Beekeeping Equipment that all Apiary Managers Must Have

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:43:19 +0000

Beekeeping is a hobby for some people and it has become a career for others. If you are going to be working with these insects you will definitely need the proper beekeeping equipment before you begin. It is important that you have all of the necessary bee equipment in place prior to the delivery of your bee colonies. A Place for Bees to Stay You have to have the right type of beehive for honeybees. Be sure to place the beehives in areas where pets and humans will be less likely to come in contact with them. The hives need to be protected from strong winds as well. Each of the hives must contain 5 supers. These are the areas where the honey is going to be stored and it also serves as the nursery for the new generations of bees. Beehive supers will contain 9 or 10 individual frames, and they can be either shallow or deep. The deeper supers are convenient bee equipment items because you are only required to buy foundations that are one size. However the disadvantage involves the weight of these deep supers once they are full of honey. Each super can weigh 100 pounds or more when it is full. Bee Equipment Includes Your Personal Gear Anyone who is involved in apiary work needs the right kind of protective garments. A veiled head-cover, gloves and a beekeeper jacket are all useful items to have. There is also a full body suit available that offers beekeepers complete protection from head to toe. Choosing the right beekeeping equipment for your personal needs to be one of your top considerations. Spacers and Smokers Spacers and smokers are necessary beekeeping equipment that you will need to have on hand. The smoker will be used less often than the spacers but both are critical to the success of your endeavor. The articles of bee equipment known as spacers are relatively simple items. These are used to maintain equal spacing between the frames in the super. A smoker is another essential piece of beekeeping equipment. Smokers are used mostly when it is time to harvest the honey from the hives. The parts of a smoker include bellows, a funnel and a chamber that is used for combustion. The bellows helps you keep the fire going in the combustion chamber. You can use the funnel to aim the smoke directly into the hive to make the bees leave while you complete the harvesting. Metal Hive Tool This tool is best described as your all in one bee equipment assistant. It has a special design that allows it to be used to open the hives, perform frame scraping tasks and even assists in separating the components within the hive. Bee Brush You should not consider that you have all of the beekeeping equipment necessary unless you have included a small bee brush in your tally. This brush helps you move the bees aside when you need to check the frames or perform other hive related duties. Fumer Board This is a piece of beekeeping equipment that helps you get the bees out of the hive. If you want to remove the honeycombs a fumer board is what you need to get the job done. This useful beekeeping equipment has been impregnated with chemicals that act as a safe bee repellent. Mail this post

Technorati Tags: Bee Hives, beekeeping, beekeeping equipment, honey bees

Bee Keeping Equipment You Must Have

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:01:36 +0000

Whether you want to start bee keeping as a hobby or as a business, you must have the proper bee keeping equipment. Bee keeping is a fun hobby that can also provide you with an additional source of income. You can collect the honey for your own use or sell it. You can make candles from beeswax. Of course, you will need a hive for your bees to live in. The beehive is a wooden frame box that contains multiple parts. The outer cover must be weather resistant in order to protect your bees. Your hive should also have an inner cover to act as insulation. The inside of your hive will have important pieces of honey bee equipment called honey supers. The bees use these removable frames for storing honey. When you are ready to harvest honey, you simply slip out the frames. The beehive will have a lower compartment that contains honey supers also but these are for the bees to use to raise their young and store honey to be used as food. A hive stand is required in order to keep the bottom of the hive dry and to provide insulation. A valuable piece of bee keeping equipment is the smoker. A smoker is a small pot that you fill with grass or burlap and set it on fire to create smoke. The smoke billows out a directional nozzle that you aim towards the beehive. The smoke does not hurt the bees; it simply makes them calm so you can remove the honey supers without being stung. Most beekeepers add a veil and gloves to their list of necessary bee keeping equipment. These protect your head, arms and hands from being stung. Some experienced beekeepers prefer to work without the heavy gloves since it is easier to use the hive tool to pry open the hive without them. Full protection is recommended for beginners. The gloves should be made of leather or plastic so a bee stinger cannot penetrate them. Beekeeper suits are available also; these offer protection to the entire body. You will need honey bee equipment that processes the honey after you remove the honey supers from the hive. You can purchase extracting equipment which separates the honey from the comb. You can also choose the easy and less expensive method of buying honey supers designed for making comb honey. With these, all you have to do is cut the honeycomb from the frame. Other bee keeping equipment to consider includes food, feeders and medication. You should provide supplemental food to your hive to keep them healthy when nearby nectar is not available. Providing a water source helps keep your bees away from your neighbor's swimming pool. Finding honey bee equipment is not difficult. You can contact your county extension agent for advice on setting up your bee colony as well as advice on where to buy your supplies. You can also buy everything you need online if you cannot find it locally. Using the proper bee keeping equipment will help your bees stay healthy and protect you from stings. Healthy bees means more delicious honey that you can harvest from your hive. Mail this post

Technorati Tags: Bee Hives, beekeeping, beekeeping equipment, honey bees

Bee Keeping Today » bee keepin equipment

Beekeeping Equipment that all Apiary Managers Must Have

Bee Keeping Equipment You Must Have