Last Year's Hive
This is my beehive I setup last year after catching the bees in a "swarm trap" that my dad builds as a hobby. I became interested in the hobby after seeing my dad's hive and helping him take care of his bees. It is a very interested hobby. We have able to rob hives several times and have bottled several gallons of honey. Sadly, the bees I caught last year vacated the hive that is pictured so I will be starting over this year.
It is my hope to be able to have enough hives so I will be able to sell some of the honey as a side gig or just be able to give it away. It is fascinating top watch honey bees at work flying in and out of the hives. They only have a short life span. It is a very small amount of honey they are able to produce during that lifespan too. Although I have been stung several times (it hurts too depending on the toxicity of the vemon for a particular bee), it is still enjoyable to work with them. I do have a half suit that helps.
A New Catch
I set out the trap, like shown above, on March 26, 2022. On March 27, bees began scoping it out flying in and out of the opening. It had appeared a few days later that a storm had scared them off. Activity had appeared on April 3 once again. On April 11th, the swarm is a healthy and thriving colony almost ready to be switched over to their permanent resident.
10 Tips For Beekeeping:
- Join a Beekeeping Club
- Find a Beekeeping Mentor
- Join a Beekeeping Facebook Group
- Use Available Technology
- Learn Swarm Catching
- Try a New Type of Hive
- "Top Bar" Hive
- Langstroth Hive
- Flow Hive
- Two Hives Are Better Than One
- Let the Bees Create Their Own Queen
- Locate Your Bees Nearby
- Don't Inspect Too Much!