subject: The most important things to know about beekeeping [print this page] The most important things to know about beekeeping
You can start beekeeping as a hobby or as a business. There is some difference between these two approaches and the biggest is the money that is invested in each of them. If you're a beginner and have no prior knowledge then it may be better to start it as a hobby because any errors you may experience will be easier to overcome and you will gain valuable knowledge through hands on experience that way. Things are a bit different after you've been in contact with bees and beekeeping for a year or more and you will know your achievable targets as a businness and what is real to expect in terms of profit.
If you're just starting then one of the most important things is to find yourself some experienced local beekeeper willing to teach you and give you advice and help when needed. You can also find a person like that in a Beekeeping association if there is one in your area. You can also become a member and actively participate in order to hear something that will help you or if there are any events or maybe someone have some equipment or any kind of useful tools or info.You also need to inform yourself if there are any laws about beekeeping which may restrict or regulate your hobby and you need to find out if beekeeping is doable because of the area you intend to keep the bees in or you may wish to check and see if people living in the area have something to say about swarms of bees above their heads maybe? Some people may not like the idea at all, so villages and smaller places are obviously better than towns.
Keep bees happy by giving them enough to eat and drink. During summer when the temperature is high bees need a lot of water. So don't make them search and go for water miles away from the place they are currently located but always give them enough fresh water near the hive in a shallow lid or similar where bees won't drown. That way bees will spend more energy on collecting honey. And so in order for them to collect honey easier, it would be better if the available food is as close as possible, because that way your hives will be full of honey in no time.
And also one of the most important things is to obtain right equipment whether used or new which is always better but it obviously depends on the available finances of course. Don't forget to buy some clothes, veil and gloves too. If you're beginner it is essential to protect yourself from stings and you should find out if you're allergic to bee stings, this is very very important! Some people are and then it may be best to avoid beekeeping! If buying or getting used hives it is important to disinfect them as good as possible in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. If the colony that lived in the hive you obtained had some diseases there are chances for your colony to get sick too, and to prevent that, you need to clean it thoroughly with hive tool or similar and then there are few methods used to disinfect the hive and they require great caution!
All these things are just the basics and it is really a great hobby and if you find beekeeping to be something you like you can always go for quantity and with more hives there may be more profits too.
