Varroa mites are a nearly universal threat to the survival of your beehives. Some beekeepers try to operate without the use of chemicals (“treatment-free”). However, many use miticides designed to kill mites but not bees for varroa mitigation. With at least ten miticides available (and some with multiple delivery systems), how do you choose the
There are 3 major types of hives: Langstroth, Warré and horizontal hives like a Top Bar hive. We describe how they each work including pros and cons and why we think you should start with Langstroth.
A honey house is a sanitary space where beekeepers process their honey harvest. As your apiary becomes larger, you may want to have a dedicated space outside the home.
Treatment-free beekeepers use no chemicals and limit human intervention in an effort to produce genetically strong colonies and avoid adverse side effects.
Honey bees collect nectar, pollen, and water to create three nutritional foods: honey, bee bread, and royal jelly. A beekeeper may feed honey bees protein supplements for pollen or sugar substitutes for nectar.
Beekeeping is not considered especially dangerous, but it does entail some physical hazards and risks you should recognize.
Beginning beekeeping requires education, planning and preparation. Here are 8 action steps to start beekeeping.
Every beekeeper needs a bee smoker. We’ll describe this all-important tool and explain how it works, how to light it, when to use it and how to maintain it.
Educating yourself is one of the important steps in beginning beekeeping. These are books we own and use. All of them are written by noted experts in the field.
The short answer is +/- $600 to get going. The ultimate cost to start beekeeping depends on a variety of choices you make. Use our calculator to estimate your costs.
I’m Melanie Howard. My husband, Jim, and I want to share with you everything we’ve learned about beekeeping since we started our hobby. Maybe the the ups and downs we’ve experienced can help you along the way.
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