Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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Honey
—The sugary liquid produced by bees and stored in the combs. Highly concentrated
source of energy that bees use to survive the winter months.
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Nuc
or
nucleus
—A miniature hive box with two to five frames used to split hives. Often a
nuc can be purchased when beginning a new apiary.
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Queen
—The female in the hive who is capable of laying eggs and producing offspring. A
virgin queen has not yet bred with a drone. After a mating flight a queen is a fertile queen.
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Swarm
—Unlike in horror movies, a swarm of bees is a docile, if scary-looking occurrence.
Swarms happen when a hive splits and a large portion of the workers leave the hive with a
newborn queen to start a new hive. It is the bees' natural method of creating new hives.
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Worker bee
—The sterile females that do the majority of work around the hive. They build
the comb, tend the brood, and gather nectar and pollen.
Starting Your Apiary
Starting your beehive is an exciting time. I recommend really thinking about where you place the
hive, especially in the city where you have neighbors closer to you. There are ways to set up and
manage your hive to be more “neighbor friendly.” Bees don't like to move after they've established
their new home, so plan your location carefully and provide what your bees need from the start.
A 6-foot fence or line of shrubs about 10 feet or more in front of the hive's opening will force the
bees to fly out and then up. This keeps the bees from choosing a flight path right at someone's eye
level or along a busy sidewalk. Encouraging your bees to fly up out of the way will go a long way
toward preventing accidental stings.
Bees need a plentiful source of water. Often after they settle on a water source they will continue to
use that water source even if you put one closer to the hive later. Provide water for your bees near
their hive right from the very beginning so they don't choose your neighbor's water feature or wad-
ing pool for their water source. You can actually get a waterer that fits in the entrance of the hive
specifically for this purpose. Or add a little bird bath within about 20 feet or so.
Bee colonies should be placed in a sunny location that is sheltered from wind and extreme winter
weather. It's also helpful, but not necessary, to elevate your hives so they aren't sitting directly on
the ground. Simple cinderblocks will work for this purpose.
Equipment Needed
There are a few things you'll need before you can keep bees, and unfortunately, buying these items
brand new can be a bit of an investment. If you're fortunate enough to find inexpensive, used
equipment, you'll want to be sure to sanitize it so you don't spread diseases or pests to your new
hive.
