker bees will venture to forage, they absolutely have to start bringing in nectar and pollen. Then nurse bees take over and dutifully take care of young and consume nectar to produce wax, prepare cells, and then start all over I space my frames more than that. I used 9 frames in a 10 frame box. It allows for deeper cells and it will improve brood health and your queens laying pattern can improve on deeper cells. With 9 boxes you should have a 5 gallon bucket of sugar water 50 feet from your hives if they are fresh with no comb. Going into summer that should be 1 to 1. No comb in the box 1 to 1 sugar will give them a boost and prvide them with the sugar they need to make wax. It takes 9 pounds of honey to make 1 pound of wax. They will only make wax when it is necessary to do so. When there are plenty of cells for honey, bee bread, pollen,nectar, and brood workers, drones, and queens, the workers and nurse bees will halt all wax production. A wild hive once they filled their cavity to capacity then it is a cycle of swarming.
exacty what I telling so many times, but try like this 1. put fully caped brood to perimeter 2. foundation 3. almost capped brood 4. young brood or empty frame and repeat from other end like same, queen will not trough foundation frames, but not need because after foundation frames is fully capped its meaning nothing to do for queen, workers will care about it, and newly hatched young’s will work on closest foundation, some weeks later if fully drawn comb from 2. position you can move to 4. position, but you must care about 1. fully capped and 3. almost fully capped frame keeping on every moving, you can build 6 new frames and colony will not loss strength, maybe little honey will less, but on feed time doesnt matter.
Hi, thanks for the info. I have a slightly different situation. I have a double-deep brood box hive with two honey supers on it without a queen excluder. The honey super right on top of the brood box has 6 frames of capped or partially capped honey and nectar in the remaining 3 frames. The honey super on top of this has undrawn foundation. They seem to be spending little time up there. My questions is should I reverse the honey supers and put the one with the undrawn frames on top of the brood box to encourage them to draw out the comb. I am in SE PA and we should be having a late summer/Fall flow sourced by Goldenrod and Asters.
Great article and definitely going to do this! My only question is when you take the frames out of the brood nest for checkerboarding do you just move those brood frames you removed straight up into the upper brood box? I assume it won’t be an issue as long as it stays above 60 at night. Thanks for the great article!
I’ll follow you because you’re spot on with the bees, but also you’re pretty cute and have nice voice as far as beekeepers go. You only missed one trick that use often, it’s when you’re adding another deep with just foundation and the bees are reluctant to go work it, I just move a frame of brood up and put the blank frame when it was in the lower box, they’ll move up and cover the brood and begin drawing the frames beside it, if there’s a dearth I feed em 1/2 to 1 sugar syrup with a cap of apple cider vinegar to control fermentation.
Did you take classes, you do a great job of presenting the information. May I ask how long you have been keeping bees? Thin syrup and checker boarding frame manipulation has worked great for me this season. When I checker board with brood I keep at least 2 brood frames together and try not to break up the brood nest to much. Just my opinion on my observations and experiences. Great tips 🙂 Ty for sharing your time, Blessed Days…
Yet Another Super informative and Interesting article u Really know ur bees my friend I’m Always impressed at not only ur Knowledge but how u can convey all that and not make it sound like a boring lecture but make it entertaining and seriously I Cam visualize what ur saying so Bravo👏👏👏I loved the natural AC the bees do too thats awesome they really are Genius creatures! And talk about worker bees not even 3 weeks into the world and already punching that bee clock! My dad owned his own produce farm and i at least got 8 years before he put me to work!😂Can’t wait to hear about Wonky Combs my Favorite Keeper!☺️👑🐝💛#emilyisthebeesknees