Beekeeping - 7 Tips to Keep Your Bees Healthy

In a way, the same basic principles apply to beekeeping as to child rearing - your first priority as a parent is to keep you home safe and clean and your child's environment as free from risk as you can make it.

So it is with bees - you need to ensure that their hive is clean, free from disease or infection and that their working environment offers as little risk as possible. And the more knowledge you acquire, the safer your bees will be.

The following 7 points should be borne in mind before you embark on your new hobby:

1. Try to avoid buying second-hand bee hives. Sometimes knowingly, but more often unknowingly, sellers pass on beehives that have been infected by diseased bees. You may have to spend a little more for a new hive, but if you look for a hive made from cedar, it will last you forever and a day. If you are concerned about cost, consider the options of different styles of hive - some can be produced quite cheaply. A top frame hive can be quite inexpensive, although they may not provide as much honey as the more usual Langstroth hive.

2. Once you have either invested in a new hive, or built your own (depending on your woodworking skills!) you must follow a strict regime to keep your bees free from harm. Use Terramycin twice a year, in the spring and autumn, before and after the honey flow. Terramcyin is an antibiotic which will prevent bacterial infections in your bees. Mix one teaspoon of Terramycin with 3 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the hive frames. Remember not to use antibiotics during the honey producing season.

3. Tilt the hive forward slightly, to avoid rain collecting in the hive. Soggy conditions can cause dysentery amongst the bees.

4. Make sure you provide your bees with plenty of food (sugar syrup) especially during the winter and spring - otherwise you risk losing your bees to starvation.

5. Be vigilant with regards to mites infecting your hive - the Varroa mites can wipe out your entire bee population. The use of Apistan, strips containing a flue virus protection, in October and November for 60 consecutive days will minimise the risk. You can also place a sheet of cardboard covered with vegetable oil on the bottom board to collect mites. Remove the cardboard and inspect it regularly for mites.

6. Protect your hive from pesticides. If you have to use them in your garden, avoid spraying your plants when they are in bloom and spray late in the day when your bees are back in their hive.

7. If possible place your hive away from fields that are sprayed by farmers. If this is not possible move your hive upwind of the spraying and consider your bees to their hive - but for no longer than 3 days.

Beekeeping is a fascinating hobby and careful attention to their well being will ensure that they produce masses of honey for their owners.