Bee products are very popular among the population. Bees are unique insects that provide a large number of products useful to humans. Beekeeping as a business allows you to earn income not only from the sale of honey - the beekeeper's income is also provided by propolis, royal jelly, wax, flower pollen, etc.

However, before you start beekeeping from scratch, you will have to prepare for certain costs. Breeding bees is a difficult job, this business needs to be given great attention. In order not to run into problems, you need to purchase certain equipment, choose the right breed of insects for breeding in the climatic conditions of your region, and also learn how to care for bees.

Советы для начинающего пчеловода.

How to choose a place for beekeeping?

Before you learn how to beekeeping and get these beautiful insects, you need to decide on the place where you put the apiary. It is not even worth thinking about organizing such a business in a big city with dusty high-rise buildings. Bees are sensitive to polluted air, so they should not be kept near busy highways or enterprises with large emissions.

It is best to do beekeeping in rural areas. It is worth considering that the flyby radius of a bee is 2 km. It is best to choose a place in such a way that there are honey flowers on the entire area that insects can cover. Some beekeepers organize the removal of hives to the forest or to the fields during the season of abundant flowering of various flowers.

For beekeeping, it is best to buy a private house with a large attic or barn. These rooms can be used to set up hives. Before you set up beekeeping in the attic, you need to provide insects with free access to hives and nests, and check the roof. The attic or shed must be dry.

What equipment does a beekeeper need?

The main expense item for a beginner beekeeper is hives. You should start with one hive. It can be made independently by studying the finished drawings. There can be as many hives in the apiary as you like, but it is better to add bee colonies as you gain experience.

A lot of inventory for the maintenance of the apiary will be required. Experienced beekeepers are advised to purchase the following devices and necessary things:

  • Protective clothing (long-sleeved overalls, mesh mask, gloves. Clothing must be white);
  • Smoker;
  • Feeder and drinker;
  • Bee remover (to separate honey bees from workers);
  • Grid for separating worker bees (when you need to work with the queen bee);
  • Brush for sweeping bees;
  • Knives for opening honeycombs and a container for heating blades;
  • Honey extractor;
  • Container for settling honey.
If you wish, you can purchase equipment for the production of beeswax, but at the first stages you can limit yourself to only extracting honey.

How to choose a breed of bees?

The choice of breed of bees depends on a number of factors. For example, you need to choose a breed according to the colors and crops that grow in your area. If there is a lot of buckwheat and linden in the area, a Ukrainian or Central Russian breed would be a good option. If a lot of legumes grow in the vicinity, you can choose a Caucasian breed.

The queens of the Italian bee are considered the most prolific - up to 3,000 eggs per day. They are followed by representatives of the Carpathian and gray Caucasian breeds - up to 2,500 eggs per day.

As for wintering, it is best tolerated by bees of the Central Russian and Carpathian breeds. Caucasian and Italian breeds, on the contrary, do not winter well in a continental climate.