The bee necessities: why you should take up beekeeping and how
Thanks to disease and mites, beehives are in decline around the world. With every third mouthful of food we eat directly linked to the work of bees, their shrinking numbers are somewhat alarming. Luckily, Australia’s isolated location has kept us insulated from a lot of the troubles plaguing the world’s bees.
So it’s heartening to note that backyard beekeeping is on the rise, bringing this age-old hobby to gardeners and amateurs alike. Bees are wonderful for your gardens as well as our food supply, so we thought we’d give you a quick run-down of some things you might want to know about how to set up your very own backyard bee hive.
Basic tips
- Keep your hive/s in a sunny location
- Keep only docile strains of bees
- Provide water for the bees
- Speak with your neighbours about your intentions and listen to any concerns they might have
- Hives should be kept in the back yard if you live in a suburban area
- It’s a good idea to belong to a beekeeping association
- To buy the essentials, you should be ready to part with around $600, at least. But you won’t need to fork out much after your hive is set up.
Where to get your bees
You can obtain a hive of bees by purchasing them from someone else, or by catching a swarm yourself. If you’re inexperienced, however, you’re best bet is to obtain your bees from a commercial breeder. Bees from a breeder are less likely to have any disease.
Hive locations
When setting up your hives, it’s important to choose a location you’re happy with. Moving bees a short distance (like form one side of a garden to another) can disorient the bees. Anything less than 2 metres should be fine, but more than that, and the bees will simply return to the old site. Thus, relocating your hives can be a hassle. It’s best to plan carefully first.
You’ll want to choose a space that gives you room to inspect the hive from beside it, while you keep any equipment behind it. You don’t want to stand in front of the hive, because this will interrupt the flight path of your bees.
Time
Unlike other “pets” you might have, your bees are relatively low maintenance. They will get themselves up and put themselves to bed, as well as find their own food. In spring, you’ll want to check on your bees once a week, but during the winter you can leave your bees alone for up to a month at a time.
Related link: This is our must-see beginner’s guide to herb gardening
Stings
It’s a fact of life that if you’re going to keep bees, you’ll end up being stung at least occasionally. So it’s important to be aware if you have severe reactions to bee stings. Most beekeepers end up regarding being stung as a nothing more than a nuisance, but we recommend good protective clothing anyway.
Honey
Ah, the sweetest part of beekeeping: the honey. You may find that, in time, you have excess honey you want to get rid of. Occasionally, packers will be willing to buy surplus honey to process for sale in the export or local markets. Your other option is to sell directly to the public. Food regulation laws vary, but usually the honey extraction plant must approved.
Want more details?
We’ve barely scratched the surface here, on the world of beekeeping. If you’d like more information, here are many helpful books that are excellent for beginners. Check your local library or book store.
Related links:
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Learn how to grow your very own chillies
If you don’t know why you should be companion planting, we’ve got the answers