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If you are considering a beekeeping hobby, congratulations. You have chosen a pursuit that will acquaint you with one of the most fascinating creatures produced by nature. The bee culture is made up of complex activities all designed to keep the bees' species alive while simultaneously yielding 2 of histories most sought-after products, honey and beeswax.
Another name for beekeeping is apiculture. Another name for a beekeeper is an apiarist. Humankind has been engaging in bee keeping since the hunter-gatherer societies of antiquity. It began with the retrieval of honey from natural beehives. Unfortunately, this meant destroying the honeycombs to squeeze out the honey, as well as the larvae and pupae contained in the cells. It also meant the destruction of the colony itself.
This type of beekeeping was not a sustainable practice because it did not preserve the bees.Artificial hives were invented to colonize bees more conveniently for the harvesting of honey and beeswax. A beekeeping hobby cannot be pursued without the use of an artificial beehive. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw a dramatic improvement in the science associated with beekeeping and the designs of artificial hives.
Before modern hives, the design was a fixed-comb style of hive. This design had the disadvantage of producing much more wax than honey because the combs could not be reused and were destroyed when they were removed for harvesting. An example of a fixed comb hive is a skep, which is now illegal in most of the United States because of the difficulty of monitoring them for disease or parasites.
Skeps also made it impossible to preserve the bees when harvesting the honey or the combs. Modern hives employ a movable comb design conceived by Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth. The Langstroth hive is the most popular design in the United States, while beekeepers in other countries use a variety of movable comb hive designs.
This design allows the honey comb to be removed for harvesting and then to be returned intact for the bees to refill. Movable comb hives also make it possible to harvest honey and wax without killing the bees. Protective clothing will be very important to your beekeeping hobby. You will be in very close contact with the bees and should do all you can to ensure your safety.
Your clothing should be light and uniform in color in smooth in texture. This kind of clothing is least similar to the pelts of bees' natural predators such as bears or skunks, which are dark and furry. Gloves and a veil and hat or a hooded suit are recommended to protect yourself from stings. Facial stings are particularly harmful, as they produce more intense reactions than stings on other parts of the body. Seasoned beekeepers sometimes do not use gloves when they need to perform more delicate tasks.
Obviously, your first step in the pursuit of a beekeeping hobby is to read.
One classic that remains in print today is "The A B C of Bee Culture" by Amos Root. Other books include "The Hive and the Honey-Bee" by L. L. Langstroth, "The Manual of the Apiary" by A. J. Cook, "Fifty Years Among the Bees" by Dr. C. C. Miller, and "Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained" by Moses Quinby.
As with any other trade or hobby, learning directly from an experienced beekeeper will take you a long way toward perfecting your beekeeping hobby.
About this Author
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Jean May is an active beekeeper and you can get started with your beekeeping hobby right now with the information available to you at http://www.perfectbeekeeping.com.
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