Beekeeping

If you have the opportunity to join a local bee club do so. I belong to one in my area. You can get help from the pro's here. This is the quickest way to gain knowledge. The president of our club knows a little bit about bees. He has over 1500 hive throughout the area. I buy my bees from him. You usually start off with a queen and about 4 pounds of bees. A pound consist of about 10,000 bees. This will cost about $40.00. You should replace your queen every two years so you have a queen that produces many eggs. A good producing queen will lay over 1200 eggs a day.

When raising bees one should be aware of the many problems that can occur that may harm your hive. One of the biggest threats in my area is the mite. It's hard to believe that such a little bug can cause such destruction to a beehive.

There are two types of mites you deal with in order to keep your bees thriving. One is the Varroa mite. This mite is an external parasite. It is the size of the tip of a safety match . They force themselves between abdominal segments and pierce the soft tissue. The adult female mite enters the brood cell just before capping and lays her eggs. It takes less than 7 days for the process to go from egg to adult. If your colony is weak, it can kill a hive in 4-6 months. You need to apply certain types of medications or pesticides with care at certain times of the year. You must change the type of control, to keep the mites from getting resistance to the applications being used.

Another type of mite is the Tracheal mite. This is an internal parasite of the respiratory system of the adult bee. This mite entered the United States in the 1980's. They have been here only about 20 years and are a major problem. These mites are microscopic. They are spread from bee to bee, just from contact. They attach to the hair of the bee and enter the trachea. You again have to medicate for this problem.

There are other problems you need to be aware of while raising bees. Although not as serious as the mites, the wax moths, and beetles can be a problem. There are also diseases that one must have knowledge about. And finally, we have all heard about the African bee that is making its way in the US. It seems that when you get one problem under control, another pops up.

Remember that if you have to work hard for something, there is always a reward. In this case it's the honey.