Breeding bees for beginners at home. Breeding bees lessons on breeding bees

Beekeeping is a profitable, profitable and useful business. First, you need to select the most suitable piece of land; it is advisable that there are many honey plants nearby. For beekeeping to be profitable, you must adhere to basic rules and recommendations. Thanks to a properly located apiary, you can get a fairly strong bee family.

Keeping bees requires minimal knowledge, skills and experience. It is important to create an appropriate plan according to which bee families can be raised and bred.

Specifics of beekeeping at home

Keeping bees for beginners is a responsible step. Before starting this process, it is necessary to take into account some features, for example:

• hives need to be placed away from the road so that people do not walk near your apiary;
• make a fence using fences and hedges at least two meters high;
• tilt the hives to the south so that the apiary is exposed to the rays of the sun;
• The area should be windless and there should be many honey-bearing trees around it. In this way, bees can be protected from many diseases;
• To avoid serious diseases of bee colonies, do not place the apiary near factories, factories, or production facilities.

The beekeeping process begins with the selection of the optimal location, as it plays an important role in the success of the business.

Basic techniques

For insect breeding to be successful, it is necessary to select the optimal methods. You can use bee layer division. To obtain layering, all actions must be carried out in early spring. The mother should be transferred from one hive to another, where there will be a small brood of various ages. Having taken the queen from the bees, the queen cells are laid. After a certain period of time, the formation of new maternal individuals can be observed. Twelve days later, a ripe queen cell is taken to install in the layering. It is formed from many frames that can be taken from the hive.

In some cases, dividing the family into two parts is considered more appropriate. Families are located in different hives. The hives are placed at a certain distance, since some bees must go to one hive, and others to the second. If there is no mother in the hive, you need to take care of a new one. The best option is for the bees to raise a queen on their own, which will begin productive laying after flying around.

Breeding by any method takes into account the process of breeding maternal individuals, proper care during the wintering period, choice, compliance with honey collection, etc. Climate and weather conditions play an important role.

Bee breeding can take place according to a rotational method, which is called round-the-clock. It includes:

• surveillance of drone brood;
• active control of varroa;
• monitoring bees using a mesh type tray.

This type of bee breeding will allow you to protect insects from mite infestations.

Features of bee packages

When starting to create an apiary, you need to think about options for buying insects:

• several families of bees;

A bee package is a collection of insects that have been selected from various families in order to be sold. In the process of forming a bee package, several colonies, some of the food supplies and honeycombs are used, then everything is placed in a special box. They are given quality food to keep them strong and healthy. Each breeder has a unique opportunity to select families for their own breeding. It is better to purchase a bee package in the fall.

Varieties of breeding techniques

When it comes to raising bee colonies, there are many different options available in beekeeping. The main breeding methods can be considered the following:

• in hive beds;
• in single-hull and multi-hull hives;
• in the pavilions.

There are several advantages to hive beds:

• this type of device is quite heat-intensive;
• light, convenient transportation;
• there is no need to lift heavy cases;
• In addition to the fact that you can raise a whole family in a lounger, there is also enough space for a nuc;
• they exhibit high egg laying;
• a diaphragm is used, with which it is possible to create layering, which works as an effective anti-swarm measure;
• you can get a large number of strong and healthy families.

Beekeeping rules for spring and winter

To grow strong families, proper care will be required during the wintering period, as well as with the onset of spring. Proper care during this period involves regularly maintaining the required temperature in the hives and omshans. It is important to monitor the number of dead bees, the condition of mother bees, worker bees and brood. Make sure that they are in comfortable conditions and have enough food. If there is a shortage of food, you can feed it: honey, sugar syrup, kandi, protein feed or satu.

If you adhere to all the specified rules and recommendations, carry out timely disease prevention and monitor the condition of the bees, the apiary will be profitable, and the insects will be healthy and strong. You may be interested in other breeding methods such

Breeding and keeping bees is a very useful and profitable business. To do it, you need to buy a plot of land and determine a suitable place for an apiary near honey plants. In order for a business to prosper and bring in a stable income, you need to approach its organization and layout wisely. So, where should an inexperienced beekeeper start?

Content Features

More information about the features of keeping insects can be seen in the following video:

Breeding technique

This technique involves the use of layering and division of insects. To obtain layering, it is necessary in early spring to move the queen from one hive to another, which already contains a certain number of brood of different ages. When the queen is isolated from other insects, she begins to lay fistulous queen cells, which leads to the appearance of new queens. After 12–14 days, it is already possible to move the queen cell into the layering, initially formed from many hive frames.

An important point is to determine the bees' flight technique. To determine it, it is necessary to divide the bee colony into two parts and place them in two different hives. After this, they should be placed at a sufficient distance from each other, and each of them should have its own uterus. The best option would be if the bees can raise it themselves, because after flying around it will be engaged in productive egg laying.

The growing method includes the following points:

• care for insects in winter;
• queen rearing;
• control and support of honey collection;
• selection of the best varieties of bee colonies;
• keeping insects in various variations of hives.

You should also pay attention to the climate, which determines the amount of time it takes to raise a bee colony. The average amount of time required to complete this process is 70–75 days.

You also need to regularly monitor whether the insects have enough food and pollen. Queens lay eggs for at least 14 days, and they need to be fed well to fully recover.

One of the main methods is rotational (24-hour) bee breeding, which includes:

• preventing the appearance of one of the most dangerous mites – Varroa;
• drone brood control;
• keeping individuals throughout the year on a mesh tray.

Raising queen bees

Beginning beekeepers often wonder what to do first? Experienced beekeepers recommend starting with raising queens in order to make the bee colony stronger and more resistant to diseases and cold climates.

To breed queens, you must follow these rules:

• select special cells where oviposition will be carried out in the future;
• apply additional fertilizing in case of nectar shortage.

Breeding should only be done with productive parents to ensure good genetics are passed on. It is also necessary to take into account that the variety of individuals plays a major role in the further productivity of insects.

Experienced beekeepers claim that the bee colony, which works on the main bribe, is the most productive and hardiest in winter. This queen does not need additional feeding, since she is already fertile enough. Already in winter, a bee colony can begin active preparations for collecting honey; it itself begins to build up strength for further productivity. Therefore, for cultivation it is necessary to select exclusively strong and resilient bee colonies. You can learn more about breeding queens from this video:

The procedure for raising bees in a summer cottage

It's no secret that the most suitable place to place an apiary is a summer cottage, since it usually has a large number of different crops. A country apiary can provide not only high-quality products, but also the energy emitted by insects.

It’s good if there is a garden on the site, this gives the bees additional places to work. For productive work, place the hives in the shade, preferably under trees.

An apiary can also be equipped in a barn, on the roof, by cutting entrances in the walls and creating a corridor made of wood. However, we should not forget that, despite a lot of positive aspects, various diseases will also be present in the country apiary. In order to protect the apiary from many diseases, you should regularly carry out preventive maintenance of the hives and immediately eliminate even the slightest manifestations of diseases. The procedure for raising bees in the country is described in the following video:

To summarize, it must be said that raising bees for beginners is quite troublesome and time-consuming. To become a good beekeeper, you need to adhere to all the rules of beekeeping, listen to the opinions of more experienced colleagues, take a special preparatory course, study books about beekeeping, watch many educational videos, and so on. This is the only way to achieve success in this difficult, but at the same time exciting activity.

Raising bees yourself is useful and profitable, but this process is accompanied by a number of difficulties. In order for beekeeping to generate a stable income, you need to take into account all the rules and features of breeding these insects. This article will discuss the main issues related to raising bees for beginners at home.

How to raise bees at home

To properly organize the work of the apiary, you must adhere to the following rules:

• the apiary should be surrounded by trees and located on the windless side of the site;
• to ensure good lighting, the hives must be placed at an angle to the south;
• if the apiary is located on a personal plot, then it should be fenced with a two-meter fence;
• honey plants do not like fuss around their home, so it is better to place the hives away from the road;
• location of the apiary in a lowland, damp place or near a plant can cause serious illnesses in honey plants.

The hives should be located at a distance of 4-6 m from each other, and the gap between the rows can be 5-6 m. In small areas such an arrangement is not always possible, so the hives are placed near buildings, under trees, along the fence line, in stationary and mobile pavilions. During the winter cold period, the hives must be moved to an equipped winter hut or any suitable room with low humidity.

To engage in beekeeping, you need to prepare money to purchase the following things:

• for high-quality and suitable hives;
• on families of purebred bees;
• for equipment, special tools and suits.

These costs, if the apiary is properly organized, will pay off at the end of the first honey collection. From 30 bee families you can get up to 1 thousand kg of high-quality honey.

Basic methods of bee breeding

To choose a method Dilution is influenced by various factors:

• ability to collect honey;
• wintering features;
• type of hives and their design;
• characteristics of the bee breed.

The main method for breeding honey plants is the use of layering. At the beginning of spring, the queen is selected from the main hive and transferred to a new house. The bees left without a queen begin to create queen cells. Two weeks later, you can cut out ripe queen cells and transfer them to layers consisting of frames collected in other hives. After 16 days, new queens begin to emerge from the queen cells.

Another method is more suitable for beginners. It consists of dividing a strong family of bees into two equal groups. The honeycomb and brood are distributed into two hives, spaced a short distance apart. For the second hive it is necessary to purchase a new queen, but it is better if the bees raise her themselves, then high egg production can be expected from her.

The characteristics of keeping bees are influenced by climatic conditions. Family development takes on average up to 70 days, but in some regions this stage can be only 40 days, and in others it can stretch up to 100 days. During colony growth, bees must be provided with sufficient food and pollen.

Keeping and breeding bees for beginners using pavilions

The flowering of honey plants is short-lived, so bee hives must be constantly moved to a new place so that the insects are not left without work. To simplify this task, special structures were created - pavilions on wheels. The hives installed in them are convenient to transport from place to place. To ensure the unhindered flight of bees, you need to make entrances. Front wall The pavilion is painted in different colors to help honey plants find their home.

The pavilion needs additional space for the beekeeper to work. The entire structure can be insulated with glass wool, which will allow bee colonies to develop well and produce honey for a long time. The costs of equipment and maintenance of the pavilion are similar to the costs of an apiary. The profitability of beekeeping is especially important for beginning beekeepers. One pavilion can accommodate 30 bee families and will pay for itself after just two years.

To get strong and productive families, the first step is to breed queens. To start breeding them, you need to consider the following rules:

• prepare cells for laying eggs;
• If there is no nectar, provide the bees with food.

Good queens can only come from healthy and productive parents who will pass on their genetic characteristics to their offspring. The amount of honey that bees produce depends on their breed. A hardworking colony that actively collects nectar from the main stream has a much better chance of surviving the winter. Queens in this family do not need additional feeding . Before you start breeding queens, you need to select the strongest bee colonies.

Preparing the hives

The hive is the main element of the apiary and bee breeding begins with its preparation. You can purchase a ready-made hive in a store or build it yourself. In any case, you need to study the designs and types of hives in order to choose a model suitable for a particular apiary. Types of hives vary in the number and size of frames. Hives can also be double-walled and single-walled, have a permanent or detachable bottom.

Multi-hull hives for bee breeding

A strong family needs to be divided into two buildings. In spring, the queens should be moved to the upper part, where more heat is retained. When the frames are filled with brood and the colony expands, the bodies will need to be swapped. To the families that spent the winter in one building, you need to add other individuals and an additional building containing honeycombs with food.

Need to check after winter colonies in multi-hull hives and replace frames with foundation. After changing the location of the buildings, a dividing grid is fixed, which will prevent bees from swarming. Multi-hull hives allow you to increase the productivity of bee colonies and obtain large brood.

Deck beds are a simple and convenient way to breed honey plants. This option has several advantages:

In winter and spring, bees require more careful care and maintenance. By paying due attention to the hives during this period, you can get fairly strong families and a large volume of nectar in the summer. It is necessary to constantly monitor temperature indicators in the hives and beehives, monitor the development of brood, bees and queens, and count dead animals. Insects must be provided with food and feel comfortable in your hive.

Pest Review

Bees have many pests and enemies. The main types are the following:

• mole;
• mice;
• ants;
• birds.

To prevent the appearance of moths, it is necessary to constantly monitor the order in bee hives and raise strong colonies. If the pest does appear, then it is necessary to fumigate the spare frames with sulfurous smoke and place them in free hives. The second fumigation should be carried out after a week and repeated after another two weeks. To combat moths, you can also use a bedding of hops, walnut leaves, and mint at the bottom of the hive.

Mice usually damage hives during the winter. They can eat honey, bee bread, or even bees, and nibble on honeycombs. Mice are a nuisance to honey plants their smell and movement, which can lead to the weakening of families and their death. You can fight rodents using baits and traps, as well as by covering the floor in the winter hut with clay and crushed glass. In the fall, you need to install mouse barriers on the entrances.

You can protect yourself from ants by treating hive stands with special chalk or building a small ditch with water. Installing bee houses at some distance from the ground usually does not provide protection from insects.

Small entrance holes will help protect hives from birds, through which groups of worker bees can freely fly, but birds will not be able to stick their heads through.

Income and expenses from bee breeding

In the first year, the possible costs for novice beekeepers to breed bees at home can be about $3,700, while maintaining 20 families of insects. This amount includes the purchase of bee hives in, families, necessary inventory and equipment, preventive treatment.

During the first summer, you can get over 1300 kg of honey from the hives, as well as collect related products: wax, bees, pollen, bee venom. The total income will be about $4,400. Already in the first season you can recoup the costs of creating an apiary and in the future income will continue to grow.

The main task in beekeeping is to carry out all apiary work on time and correctly. As a result, by the beginning of the honey harvest period, healthy and strong bee colonies will be obtained.

In this article you will learn how to breed bees from scratch and what methods exist for breeding these beneficial insects.

How to raise bees from scratch

In order for the apiary to be profitable, it is necessary not only to follow all the rules of maintenance, but also to correctly select insects for further breeding. In addition, there are certain rules for breeding and breeding queens.

Where to begin

Bees for breeding can be purchased from a variety of places: from large specialized farms and from amateur beekeepers. When purchasing, be sure to check veterinary documents confirming the health of the insects. That is why it is better to buy insects on specialized farms, although non-specialized farms with apiaries also sell queens and families.

Note: A productive family, when purchased in the spring, should have 4-5 kg ​​of food, and in the fall - more than 16, as well as at least 10-12 nesting combs.

Figure 1. Composition of a bee colony

• It is better to purchase 2-3 families at once that have already survived the winter. In this case, in the new season it will be possible to obtain commercial honey from them;
• It is best to make a purchase in early spring;
• For beginners, to make a profit, it is enough to buy 20-50 families. You can make a profit from them by servicing the apiary yourself. Larger numbers require more time and skill to breed. As experience increases, the number of families in the apiary can be increased to 100-150 per person or 200-300 per two specialists.

To transport insects, you can use ready-made hives, special bags or cages. Transportation is best done in the evening or at night. Examples of transport cages are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Transport cages

The hive entrance is tightly closed and opened only after placement in a new apiary. If transportation is carried out in bags, be sure to check that each container contains about 1.5 kg of bees, a queen, four honeycombs and 3 kg of sealed honey. In summer you can also buy swarms in swarms. In this case, you must make sure that there is a queen in the swarm, since without her the insects will scatter.

What is needed to breed bees?

Reproduction occurs by laying eggs by the queen. Fertilized eggs produce new queens and workers, and unfertilized eggs produce drones, which are subsequently used for mating (Figure 3).

Note: Throughout the year, the number of insects constantly changes due to the death of old ones and the breeding of new individuals. Workers also sometimes lay eggs, but only dwarf drones hatch from them, which cannot mate.

Immediately after wintering, in approximately the first three weeks, the size of the family decreases, since the breeding of new individuals does not yet cover the death of old ones. In the future, the indicators are equalized and the population grows. As the number of young individuals increases, the productivity of the queen decreases and the growth of the young stops. Subsequently, the number of individuals continues to decline during wintering.

Figure 3. Reproduction of insects by eggs

The strength of the family can be assessed after wintering. If it occupies 8 frames (4 each with food and brood), the family is considered strong. Medium productive ones occupy approximately 5-7 frames, and weak ones - less than five.

Peculiarities

Under natural conditions, bees reproduce by swarming. This process begins after the accumulation of too many young individuals. The future swarm is formed by young workers who do not have enough work in the old hive. Examples of swarming are shown in Figure 4.

The swarming process goes like this:

• In the second half of summer, bees fly out of the hive (from about 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.). The first to leave the hive are the scouts, who are looking for a place for a new family.
• After this, some of the working insects fly out, followed by the queen, and lastly the remaining individuals.
• The new swarm remains close to the mother hive for several days (for example, on a branch). At this time, the beekeeper needs to prepare a place for relocation. If this is not done, the insects will simply fly away.

As a rule, after the hatching of a new queen and the departure of the first swarm, the swarming process is repeated: the second one leaves the mother hive after 9 days, and the third after another 1-2 days. After this, all young queens in the mother hive are destroyed, since the worker insects leave only the largest individual.

Figure 4. Swarming process

To collect a new swarm you need a special device - a swarm. As a rule, a hook or rope is attached to the top for hanging the device. The swarm is hung under the collected insects and carefully shaken off inside. It is better to keep the collected swarm in the winter hut until the evening and transplant it into the hive at night. Inside the new hive, it is necessary to install frames with honeycombs and fodder honey. You can make a swivel yourself using the diagram and photo in Figure 5.

To move bees into the hive, a small gangway is placed next to the arrival board and the bees begin to pour out a little at a time. Sometimes insects are poured onto the frames from above, treating them with smoke. The top of the hive must be covered.

Note: Young individuals from a new swarm have an increased ability to collect honey, so they are often moved into an old hive, installing a new one next to it.

To limit natural swarming, colonies are propagated artificially. There are several methods of reproduction:

• Using individual layering: To do this, several frames with brood and adults are removed from the hive and moved to a new empty hive, located slightly away from the old one. After the brood appears, the family is strengthened by introducing several new frames.
• Half-flight division: in this case, the family is divided approximately in half. This method is only suitable for strong families that tolerate wintering well. Half of the frames with brood, food and insects are moved to the new hive and placed about half a meter away from the mother hive. Next, you need to determine which of the families has the queen. This is very simple to do: working individuals from the hive with the queen fussily run around the tray. After this, a young individual is added to the queenless colony.
• Temporary layers: This method can be used only before the start of honey collection. New individuals are placed in the second part of the multi-hull hive, and when the first honey flow is completed, young and old individuals are combined, forming a stronger family.

Separate keeping of families can be practiced only if there is a good honey collection near the apiary. This will not only increase the survival rate of insects, but also improve the quality of commercial honey.

Preparation for breeding

The apiary should always have a supply of queens to replace old, sick or dead individuals. In addition, young queens are needed to expand the apiary and plant new families in the hives.

Figure 5. Diagram and photo examples for making a swivel

The highest quality and productive queens can be obtained from specialized farms that breed them. To transport or send queens by mail, special cages are used, in which not only the queen is placed, but also several accompanying bees and honey for feeding. After receiving a new individual, it must be immediately transplanted into the hive, since prolonged keeping in a cage will negatively affect its productivity.

Note: Breeding quality breeding queens is difficult. To do this, you need not only to carefully monitor the purity of the breed and brood, but also to create special families in which the queens will be bred. In small apiaries, queens can be bred on their own, using swarming or popular methods of artificial rearing.

For example, a productive family is allowed to release the first swarm. After this, the combs with the maturing larvae of the queens are cut out from the nest and they are rearranged into the cutouts of the combs of the colonies without queens. It is imperative to leave one queen cell in the mother’s nest to breed a young productive queen.

Figure 6. Artificial removal of the uterus

Another method can also be used: the queen is temporarily removed from the productive colony and placed in a nuc. After this, a honeycomb with eggs is selected and all cells are removed, except those from which the larvae have already hatched. The larvae are further thinned out (no more than two larvae should remain per three cells). Next, the frame is moved to the center of the nest, and the workers begin to place queen cells in them. When the time for the larvae to hatch approaches, the cells are cut off and transferred to queenless colonies, and the removed queen is returned to the hive. Figure 6 shows examples of artificial creation of queen cells for breeding productive queens.

The queens are hatched at the end of spring or early summer, when the bees are already stronger after wintering and the honey plants begin to bloom intensively.

Keeping bees for beginners: video

The video shows in detail the features of raising bees at home for beginners. With the help of this video you will be able to properly organize the process of caring for insects in the apiary.

Rotational beekeeping for beginners is considered one of the most effective technologies in beekeeping. This method is also called year-round maintenance.

The main goal of this breeding method is to maintain the health of bee colonies during the winter and prevent the development of diseases.

What is this method

Rotational breeding of bees involves the implementation of several mandatory activities. First, the beekeeper must regularly remove drone brood, since drones are most often affected by Varroa mites.

Secondly, their old colonies need to be constantly created with new ones with careful monitoring of insect health. In addition, the hives need to be regularly transported to apiaries where there are more honey plants. With the arrival of winter, it is necessary to provide insects with optimal wintering conditions in natural conditions.

By following these rules, breeding and caring for bees will continue without serious difficulties. The beekeeper will be able to constantly form new families that are resistant to diseases.

Peculiarities

If you are interested in how to start breeding bees from scratch using rotational technology, you should know what features and rules need to be taken into account.

Among the main stages of breeding using this method, I highlight t (Figure 7):

• Spring honey collection It is better to carry out in apiaries with a large number of honey plants. Since bees are prone to swarming during this period, excess honey and young bees must be regularly removed from the hive.
• Creation of new families involves moving young insects and queens to a special room. When all the insects have gathered around the queen, the colony is considered created and can be moved to the hive. After a week, the quality of the brood and the degree of acceptance of the queen are monitored. If she does not cope with her task, or the bees do not perceive her, the queen is replaced.
• Monitoring family readiness for winter carried out by weighing. This allows you to determine whether the insects have enough honey to survive the winter.

Figure 7. Scheme of placement of insects in the hive during rotational breeding

Before the onset of winter, the maternal families are disbanded, and the queens are placed in separate cages to create an artificial swarm. Old families are united with new ones and preventive measures are carried out to prevent diseases.

Rotational bee breeding: video

You will find more information about rotational breeding in the video. It describes the main features of the method and the rules for carrying out the necessary activities in the apiary.

The two-queen breeding method is based on the biological ability of these insects to coexist peacefully and productively in one large colony with two queens (Figure 8).

Note: In this case, two dividing grids are installed in the hive, through which bees from one colony can contact the brood of another, and vice versa.

With such maintenance, the theft of honey is reduced, and the bees produce much more products per season, while maintaining the health of the brood, workers and queen.

Peculiarities

Many modern beekeepers prefer to use not the two-queen system itself throughout the year, but only some of its aspects. In particular, families are united immediately before the start of the honey harvest to increase the amount of production.

Figure 8. Drawing of a hive for two-queen housing

Among the positive features of the method it is worth highlighting:

• Overwintering large joint families allows for more economical consumption of feed and maintains the health of insects;
• Rearing brood requires less feed and labor;
• Large families are less susceptible to disease and are highly productive and active.

However, keep in mind that using this method will require more bulky hives. In addition, insects often begin to swarm, so the beekeeper needs to carefully control this process.

Have you decided to start your own apiary and don’t know where to start? Our article will tell you in detail how to start bees from scratch in your own summer cottage.

The most important issue that needs to be resolved before organizing an apiary in the country is safety. First of all, the safety of your family and neighbors. If you or someone in your family has allergies, a bee sting can be very dangerous. In addition, you must notify your neighbors about your decision to start beekeeping.

Safety issues in the field of beekeeping are regulated at the legislative level. In our country there is a Federal Law “On Animal World”, which prohibits keeping animals, including bees, in semi-free conditions without special permission. This document can be obtained from the territorial Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Organization of an apiary at a summer cottage

According to this law, there are special requirements for breeding bees in a summer cottage:

• The distance from the hive to the neighboring area cannot be less than 10 m.
• If the apiary is located in a populated area, including a dacha cooperative, it is allowed to have no more than two families of bees per 100 sq.m.
• 3 m - this is exactly the distance between the hives.
• The area with the apiary must have a fence or hedge.

Advice from an experienced beekeeper: “There are often times when it is impossible to install a fence. Is it possible to find a way out in this case? Place the apiary at roof level, but at least 2 m from the ground. This could be the attic of a garage or shed. This way, you will not break the law, and you will be able to do what you love!

Keeping an apiary in the country

An apiary is not only interesting, but also useful. First of all, bees in the country will be useful for the garden. These insects pollinate plants and trees in the garden, contributing to greater harvests. It is best to place bees in young gardens with a large number of fruit-bearing trees.

The flowering process in warm weather is almost continuous: spring - gooseberries, currants, plums, apple trees, cherries, pears; summer – strawberries and raspberries. The long flowering process contributes to a larger honey harvest. However, it is important to remember that the productivity of bee colonies will also depend on how many insects are busy in the main honey collection.

Flowering in a summer cottage

Creating an apiary

So, if you're ready to answer the question "Do I want to get into beekeeping?" in the affirmative, be sure to check out the following tips.

Do not have more than 4 families on one summer cottage. Of course, whether it's worth having more is up to you, but it's important to remember that caring for a large number of colonies can be difficult for a new beekeeper.

The colony consists of a queen bee, several hundred drones and about 80,000 worker insects. It is this kind of family that is housed in a separate house - a beehive. It is best to place the hive in a remote corner of your property. To ensure the safety of your family, avoid crossing paths to frequently used premises in the country house and apiary. This way people and bees will not interfere with each other. The hives are placed on the site at a fairly large distance. Traditionally, the time for placing bees in the hive is the beginning of May, but this process depends on the average daily temperature and can be shifted in time. Be sure to find out if there is another apiary near your site.

Precautionary measures

It is important to remember that even a small number of bees in an apiary requires precautions:

• Choose non-aggressive bee breeds, for example, the Transcarpathian bee has a fairly peaceful character.
• Do not use perfume when working with bees. Insects are also irritated by the smell of gasoline or alcohol.
• Wear a face shield when inspecting bees. To ensure safety, smoke is permitted.

Be sure to keep a first aid kit on hand. Remember, a bee sting is very dangerous for allergy sufferers!

Choosing a plot of land for an apiary

The conditions of the location of the apiary on the site have a great influence on the productivity of bees and the quality of the crop. To make it easier for you to determine whether the apiary in your dacha is located correctly, we have prepared a table of unfavorable factors for bees.

	American	European	pararotten
Larval age	5-6 days	a week	5 days - week
Decay process	Strong smell of rot	Strong smell of rot, dark sticky mass	There is almost no smell
Danger	Easy to treat	Treatable	High probability of apiary extinction
quarantine	Year	Year	Two years
Cell appearance	Holes in the lid	Lid open	The lid can be either open or closed

Organization of an apiary on a plot of land

Materials and equipment

If you decide to breed bees for the first time, you will definitely need the following tools:

• Workwear – suit with long sleeves. This could be a robe with long skirts and sleeves or a jumpsuit.
• A mask is a protective device for the face and neck.
• A smoker is a tool for distracting bees while collecting honey.
• Foundation is a hexagonal honeycomb that serves as the basis for honey.
• A hive is a home for bees.

Hive selection

The choice of hive is worth considering separately.

When creating an apiary, the question of choosing hives is one of the most important. Today, specialized stores sell various options for ready-to-use devices. A wide choice is provided due to the difference in design and materials used.

According to their structure, hives are divided into 3 types: beds, risers and combined types. The main difference is the way the cells are placed inside. The most convenient for maintenance is the first type of structure.

You can also make a hive with your own hands. There are a large number of drawings and diagrams in the specialized literature and on professional forums. The key requirement for housing by the bees themselves is a warm and dry house. If you decide to make a hive yourself, choose only high-quality and environmentally friendly materials. The bee house should have space and good ventilation.

Beehive lounger

Which hives are better?

To the question “Which hives are better?” there is no clear answer. Experienced beekeepers prefer to buy industrially made hives. Home-made and improved hives often make life difficult for bees. However, in any case, the hives must be made taking into account the dimensions of standard frames:

• 435*300 mm is the most commonly used frame in all types of hives.
• 435*230 mm – used in multi-hull hives, which are considered the standard in world beekeeping.
• 300 * 435 mm - a narrow high frame, or, as it is also called, inverted. This frame is inconvenient to use and is not used in industrial hives. Today, the narrow-high frame has practically disappeared from use.

And one more piece of advice: if you are a novice beekeeper, opt for regular beehives. There are a variety of alternative hives that have been improved by various beekeepers. But often such buildings live only on paper.

How to place hives?

Above, we have already found out what negative factors are best avoided when placing hives in an apiary. Based on this, we can conclude that the quietest place on the site is suitable for placing the hives. In this case, it does not matter at all in which direction the tapholes will be oriented. Provide the optimal amount of sunlight, without sun or shade. To protect from the wind, you can build a fence or plant trees. Acacia trees are ideal for this purpose. During flowering, such a tree will not only provide protection from wind and sun, but will also become an excellent honey plant.

Choice of bees

The first priority when organizing an apiary is the selection and purchase of bees. In our country, the following breeds of bees are most popular: Mountain Caucasian, Central Russian, Ukrainian steppe, Italian and Carpathian. Pay special attention to the latter breed if you are a beginner. As noted above, the Carpathian breed is the most peaceful of all.

Bees can be bought in special stores. There are several options for transporting insects - bee packages and beehives. Bee packages are special plywood boxes for transporting insects. Transporting in hives is the best option for beginners, because in this case you do not have to transfer the bees yourself. Be sure to check with the store for availability of a veterinary certificate for insects.

It is best to transport bees in the evening. After transportation, be sure to feed your new pets sugar syrup.

Where is it better to keep bees: in the attic or outside?

The issue of raising bees in the attic usually arises for owners of small summer cottages. Let us remind you that, by law, an apiary can be placed on a plot only if the neighboring plots are at least 10 m away. If the size of your plot does not allow you to place an apiary on the street, place the hives in the attic - this way you will fulfill the requirement to place an apiary higher than human height. For greater reliability, plant fruit trees under the attic windows. Tree crowns will discourage bees and provide additional security for neighbors.

Organizing a hive in the attic

Work in the apiary

Work in the apiary is divided into two periods in accordance with the temperature regime of the seasons. In winter, caring for the apiary consists of walking around the hives. The main work in the apiary begins in the spring. During this period, it is necessary to inspect the hives and replenish the families. If necessary, replace the uterus. The main task of a beekeeper in the summer is harvesting. It is necessary to pump out the product on time.

As with any livestock business, being a beekeeper has its downsides. Firstly, it is highly dependent on weather and natural conditions. Secondly, lack of experience and professionalism can lead to losses. Try to seek advice from experienced beekeepers more often. Before you start beekeeping, be sure to thoroughly learn the basics for beginners. Pay attention to the video blog of Gennady Stepanenko, a beekeeper with more than 20 years of experience.

Beekeeper in the apiary

Disease Prevention

The basics of beekeeping also include issues of preventing bee diseases, namely a list of sanitary and hygienic requirements.

1. The apiary must be located in places with sufficient food. Choose a location with the least amount of wind and humidity.
2. Allow a distance of more than 5 km from the apiary to chemicals, and from high voltage lines - 400 m.
3. Bee corpses and debris from pre-breeding areas must be burned.
4. Newly acquired bees are kept in quarantine at a distance of 5-7 km from the apiary for a month.
5. The periods of annual preventive disinfection are the beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn.

Remember! If a veterinarian determines that your bees have a disease that poses a threat to humans, the following action scenario is implemented:

• The apiary is restricted until the next season.
• Bee families affected by the disease are destroyed.
• Additional disinfection is carried out.

Wintering of bees

After autumn disinfection, the bees are sent to winter huts.

Premises for wintering bees must be properly prepared. The main requirements for the place where you are going to move the bees for wintering are the absence of dampness, light and rodents. Pay attention to the thickness of the walls. Thin walls will contribute to early warming of the air when temperatures rise in spring.

In amateur apiaries, you can organize wintering in shelters or in a plank shed. The requirements for such premises have already been described above: dry, dark and free of rodents.

It doesn’t matter which method of wintering bees you choose, the rules for keeping bees in them are the same. In winter, visit the bees once every 3-4 weeks. Listen to noise and check the room temperature. A quiet, measured hum of insects throughout the winter hut is considered normal. The temperature in the winter hives and hives directly depends on how well you have worked on insulation.

Winter hut for bees

We insulate the hives in the apiary

Warming a hive for winter is no less important and responsible than building a hive. The volume of harvest next year directly depends on the quality of the work done. To insulate hives, both natural and synthetic materials can be used. For example, odorless foam will work great. With the help of such material it is easy and simple to insulate the hive.

Insulating the hive with straw

Video - Apiary. Good season