The key facet of beekeeping has to do with the hives in which the bees are kept. Over the years beekeepers have improved upon the hives for the bees in order to make honey gathering quicker. The Langstroth hive is the most commonly used in the United States by beekeepers today. It is what is called a changeable frame beehive.Get your free mini-course by following the link below.There you will learn all about :city beekeeping, beekeeping hives, starting beekeeping, and beekeeping magazines.
The support structure of the Langstroth hive is a rectangular timber framework which holds the combs within it. There are typically nine or ten of these combs inside the frame. Amazingly, there is no top or bottom of the structure.
The combs hang freely within the frame. The combs are made of a sheet of wax or else plastic foundation.
The bees are intelligent to produce wax and manufacture honeycomb by means of using the wax sheets as a starting point. They are then able to deposit honey and pollen into the cells of the comb. The box is designed to simply be able to remove the frames full of honey to be extracted.
A few hobby beekeepers within the United States are using top-bar hives that are generally found in Africa.
A top-bar hive has bars across the top of the frame that permits the honey bees attach and hang wax combs from. Different from the frames that are used in a Langstroth hive, the combs on bars can't be reused after the honey extraction.
This type of design results in a lower production of honey. But the honey from the clear yellow combs Produced in a top-bar hive is of the best quality. It can be sold as an in-comb honey product.
Regardless of which hive design the beekeeper decides to use, certain aspects of keeping these hives on the property should be taken into considiration. First off, before the beekeeper decides to keep bees on their property they should do research the local restrictions to keeping bees found in some areas.
They ought to additionally consider the amount of space that is available on their property and the position of the hive. The bee hives ought to not be positioned nearby houses or places that are utilized for recreation.
Bees can be bothersome to some people particularly those who suffer from bee sting allergies. The bee hives also requires to be positioned near nectar and pollen resources in order to grant the bees easy access to a food source. Various beekeepers use bees solely to pollinate their crops. The hive be supposed to also be located near a fresh water source. This can be a natural water source or something that is supplied by the beekeeper.
An added key aspect that ought to be taken into considiration when placing a bee hive on one's property is predators in addition to vandals. The hive needs to be sheltered from natural predators like bears and skunks and from human vandals that might be interested in collecting some free honey.
The hive as well requires to be protected from severe weather conditions and it needs to be accessible all through the year. Although bees are mainly active during definite times of the year, beekeeping is a job that lasts throughout every season of the year.