Bee Hive Maintainance

Your bee hive is your most important piece of beekeeping equipment and provides a home for your bees, so it is important that it is well maintained. By taking a few simple steps you can ensure that your bee hive serves you well for several years.

Checking of Physical Condition of the Bee Hive

You should inspect your bee hive a minimum of every two weeks. You should check the general physical condition and investigate any changes.

Filling Holes and Gaps

Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, and other sources. You can use it for filling small gaps in your bee hive, much like bees do in wild. Simply warm it in your hand and roll it until it is pliable. Small holes and gaps can be filled by putting the propolis over the hole and smearing it over the area.

Fitting Foundation

Wax foundation expands and contracts considerably with variations in temperature. To avoid buckling you need to make sure that it moves freely in the bottom bars. You may find that on a warm day the foundation won’t go in the grooves of the frame side bars, and it you will have to trim it with a knife or scissors. If the loops of the wiring stick through the bottom bars they will cause problems at extracting time, and will not allow you to run the uncapping knife along the bottom bars. To avoid this pinch the bottom bars together by the wire, and with a hive tool fold the wire back between the bars.

Read more about Bee Hives for Beginners here.

Essential Beekeeping Equipment

If you are thinking about taking up beekeeping, then one of the first questions you are likely to ask is "What beekeeping equipment do I need?" There is a long list of equipment you may need at some stage, but here are the essentials:

• The Beehive - There are a number of different types, but the most common type around the world is the Langstroth. In the UK, the most common hive is the National. The key thing though, is that whatever type of hive you choose is to stick to one type. The reason for this is that you if you have more than one hive you will want to interchange parts, and if you have hives of different types then this makes this impossible.
• Bee Suit - You will need a bee suit in order to protect you from being stung. It is better to get a suit and veil rather than just a veil. The older style veils that have netting all around the back can cause problems when the netting folds inwards letting the occasional bee sting the back of your neck. It is better to purchase one that has a fabric back looking a bit like a fencing helmet.
• The Smoker - A smoker is required to help you in managing your hive. Tin plated steel is the cheapest type, but will probably only last you a couple of seasons. A copper smoker is more resistant to corrosion, but dents rather easily. Stainless steel are the best, although are more expensive.
• Honeybees - Obviously your most important piece of "equipment" are your bees. Sadly, it is not simply a case of setting up your hive and waiting for bees to arrive! You can buy a starter colony from specialist suppliers, or you may find an established beekeeper who can supply you with some.

Read more about beekeeping equipment.

How to Prevent Your Bees from Swarming

There a number of ways of preventing honeybees from swarming, but the easiest is way is simply to make sure that your bees have sufficient room. Your honeybees need sufficient space to store honey and the queen needs space to lay eggs to produce more worker bees. Lack of such space can lead to swarming. Most of what is required is simply good hive management. Here are some things you should do:

• Check your hives regularly.
• Harvest the honey before the honey box is completely full.
• Replace the frames in the hive quickly.
• Put some of the full frames from the brood box, up into the honey box. Put some empty frames from the honey box back into the brood box when the brood box is full.
• Give the bees more room by giving them a 3^rd box . Put this box in between the brood box and the honey box.

Find out more about honey bees and beekeeping.

Even the White House has a Beehive!

As a part of Michelle Obama's drive to bring organic food and self-sufficiency, a beehive arrived in the garden of the White House in March. First there was the newly established kitchen garden on the South Lawn and now the beehive has been introduced. The beehive was actually the idea of White House carpenter, Charlie Brandt, who has been keeping bees for three years.

Once the colony is properly established, the White House will have its own ready supply of honey, and also should help to pollonate the plants in the new kitchen garden. Maybe the example of Obamas wanting produce their own food may inspire others to do the same, and particularly show that actually beekeeping is for anyone, even for people who live in urban areas.

Find out how you can set up your own beehive.

Is Domestic Beekeeping Legal?

Before anyone embarks on learning how to keep bees, the first step should be to check on their local legislation. In most countries, notably the UK and most of Europe, there are no restrictions on keeping bees whatsoever. The only time you are likely to find yourself in trouble is if you do not take sufficient steps to prevent your bees swarming and they then cause a nuisance with your neighbors.

In other countries (notably the U.S.), however, you may require a license. This is a very straightforward process and should not hinder your beekeeping ambitions. Individual city authorities may put some restrictions or conditions on how you keep your bees (see here for an example). Sadly, there are a few communities that have banned beekeeping altogether, but fortunately these are very much in the minority.

Learn more about how to keep bees.