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How To Bee Successful in Beekeeping

June 28, 2016 By Ryan Harris

Learn how to handle bees.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – Beekeeping has become quite popular over the last few years. But this bee hobby is unique as it requires a lot of skill and dedication.

Still, it is good news that there is a growing interest in this activity because bees are facing a large variety of threats. Bees pollinate around 90 percent of the world’s crops which represent 70 percent of the entire planet’s source of food.

In other words, if all bees die, we will all starve. These insects have to deal with dangerous climate changes, pesticides, human ignorance, pollution, and other pests such as mites. Worse, around 44 percent of the bee colonies die every year, meaning that bees might not have such a bright future.

These top pollinators need our attention the most. To become a successful beekeeper, you need to have a basic knowledge about them and to follow a simple set of rules that will help you maintain not only the bees’ number but also improve the quality of your beehives.

First of all, if you want to start with the right foot, you have to be passionate about bees. Experts advise beginner beekeepers to purchase an excellent beehive as it will be the home of these insects. There are many sizes and shapes of beehives, so everyone can afford buying one.

You also need to protect yourself by purchasing a beekeeping suit that will prevent bees from getting any close to your skin. This suit is also safe for bees because they will not die trying to protect the hive from you. The full equipment includes a set of gloves, clothing, hat, and a veil.

Another important piece of advice for beekeepers is to place their beehive in a wide area, not too close to other people’s houses or your garden. In addition to this, the beehives should always have access to the sun. Bees can be acquired from more experienced beekeepers, local beekeeping association, or from online stores.

You need to make sure that your bees have enough plants and flowers in the surrounding area. Beginner beekeepers need to make a bee check a few times a week until they learn to do it perfectly. Still, this process might be stressful for bees so you might want to be quite delicate when you handle them.

Image Source:Wallpaper Zone

You Can Help Threatened Bees

June 18, 2016 By Tara Hamilton

Bees need help.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – Everyone knows that bees are an essential part of the world ecosystem as they contribute to its balance by pollinating. Based on the statistics from the United States Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), birds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinators contribute in the reproduction of around 80 percent of all flowering plant species.

It means that they pollinate more than a third of the food crops on the planet, such as cocoa, almonds, carrots, apples, coffee, strawberries, pepper, tomatoes, and many others. We can’t imagine what would happen if we stopped having pollinators. Experts believe that most probably we would all begin to starve.

Furthermore, all pollinators, including birds, bats, and bees contribute with 87 percent of world’s food production. But bees and other pollinators have suffered a decline over the last few years because of human ignorance, pesticides, and climate change.

Nowadays, companies, governments, farmers, and gardeners are trying to find new methods to protect pollinators and to encourage the spread of commercial ones. In 2015, a new bee hive was invented that allowed beekeepers to collect the honey without stressing the bees.

Experienced beekeepers underline the fact that stressed colonies are more likely to develop a disease. Plus, independent hives are very useful because they reduce the risk of viruses and mites between colonies which are close to each other. In addition to this, they boost genetic diversity of bees and increase the local crop fertilization.

However, if you want to make sure that your bees make the best honey, then you should plant native species around the place where your hives are. Native species usually require less water, so you won’t have problems maintaining them. Plus, non-native flowering plants most likely do not have enough nectar or pollen.

It is also worth mentioning that you should avoid using fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides because most of them are a threat for pollinators, especially bees. Experts advise beekeepers to rely on a natural fertilizer and non-chemical treatment to deal with pests.

Another important aspect is that you should know how to arrange your garden so that your bees can do their job more efficiently. Therefore, you should avoid heavy mulch and weed mulch because many native species of bees usually nest underground. Plus, fallen organic material such as dead or dying trees, rotting logs, and stumps make a great nest for honey bees.

Image Source:Mental Floss

The Story of John Harbison, King of the Bees

February 7, 2016 By John Birks Leave a Comment

The Story of John Harbison, King of the Bees is a story about the finest American honey and the bee revolution.

(Mirror Daily, United States) – The story of John Harbison, king of the bees is a story about success and hard works and should be an inspiration for the efforts of maintaining the present bee population in the United States.

The tiny insects are not only valuable because they produce honey and wax, but they are also vital to the survival of thousands of plant species. If the bee population is not taken care of, entire ecosystems can disappear alongside the common bee.

The United States was one the home of the largest honey producer in the world. John Harbison settled along the Sweetwater River with his family. Later on, this region would flourish and the county of San Diego would end up being the major honey producing area in what was known in history as the “Golden Age of Beekeeping”.

But the story of John Harbison, king of the bees is not one depicting a linear success. The now famous beekeeper had to deal with extreme weather conditions when he tried to bring the precious insects from Europe, and after succeeding to do so, his farm was burned down by vindictive farmers.

Bee importation was not the easiest business in the late 19^th century. The insects are quite sensible so they usually perished during the voyages. But Harbison was an innovative person and he ended up becoming the first person to ever use the transcontinental railroad to transport bees.

In 1869, he arrived in San Diego and started a partnership with R.G. Clark. The two men harvested crops and looked after their shared bee nursery. The R.S. Pardee farm was the place where the first Clark & Harbison apiary was established.

The first batches of honey were delicious. But the honey industry was not very developed at that time, and the two had no idea what the plants behind the clear, white honey were. After Clark explored the entire region starting with the Mexican border and ending in the northern part of the Riverside, he discovered that the bees were gathering pollen from different types of mountain sage.

Harbison then settled in what is now known as Harbison canyon. There he opened up the way to beekeeping. According to the Historical Society from San Diego, almost every farmer was in the bee business.

But there must also be somebody who complains about something. San Diego was starting to complain about the insects and calling them a nuisance. Jealous sheep owners and cattlemen started to trespass their farms and orchard owners sued them for “damaging fruits”.

The orchard owners were so convinced of the fact that the bees were responsible for fruit damage that they burned almost 350 hives.

Harbison then moved to the real estate and orchard business. And even though he didn’t return to beekeeping he wrote books about the art of taking care of the wondrous insects. And for the American people, he will always remain the King of Bees.

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