Everything and anything always has to start somewhere and how to get started with your beekeeping hobby can always start small and gradually move along as you continue to get ahead of gaining more knowledge and experience.

Getting started means having to immerse one’s self into the process and the first best advice would be to get more information as possible.

It is always important to know what it is one is really getting into and the knowledge that you acquire will be your best ally in ensuring that you are doing the right thing.

Beekeeping, known as apiculture or the “science of caring for bees” traces its history back in the Middle East where it was believed to have originated.

Ancient Egyptians kept bees for mass producing honey and beeswax, which they used to trade with other basic commodities along the East African coast for thousands of years.

Back then, bees was and honey were the primary trading commodities for Egyptians, who maintained the beekeeping practice over the years, but the ancient practice of harvesting honey and beeswax was a destructive one that involved having to kill the bee colonies and destroy existing bee habitats.

This tedious and wasteful beekeeping process has been in practice for thousands of years until in 1851, when an American beekeeper or apiarist known as Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth discovered that there was actually a much safer and simpler way of harvesting honey and beeswax.

This led the way in revolutionizing the beekeeping science and allowed beekeepers to create artificial bee habitats that were every inch similar to their natural habitats and further resulted to establishing a more profitable venture since new processes provided cost-effective means of caring for bees and minimized cost since beekeepers need not acquire new sets of colonies after every harvest season.

Here are some good tips to consider while starting out with your beekeeping activity.

Start small, since you can never hope to be a novice beekeeper and become an overnight success.

Remember that every equipment from boards to bees cost money. Any wrong turn that could lead to disaster, be it a natural calamity, accidental intervention or simply just an honest mistake will definitely cost you money, so make it a point to always consider all possible factors.

The less you lose, the least frustrated you can get.

Always make it a point to learn the ropes and never be afraid to try things to improve your beekeeping experience.

These are the two best tips you can use to help you how to get started with your beekeeping hobby.

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Starting a beekeeping business may sound exciting and fun, but in all reality it’s a lot of work and is time consuming. Most people who are in this are actually doing this as a hobby. Having a hobby and a livelihood are two entirely different areas since one is something you invest time and in some cases money and one is when you’re trying to make a living at. Beekeeping is like farming you have to stay on top of the market demands and be technologically savvy because much of the business is going to depend on how fast you can produce a single product.

Yet this is where you’re going to learn that beekeeping isn’t even like that because if you expect to make a profit you would have had to have been in the business for a long time and following the trends on what the market demanded of the time. Today if you don’t even have a website consider yourself a fossil in the area of business because that’s your only link to the rest of the world by having a website or even a page.

Most of the companies today are commercialized because the small businesses today are just not equipped to handle the mass production of honey and small businesses won’t make a lot giving the fact you are paid by the pound and the average amount after weighing the whole season isn’t a whole lot. Commercial beekeepers average a couple thousand pounds, but farmers have to really push production if they want to average at least $15-30 a year. This is a competitive field to be selling honey and producing beeswax products since the beekeeping industry doesn’t function as a co-op like many organic farmers do in this day and age where they work together beekeeping is sub-contract work and many of these small businesses are sub-contracted by these major corporations to produce honey under their label and their food line.

Sub-contracting may sound good and all, but you are also competing for these contracts as well with other small businesses and the high risk is that you can lose your contracts if the companies who hire you aren’t happy with something for whatever reason it could be the quality of the product to anything. That’s why this is a risky business to get into because you never know what the outcome is and how the market will fair during the season since this is what a beekeeper bases their financial output by which is how much they anticipate to make on a seasonal basis.

Beekeepers almost have to base their financial gain through good weather and season with the market demand, but you can’t always predict good weather, which is what many worry about. They have more to worry about than crop farmers since they can make the difference when they get rain and lower climate suitable to the food they’re growing. Beekeeping is dependent on the activity of the bees and how well they produce honey since bees produce in certain climates and temperatures. If you’re expecting to thrive in this business understand that it’s a lot of work and a lot of time invested into making this work for the long run.

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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.

Detailed instructions and photos about making a homemade honey extractor can be found at www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2005/september/honeyextractor.htm

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Beekeeping has been utilized by various individuals and groups in order to generate income and livelihood. It is a key element in keeping man informed about the life cycles and behavioral pattern of honey bees thus giving man a stable link with one of the rewarding creatures in his surroundings. Let’s take a closer look at the star of beekeeping and how they buzz their way into a sweet life.

Honey bees are considered as a subgroup of bees that are famed for the storage and production of honey via the building and maintenance of colonial and perennial nests which are primarily made from wax. At present there are about seven noted species of the honey bee which branches down to a subspecies total of forty four. This honey-producing wonders are only a tiny portion of the approximated 20,000 identified bee species. There are other classes that make efforts in coming up with honey but only members of the genus Apis are recognized as authentic honey bees.

The present roster of honey bees can be classified into three clades which is a scientific term used to denote a single group that is linked to a common ancestor having similar descendants. Dwarf honey bees are first on the list. They are technically tagged as Apis florae and Apis andreniformis and are commonly situated in South and Southeast Asia. They are capable of building small-sized and exposed nests on trees and shrubs. The hives and swarms of these honey bees can be dealt with minimal protective devices as their stings are usually not capable of inducing injury on the skin.

Next up are opposites of the first clade because they are known as Giant honey bees. They find cliffs, high tree limbs, and in some cases buildings to be strategic places for the construction of their combs. They have been proven to give honey hunters quite a fight. Since they are regularly victims of humans that gather honey for a living they fiercely fight back with stings that can bring death to any bold intruder.

The Cavity-nesting honey bee is the third installment of the current honey bee clade. It has species that are usually located in the Southern and South Eastern areas of Asia which include the likes of Apis koschevnikovi and Apis cerana. It also has lineage in Europe via the Apis mellifera. There is a theory stating that the ancestral stock of cave-nesting Honey Bees was divided into the Western and Eastern troops via desertification in the Middle East and neighboring regions. This actually brought about the decline of trees and shrubs for best sites which led to the halt of the original gene flow.

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Although there has been a widespread phobia of bees due to the various, and sometimes misleading, bee representations in the media, beekeeping is increasingly becoming popular. There are beekeepers who keep plenty of beehives in an apiary, while many others keep theirs in their suburban backyard.

Backyard beekeeping sounds a splendid idea, but it is not always easy. If you grow an interest in backyard beekeeping, the first thing you should take note of is the existing laws and local ordinances. A few cities impose bans on beekeeping, while others enforce certain restrictions on, for instance, the number of hives. As a beekeeper, your first responsibility is to know the regulations in your area, and it follows that you comply with each of them.

One reason there are regulations is to protect the entire neighborhood. Some people, in the first place, get frenzied by the thought of living with bees close by. They are afraid of stings to begin with, and it always troubles them to see bees hovering over their yard. Be considerate of your neighbors and give them their peace by ensuring them that no bees are going to lounge around their property. You can do this by setting up a solid fence at least six feet high. This way, you are keeping the bees flight path above peoples head, therefore avoiding bee-and-neighbor collisions. Fence keeps the beehives from your neighbors sight and eliminates the tension.

Place a good supply of water. You have to keep in mind that bees collect water, especially during the dry season, and if they don’t find a source of water in your property, they tend to travel to your neighbor’s yard. You may send your neighbors into great hysterics if they find bees drinking from their pool, pond, or any available water bowl. To keep the bees in your property, fill some containers with water and settle them in strategic locations within your place. Put floating objects, such as plants and wood chips, in the containers to prevent bees from drowning.

You have to locate the best beehive site. Because bees tend to be agitated by some external factors, place the beehives in a relatively secure area that provides partial shade and protects them from winds. As a good beekeeper, you have to make sure that your place of choice is far from any public place such as schools and parks.

To help you start with backyard beekeeping, you can consult local beekeepers and reading materials. As with anything, first submerge yourself with information before you get your hands on bees, literally and figuratively.

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Although in general man is a very creative and innovative being there are certain individuals that take their thinking and actions to the next level. These people devote their time and passion in order to provide means of development and technological advancement to their chosen field en route to contributing to the cause of the entire human species. Let’s turn the pages of beekeeping accounts and get acquainted with the men behind its success.

The 19th century was a critical period for the beekeeping industry for in this time men of innovations and unparalleled imagination took the center stage. This was the time when the design and production of beehives were aimed to move towards perfection. Other aspects that saw an increase in efficiency and effectiveness included marketing, honey extraction, the system of management and husbandry, and stock improvement via selective breeding.

Jan Dzierzon is the first on our list. He is considered as the father of modern apiology and apiculture. The root of the modern beehives that are utilized today can be traced from his designs. L. L. Langstroth is another person who has so much influence in the modern way of beekeeping. He is acknowledged as the father of American apiculture and is the author of the renowned book The Hive and Honey-bee.

Moses Quinby was coined as the father of commercial beekeeping in the US and was the author of the book Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained. Amos Root wrote the basics of Bee Culture which up to this point has been consistently revised to contribute to the welfare of the industry. He is said to have paved the way for the manufacture of hives and the smooth distribution of bee packages in the US. Dr. C. C. Miller was one of the first entrepreneurs to be financially rewarded by his exploits in beekeeping. He concentrated on the trade of apiculture in 1878 and wrote the book Fifty Years Among the Bees which is said to have consistent hold on bee management up to the present.

Major Francesco De Hruschka was a military official in Italy and is actually regarded for his invention of a machine that has the capacity to extract honey by following the principles of centrifugal force. His idea made huge advancements in commercial aspects of the industry. The machine he created involved a metal framework that can support combs while they are being spun around. This led to the improvement in the honey harvesting procedures and more importantly triggering a more modern degree of beekeeping.

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A day out pulling honey and living as a bee keeper.

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You know beekeeping is not just about producing honey and making a living, but surely making light of every humorous opportunity provides a breather for the everyday beekeeper and provides them with the funny and lighter side of beekeeping.

For one, beekeeping does have its unique characteristics and sometimes, one may equate a beekeeping scenario with common activities, indoors or outdoors that will make you feel that beekeeping is after all, a normal and human activity.

I wouldn’t be surprised if your 5-year old son goes to school tugging along a drone of bees in a box, since their teacher told them to bring their favorite family pet to school for show and tell.

Feel surprised if your ten year old daughter will tell her friends that dad goes out of the house every afternoon looking like an alien armed with a smoke device, ready to “smoke” someone or something.

Your wife may have enough of your caring practice by taking time to stop by the roadside to smell the flowers a and assess whether there are enough to provide your bees with enough pollen and nectar in preparation for your next honey harvesting season.

Go to the grocery buying loads and loads of sugar, with other people thinking that you may be preparing yourself for the Apocalypse or an impending war.

Aside from doing your regular shopping, you go to every shelf checking out and listing down honey brand labels and listing their respective prices on a piece of paper.

People would tend to know you for something else other than your real name, like “the Bee lady or bee man”.

You’d be happy to welcome a rainy weekends.especially when looking forward to a good honey production season. You are more adept at memorizing and identifying the blooming and budding periods of all local flower varieties than the local florist or state horticulturist.

There will come a time when your wife will get back at you after finding the missing basement stair plank sticking out like a sore thumb in your bee hive compartment or find packages of emptied refined sugar on top of the trash can beside your bee hives.

You would be adding insult to injury when your kids find plates of candied sugar brittle in the fridge with a note saying “hands off” on the package.

Finally, family and friends will definitely know what they will be getting for Christmas from you.

Beekeeping is more than aching bee stings and hours of smoking the insects to produce more honey, it is the lighter side of beekeeping that will help you smile at the end of the day.

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Beekeeping isn’t just something you go into it’s something you’re raised and brought up in. Most companies that deal with beekeeping and providing beekeeping supplies are family owned. Dadant and Sons, a company based out of Hamilton, IL has been in the business of providing beekeeping equipment and attire for the past 140 years. They sell everything from beekeeping attire from the head to the torso, and even full body suits with headwear. They also sell journals that are published about beekeeping and also selling copies from the archives as well.

They have a large selection of books for giving you a short course on beekeeping to candle making since many beekeepers also not only collect and sell honey, but they make things out of beeswax as well like candles. Most family owned beekeepers usually produce the honey and beeswax items on their farms and sell the products they make at local stores. Usually it’s a family business that has been a long-standing tradition.

Most beekeeping families have been at this for several generations so it’s not a new thing many families get into with this. A lot of children grow up making this into their livelihood since it’s how their ancestors made their living. Many companies now are in fact commercially owned since so many family-owned businesses are forced out because of the rising cost of running a business and many mom and pop places that were not technologically advanced were the ones who suffered because those who had the resources to invest in websites and tools needed to stay ahead in the business were the ones who made the transition into the 21st century with their businesses. This was a business that began as a simple hobby and just a small way to make extra money on the side or to just have something extra for the dinner table since honey was super popular to be put on hot biscuits and toast for dinner and breakfast since it was used as a marmalade.

Honey wasn’t really a huge resource at the time since people used sugar and other things like molasses to put in their food, but when it was discovered that honey was cheap and inexpensive to make that’s when beekeeping had become a hugely popular and profitable business for many families in regions that beekeeping was a widely practiced activity. As a result of how inexpensive it was to produce honey, which became what beekeeping has developed into today. The only issues was in this day and age more pesticides was being used and the problems with having to treat much of the honey that was being made which left a lot of people wondering how safe it was to consume such a product.

It was a concern since you have the organic food movement that totally goes against the use of pesticides and any means to chemically alter or treat food or livestock used for food products. Today you have family owned companies at the commercial level that produce honey products and beeswax used in cosmetics and candle making.

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No matter what your age is, it will not really matter that much if you started a habit of eating healthy foods and natural-based products such as honey early. Many experts say that those who have developed the habit at such an early age have greater health status compared to others who are at their same age.

More than men, women are more concerned and conscious about aging. For women, age matters so much because it has a noticeable effect on their beauty. While it is true that age affects health of the skin which is one of the major determinants of beauty so much, women should not worry too much because they can combat this through the healthy foods such as honey.

Experts say that honey can delay signs of aging because it is a rich source of antioxidants which helps fight cell damage. When one has enough supply of antioxidants in his or her body, that person would have better protection against factors that damage the cells.

Aside from being rich in antioxidants, honey can delay the aging process because it helps the person to build stronger immune system. One there is a strong immune system; a person can veer away from common illnesses and major diseases which contribute so much to faster aging.

Knowing your bracket

To fight premature aging and to keep a healthy, younger looking skin, it would be best to have an idea what are the best beauty nutrients appropriate for each life stage like for women in their 20s, they need beauty nutrients such as zinc to supports cell repair and renewal as well as to support better immune system function.

For women in their 30s who are active, they need beauty nutrients such as biotin that maintains healthy skin, hair and nails, alpha lipoid acid that help fight skin inflammation while slowing down the aging process, co-enzyme Q10 that fights premature aging and multivitamin that also serves as a filler for lost nutrients are needed to keep healthy and beautiful skin.

For those who are in 40s, they need lots of zinc should be taken up so it can support cell repair and renewal since they have slower process of metabolism, women at this age bracket should be very careful in the foods they eat.

Experts say that a woman’s skin while she is 20 would definitely look different compared to those who are already in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Although age greatly affects the overall condition of skin, being beautiful does not greatly depend on aging alone. Having a beautiful can skin start from within by consuming natural-based products such as honey, sticking to a healthy diet, keeping adequate hydration and plenty of rest and sleep.

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