Beekeeping Lessons
The first beekeeping lesson is that beekeeping can simply be a hobby, or a full-time profession. Either way, if your intention is to earn millions and billions through beekeeping, then you would be in for a shock. Though there are great earnings to be made (from selling the honey), your main intention should be to enjoy the process of keeping the bees.The second beekeeping lesson would be to know where to start it – though residential areas do not permit beekeeping, you can start one on your own in a more minuscule way.The third lesson of beekeeping would be to know the bees – there are four types of honey bees that can be found.Apis florae – the bees are characterized by their smaller size; they cannot tolerate disturbances of any sort and can abandon their hives.Apis dorsata – the bees in this category can also abandon their hives when disturbed but they can tolerate the disturbances much more than the bees of the Apis florae species. The bees construct one single comb hive suspended from trees.Apis cerana – known as the “oriental honeybees”, the bees are active pollinators and cover a wider area for their hives. Unlike the above two species, these bees can be domesticated.Apis mellifera – the bees build parallel combs in cavities like tree trunks and are characterized by a consistent division of labor within the members. Moreover, these bees have a well-maintained social hierarchy.Now, you decide which type of bees you would go for.The fourth beekeeping lesson would be to know about the availability of beekeeping supply in your vicinity – the need for a regular beekeeping supply is very important as it would be difficult to get them from a faraway shop.The fifth beekeeping lesson would be to know how to protect yourself from bee stings (which you will sure get). For this, you need to wear appropriate clothing/suit to keep away from the stings. These are easily available in the market. Remember not to wear sleeveless shirts or dress, or shorts or dark clothes – dark colors are hated by the bees! White color would be ideal for not disturbing the psyche of the bees.The sixth beekeeping lesson would be to know the methods of collecting honey. Imagine that you are a beekeeper but you don’t know how to collect honey! You must learn the methods but don’t get disappointed when you see the amount – one year it can be very less while in another year, it can be too much to handle. So, if you have only money in mind, then beekeeping is not for you!The seventh beekeeping lesson would be to keep a guide on beekeeping handy – it is very essential and you will require it when you have no one else to help you in this regard.The above briefed out beekeeping lessons could certainly get you going.
