Backyard BeehiveGrowing a backyard beehive is becoming popular especially that in the United States, production of honey plummeted to a great degree. The beehive is not just a producer of honey. But the honey it produced is an essential ingredient in food production. As part of the campaign to help make them stay in the country, several institutions provide assistance on how to care for a backyard beehive. There are programs that offer options such as owning a beehive or leasing a yard for managing and caring for a beehive. Urban beekeeping, its other term is unlike the traditional agriculture which is normally done on rural bee yards. Beekeeping at home can happen in a yard and rooftop of city homes and buildings. Bees are an excellent traveler. They can reach far places to collect nectar and pollen. Thus, they do not necessarily need nearby flowers. Most suburbs provide plenty flowers so bees can visit these places and go back to the beehive. Managing a beehive requires care so neighbors will not complain. The elements essential for having a beehive in a backyard includes the fence, water, swarm control, and races of bees. Fence is important. A 6-foot fence or shrub can be helpful in forcing the bee’s flight path above people’s head. Normally, bees travel in a straight path into their hive, however, having a high fence forces them to take their flight higher, reducing the risks of the bees to accidentally bump into people. Fences are also effective in providing an ‘out-of-sight’ situation. Fences conceal most physical evidences of backyard beehive. Water is important among bees especially in spring and summer. Among their favorite spots are ponds and creek, and a dog’s drinking bowl or a neighbor’s swimming pool or bird bath. Hence, it is necessary that water is readily available where beehives are situated. Swarming cannot be prevented with absolute success. The colonies that are likely to swarm are the strong ones. Strong colonies are headed by mature queens. To solve swarming, maintain colonies with queens less than 1 year old. They swarm less and tend to be strong as well. If necessary, re-queening can be done once a year. When working with the bees, the best time should be observed so bees will not get angry and sting an innocent person or the neighbors. The best time can be when there is a flowing nectar from flowering plants, when colonies are directly exposed to sunlight, when the temperature is not 95 degrees or higher, when the colonies are not under attack by predators or wasps or not under stress, and when the neighbors are not loud with their party. When somebody is mowing the lawn, it is not a good time to work with bees. In the Northern part of the United States, the Carniolan is the most popular race of bee. In Mexico and Southern part of the United States, the Italian bee is preferred. If the bees in the colony will sting, it must be re-queened with a gentle stock. Starting a backyard beehive can be a rewarding hobby. Not only does it ensure the population of bees. It also promotes pollination of plants. Similar Posts _________________________________________________________________ Top of Backyard Beehive Listed under Landscaping Ideas |