Beekeeping Supplies

Aaron Foreman asked:


Beekeeping for business is a endeavor that takes some skill and specialized knowledge.

Many experienced beekeepers are a part of local beekeeping associations or they turn to the internet and books to learn more about beekeeping.

thebeekeeper.info is a website that is devoted to teaching beginner beekeepers how to begin beekeeping.

It also provides many articles that include tips on how to increase your beekeeping success.

Some important things that beginner beekeepers should know are the following:

1) Bees go to the nearest water source.  When keeping bees, you should always make sure to keep a water source near your apiary.

A pan that is filled with water will do.  This is vital because without this water source bees will actively seek out a water source which could be your neighbors pool.

Once they find the water source that they like it is extremely difficult to train the bees to use a different water source which could create some problems for you and your neighbors.

2) Never buy used equipment to start your beekeeping business.  Used equipment may be cheaper than buying all new stuff but you also run a significant risk of bringing viruses and mold to your new colony.

Instead of placing yourself at risk for failure from the start, it is best to just get new equipment from the beginning.

3) Make sure to do careful research before buying the equipment that you need to get started.  Depending on the beekeeping techniques that you will be using, you will require different equipment.

thebeekeeper.info can help you decide exactly what techniques you want to use and what equipment to decide.

If you are interested in learning more beekeeping techniques and reading more articles about beekeeping visit http://www.thebeekeeper.info.



beekeeping supplies

Aaron Foreman asked:


If you want to become a beekeeper, you will need to find some quality information on beekeeping.

You could spend a lot of time searching for information online but this can take a lot of time.

Also you have no idea if the information that you found has been tested or will actually be useful.

As a beekeeping beginner it can also be very daunting to learn all of the special terms that are associated with beekeeping.

So exactly what should a good beekeeping guide have?

Well first, it should be written in PLAIN English and not some high level speak only for industry experts or scientists!

Second, you should be able to get all of the information that you need to get started in one place.

But even better is an beekeeping ebook because it has a search function that will allow you to search for the exact information that you need.

This is why Beekeeping for Beginners ebook is an excellent resource for new beekeepers.

Beekeeping for Beginners is an ebook that was created by beekeeping expert, Keith Gilbert.

It is a step by step guide that will explain everything that you need to know to get started as a beekeeper.

You will learn what bees to buy, what equipment you need and the proven techniques for getting your bees to produce more honey.

All of this information is presented in an easy to read format and you don’t have to know anything at all about beekeeping in order to learn how to become a beekeeper from this guide.

Finding a good book on beekeeping is essential to your success.  Without this guide you will just be wasting your time by trying to figure out beekeeping on your own through trial and error.

To download Beekeeping for Beginners guide, go to http://thebeekeeper.info/beginner-beekeeping.php



beekeeping

Jack Stanley asked:


Centrifugal extractor is based on the same principal of a centrifuge. The frame is rotated in order to throw out the honey of the super. As a beginner you may be able to borrow one or rent one from the local association. If you are planning on making a purchase of one, you will have some choices to make. You can choice a tangential or radial, plastic or stainless steel, and manual or electric.

Let’s look at tangential first. In a tangential machine the frames lie almost against the barrel of the drum. The outer side of the frame is part that empties when spinning. The machine is evenly loaded. Then it spins until about half the outer side has been extracted. You will be able to see tiny dots of honey flying from the frame and hitting the barrel. Turn the frames around so that the other side of the frame is facing outward. The spin the machine again until all the honey has spun out. The frame is turned one last time and spun for the final removal of the honey. This method prevents the combs breaking from the middle being full and the outer side empty. Each frame does have to be handled four times and the machine stopped and started 3 times.

The handling time using this machine is a disadvantage; however, the extraction of the honey is more thorough than other machines. It is the most compact extractor available, so therefore cheaper than other machine. If you are extracting heather honey, this is the only type of machine to cope with it.

The frames sit between rings, arranged like the spokes of a wheel in a radial machine. The extraction takes place on both sides at the same time, so there is not need to move the frames once they have been loaded. The radial machine is larger than the tangential machine. This is to ensure that the frames are far enough from the center to extract evenly. Because of the size of the machine it is capable of handling a lot more frames than a tangential. In both machines there is not major difference in rotation direction, but the electric radial machines have a reverse position to remove a little more honey from the cells and dry out the combs.

The traditional material used in the construction of the machines is usually tin-plated steel. A good quality tin-plated steel will last for many years unless it starts rusting. Once the machine starts rusting there is very little to be done about the rust. The barrel can no longer be used for the processing of a food product. The tin-plated extractors have been replaced with plastic and stainless steel barrels. If you get a choice, stainless steel is more durable than plastic.

If you are only extracting honey from two or three hives, a manual extractor will do the job. If you have a considerable amount of hives, the manual machine can become extremely tiring to use. When it comes to making a choice, it may depend on the money available, the stamina and the outlook of the beekeeper. The electric extractor will not only save you labor, but also reduces the time taken. The beekeeper could be uncapping while the extractor is running with the previous load.



beekeeping supplies

Jack Stanley asked:


In order to get honey from your beehive you have to be able to extract the honey from the honey comb. In order to do this you have to have to have a honey extractor. There are manufactured honey extractors available on the market, they typically cost approximately $200 to $300, the average cost of starting a new hive of honey bees. If there is a group of beekeepers in an area they will sometimes pool their money together to purchase a honey extractor that they share. If you are not in a large beekeeping environment and do not want to spend a few hundred dollars on a manufactured honey extractor you might want to make your own.

The materials you will need to build a honey extractor include; a metal rod that is at least one meter long and is thickly threaded, two bicycle wheel rims, two pieces of wood, one meter of 2-3mm fencing wire, a large metal drum, ten bolts for the metal rod, four 400mm sections of 8mm threaded rod, a self centering bearing, six coach screws, and one pillow block bearing. When choosing a large metal drum for your homemade honey extractor make sure that is was never used to store potentially toxic materials. The tools you will need for constructing your honey extractor include; an electric drill, a welding machine (and preferably some welding experience), a socket set, and a hack saw.

The first thing your going to do is remove the end of the drum that does not have two pouring holes, the newly opened end will be the top of your honey extractor. Use the coach screws to attach one of the pieces of wood across the bottom of the drum. Once the wood is in place use coach screws to secure the pillow block. After inserting the threaded rod through the center of the first bicycle rim, securely bolt the rim to the rod approximately ten centimeters from the end of the rod. At the opposite end of the rod you will want to thread a but for the other wheel, the second wheel will rest on this nut. When both of the wheel rims are in place you will want to drill holes in four spots around each wheel, when this task is complete you use the 8mm rods to lock the wheel rims together. Use two nuts onto the rod. Make sure that two cm of rod protrude.

When this is complete you are going to cut a slit that is10mm deep and 3mm wide into the end of the rod. After this thread the lock the nuts together at the end of the rod. After you think the nuts are in place use the welding machine to permanently lock them into place. Fasten the wire to the the spokes of the bottom wheel rim, approximately 5-8cm from the rim. You have now successfully made the basket of your honey extractor.

Take your newly crafted extractor basket and place it into the drum, settling it on the pillow bearing. Now you’re going to want to bolt a second piece of wood to the sides of the drum and the self centering bearing.

After drilling a screwdriver bit into the chuck, place the chuck into the slit into the slot in the top of the threaded rod.



beekeeper

Jack Stanley asked:


A beekeeper, whether a casual hobbyist or a large commercial producer, can not be successful unless they fully understand the life cycle of the honey bee.

The honey bees life cycle is a unique and fascinating process.

It all starts with the egg. The hives queen bee lays an egg in one of the cells constructed for the soul purpose of laying eggs. Once queen has laid the egg and moved on to lay another (during the spring months the queen can lay an average of 1900 eggs daily) the egg is attached to the cell with a mucus strand.

When the egg hatches a larvae emerges. Nurse bees are in charge of caring for the young larvae. They feed the eggs bee bread. Bee bread is a strange mixture of gland secretions and honey. The larvae will go through five distinct growth stages. After each of these stages the larvae sheds its outer skin. When the larvae is six days old, a worker bee comes along and caps the larvae, caccooning the larvae in its cell. The larvae stays the in the cocoon for for eight to ten days, when it emerges from the cocoon it is a fully formed young bee.

The average length of life average honey bee depends on what purpose the bee fulfills in the hive. A queen bee can live for two years providing that she was able to get herself inseminated with enough sperm during her nuptial flight. A good strong queen bee can lay as many as 2000 eggs a day. She is in charge of killing her sisters and mothers. The queen bee doesn’t have to worry about taking care of herself, she is always surrounded by an entourage of worker bees who feed her and remove her waste. It is not uncommon for the elderly queen bee to leave the nest in the springtime when the rest of the hive is getting ready to swarm. Experts believe that the queen produces some sort of pheromone that prevents the hives workers bees from becoming interested in sex. A queen bee who has not made her nuptial flight is called a virgin queen. Drone bees are male bees that live only to impregnate queen bees during the queens nuptial flight.

After mating with a queen the drone dies. During the winter months, a worker bee can live up to one hundred and forty days old. During the summer months the worker bee is lucky to live for forty days, the short summer life span is because the worker bees are literally worked to death. The worker bee’s duties are wide and varied. Worker bees called nurse bees are in charge of caring for the young larvae, other workers are sent out to gather pollen to be made into honey. Some workers spend their time capping off honey combs, other workers are responsible for taking care of the queen. Worker bees are in charge of starving the unwanted drone bees and cleaning the hive. There can be any were from twenty thousand to two hundred thousand worker bees in a single hive. Worker bees are always sterile. If a worker bee lays an egg it becomes a drone bee. Workers bees are the bees that people see defending the hive.

The survival of the bee hive depends on the hive having a healthy queen that is laying eggs. If something happens to the queen the hive will die.



beekeeping supplies