Bee Keeping
Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in manmade beehive. Beekeepers keep bees to collect honey and other products of the hive: beeswax, propolis, bee pollen,
and royal jelly.
Michael has been involved with bees for 7 years, after taking over two hives from a friend who didn't have time to care for them. He is self taught but had some experience of handling them and general knowledge of insects through his 'day job' as a pest controller.
Beekeepers say they will stick to a certain number of hives and Michael said his was four however he now has nine, sited in different places around Stanley area. Knowing all about bees helps with another side of my business which is extracting them from buildings and chimneys and also collecting swarms.
and royal jelly.
Michael has been involved with bees for 7 years, after taking over two hives from a friend who didn't have time to care for them. He is self taught but had some experience of handling them and general knowledge of insects through his 'day job' as a pest controller.
Beekeepers say they will stick to a certain number of hives and Michael said his was four however he now has nine, sited in different places around Stanley area. Knowing all about bees helps with another side of my business which is extracting them from buildings and chimneys and also collecting swarms.
Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in manmade beehive. Beekeepers keep bees to collect honey and other products of the hive: beeswax, propolis, bee pollen,
and royal jelly.
The keeping of bees by humans, primarily for honey production, began around 10,000 years ago in Georgia. Georgia is known as the "cradle of beekeeping" and the oldest honey ever found comes from that country. The 5,500-year-old honey was unearthed from the grave of a noblewoman during archaeological excavations in 2003 near the town Borjomi. Ceramic jars found in the grave contained several types of honey, including linden and flower honey. Domestication of bees can be seen in Egyptian art from around 4,500 years ago; there is also evidence of beekeeping in ancient China, Greece, and Maya.
In the modern era, beekeeping is often used for crop pollination and the production of other products, such as wax and propolis. The largest beekeeping operations are agricultural businesses, but many small beekeeping operations are run as a hobby. As beekeeping technology has advanced, beekeeping has become more accessible with more and more people keeping Bees.
Before the invention of the movable comb hive, the harvesting of honey frequently resulted in the destruction of the whole colony. The wild hive was broken into using smoke to quieten the bees. And the honeycombs were pulled out and either immediately eaten whole or crushed, along with the eggs, larvae, and honey they held. The movable frames of modern hives are considered to have been developed from the traditional basket top bar (movable comb) hives of Greece, which allowed the beekeeper to avoid killing the bees.
Various designs of movable comb hives were adopted by apiarists and inventors in both North America and Europe, in the UK a British National hive became standard by the 1930s, although in Scotland the smaller Smith hive is still popular. The differences in hive dimensions are insignificant in comparison to the common factors in these hives: they are all square or rectangular; they all use movable wooden frames; and they all consist of a floor, brood box, honey super, crown-board and roof. Hives have traditionally been constructed from cedar, pine or cypress wood but in recent years, hives made from injection-moulded, dense polystyrene have become increasingly common. Hives also use queen excluders between the brood-box and honey supers to keep the queen from laying eggs in cells next to those containing honey intended for consumption. During the 20th-century and due to mite pests, hive floors are often replaced, either temporarily or permanently, with a wire mesh and a removable tray.
Most beekeepers wear some protective clothing, gloves and a hooded suit or hat and veil. Experienced beekeepers sometimes choose not to use gloves because they inhibit delicate manipulations. The face and neck are the most important areas to protect, so most beekeepers wear at least a veil. Defensive bees are attracted to the breath; a sting on the face can lead to much more pain and swelling than a sting elsewhere, while a sting on a bare hand can usually be quickly removed by fingernail scrape to reduce the amount of venom injected.
Most beekeepers use a smoker, a device that generates smoke from the incomplete combustion of fuels. Although the exact mechanism is disputed, it is said smoke calms bees.
Most beekeepers use a hive tool when working on their hives. They are used to scrape off burr-comb from around the hive, especially on top of the frames. They are also used to separate the frames before lifting out of the hive.
and royal jelly.
The keeping of bees by humans, primarily for honey production, began around 10,000 years ago in Georgia. Georgia is known as the "cradle of beekeeping" and the oldest honey ever found comes from that country. The 5,500-year-old honey was unearthed from the grave of a noblewoman during archaeological excavations in 2003 near the town Borjomi. Ceramic jars found in the grave contained several types of honey, including linden and flower honey. Domestication of bees can be seen in Egyptian art from around 4,500 years ago; there is also evidence of beekeeping in ancient China, Greece, and Maya.
In the modern era, beekeeping is often used for crop pollination and the production of other products, such as wax and propolis. The largest beekeeping operations are agricultural businesses, but many small beekeeping operations are run as a hobby. As beekeeping technology has advanced, beekeeping has become more accessible with more and more people keeping Bees.
Before the invention of the movable comb hive, the harvesting of honey frequently resulted in the destruction of the whole colony. The wild hive was broken into using smoke to quieten the bees. And the honeycombs were pulled out and either immediately eaten whole or crushed, along with the eggs, larvae, and honey they held. The movable frames of modern hives are considered to have been developed from the traditional basket top bar (movable comb) hives of Greece, which allowed the beekeeper to avoid killing the bees.
Various designs of movable comb hives were adopted by apiarists and inventors in both North America and Europe, in the UK a British National hive became standard by the 1930s, although in Scotland the smaller Smith hive is still popular. The differences in hive dimensions are insignificant in comparison to the common factors in these hives: they are all square or rectangular; they all use movable wooden frames; and they all consist of a floor, brood box, honey super, crown-board and roof. Hives have traditionally been constructed from cedar, pine or cypress wood but in recent years, hives made from injection-moulded, dense polystyrene have become increasingly common. Hives also use queen excluders between the brood-box and honey supers to keep the queen from laying eggs in cells next to those containing honey intended for consumption. During the 20th-century and due to mite pests, hive floors are often replaced, either temporarily or permanently, with a wire mesh and a removable tray.
Most beekeepers wear some protective clothing, gloves and a hooded suit or hat and veil. Experienced beekeepers sometimes choose not to use gloves because they inhibit delicate manipulations. The face and neck are the most important areas to protect, so most beekeepers wear at least a veil. Defensive bees are attracted to the breath; a sting on the face can lead to much more pain and swelling than a sting elsewhere, while a sting on a bare hand can usually be quickly removed by fingernail scrape to reduce the amount of venom injected.
Most beekeepers use a smoker, a device that generates smoke from the incomplete combustion of fuels. Although the exact mechanism is disputed, it is said smoke calms bees.
Most beekeepers use a hive tool when working on their hives. They are used to scrape off burr-comb from around the hive, especially on top of the frames. They are also used to separate the frames before lifting out of the hive.