is beekeeping for you?
TRANSCRIPT
Local Laws and Regulations
– Most cities have laws regulating hives
– Many neighborhood homeowner associations restrict or limit beekeeping
– Missouri has few laws regulating beekeeping
Location ConsiderationsSafety
– away from pets and farm animals
– beehives should be far away from sidewalks and fences
– suburban home, you should build a wooden fence in front of your hives' entrances about 8 feet tall
Location Considerations (continued)
– Honey bee flight paths – like birds, bees leave droppings.
– Sunlight and shade
– Water supply
– Easy access?
Getting Honey Bees
There are four ways to begin a colony of bees.
Start with a swarm.
Start with a package of bees.
Start with a nuc hive.
Start with an established hive.
This frame from the brood chamber is close to ideal.
Honey is stored at the top of the frame
Capped brood fills much of the rest of the frame.
“Keeping Bees” versus “Having Bees”
There is more to keeping bees than putting them in a hive and taking off honey.
– feeding– pests– diseases– management to prevent swarming– splitting to grow your apiary
Pests
– varroa mites– tracheal mites– wax moths– small hive beetles
Pests
– varroa mites– tracheal mites– wax moths– small hive beetles
Swarming
- bees fill up on honey
- old queen and half of bees leave, settle nearby, send out scouts
- usually mid to late morning (can be early afternoon)
- may stay 30 minutes to 3 days
* Swarms are bad: drop in population, honey production, after-swarms
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