Beekeeping 101

Starting right is about starting small and the right path towards succeeding at beekeeping, known as apiculture, is to know the science or simply the basics with beekeeping 101.

At first it may seem a bit complicated and tedious, however, many beekeeping experts agree that beginners should always start small and take off from there.

Ideally, starting out with only two colonies would be the most appropriate number for those wanting to gain the experience of the process, most especially in how to go about succeeding at every little detail or anything else related to beekeeping, from hive construction, care of the bees, purchasing your colonies, harvesting and consumer marketing.

All these go hand in hand together to make your beekeeping venture, not just an enjoyable one, but a profitable one at that.

Beekeeping traces its history back in the Middle East where it was believed to have originated, where early Egyptians were believed to have kept bees for the production of honey and beeswax, which they used to trade with other basic commodities along the East African coast for thousands of years.

This was the primary trading tool for Egyptians, who maintained the beekeeping practice over the years, 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.

It was a tedious and wasteful process that 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.

A novice apiarist can start with two colonies, which one may be able to expand after a couple of years as you continue to gain more experience and mastering the trade.

After all, given ideal conditions and good beekeeping practice, a single hive can produce between 50 to 100 pounds of honey each year.

Starting out does not have to follow an exact science, since you can start building your hive from scratch as long as you are simply armed with the knowledge of the basics of beekeeping.

If you know how to work your way with wood or even with basic carpentry skills, you know you have the right stuff, since it is important to be able to build your own boxes and hive compartments for storing frames to support the honeycombs.

Always plan for the coming season, since honey production is seasonal as with plant seasons and bees need to collect nectar in order for them to produce honey.