While there are thousands of bee species, it’s the Western Honey Bee that is managed for its production of honey. This species has several sub-species and some, like the Buckfast Bee or Midnite Bee, are sold commercially to individuals interested in beekeeping.

Humans have been collecting honey from wild bee colonies since the dawn of man. Archeologists have even found ancient cave and rock drawings depicting the gathering of honey. On the walls of an ancient temple in Egypt is a drawing showing workers blowing smoke into bee hives as they remove the delicious honeycombs from the inside. And even the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote extensively about the lives of bees and beekeeping.

The history isn’t clear on when mankind began to domesticate wild bees by creating artificial hives. The experts do believe that man began his first domesticated hives in things like hollow logs, pottery, and even in woven straw baskets. Prior to artificial hives, when man harvested honey from a wild hive, the hive was destroyed, including the eggs and larvae. This meant losing a valuable resource. But once man figured out how to start beekeeping, he ended up with a plentiful, perpetual resource.

Today continual advances in apiculture (bee keeping) have made it so that anyone can learn how to start beekeeping. There are many different, simple designs for man-made hive structures, but most consist of a rectangular shape with eight to ten removable frames in the inside. The frames contain pressed wax with hexagonal shapes that will support the comb the bees construct. Once you have your hive structure, you’ll need to elevate it from off of the ground. You can do this by placing it on some concrete blocks or blocks of wood.

The next step is to order your bees. You can purchase honeybees from an online retailer who will ship your bees through the mail. The bees will arrive in a screen-sided box. No need to worry. There is absolutely no harm to the bees when they are shipped this way. The shipper will also include some sugar syrup in the package to keep the bees happy.

When they arrive, they likely will have exhausted the supply of sugar syrup, so have some on hand to give them. To make your own sugar syrup, simple boil a cup of water and add to cups of sugar. Allow it to cool then spread the mixture onto the wire sides of the box.

In your shipment should be a queen bee in a separate, small box. Remove this box and place it in your hive. Then armed with your smoker, shake your package of bees over the queen. Use the smoker to control any stragglers. You’ll find that your bees will quickly seek the cover of your nice, dark artificial hive.

After the bees have been transferred, take your feeder and place it in the hive. Close the hive and allow the bees to settle in for at least a week.

You’ll notice over the coming weeks that your bees will be hard at work constructing honey comb. After a couple of months there will be enough honey to harvest and enjoy.

Author Bio: Learn How To Start Beekeeping the Easy and Simple Way! Visit: http://www.ultimatebeekeeping.com for more information.

Category: Home Management
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