Beehives

Always begin your inspection of the hive by removing the first frame or wall frame. That’s the frame closest to the outer wall. Which wall? It doesn’t matter. Pick a side of the hive to work from, and that determines your first frame. Here’s how to proceed:

1. Insert the curved end of your hive tool between the first and second frames, near one end of the frame’s top bar.

2. Twist the tool to separate the frames from each other. Your hand moves toward the center of the hive — not the end.

3. Repeat this motion at the opposite end of the top bar. The first frame should now be separated from the second frame.

4. Using both hands, pick up the first frame by the end bars. Gently push any bees out of the way as you get a hold of the end bars. With the frame in both hands slowly lift it straight up and out of the hive. Be careful not to roll or crush bees as you lift the frame. Easy does it!

You should never put your fingers on a frame without first noting where the bees are, because you don’t want to crush any bees, and you don’t want to get stung. Bees can be easily and safely coaxed away by gently pushing them aside with your fingers.

Now that you’ve removed the first frame, gently rest it on the ground, leaning it vertically up against the hive. It’s okay if bees are on it. They’ll be fine. Or, if you have a frame rest (a handy accessory available at some beekeeping supply stores) use it to temporarily store the frame.

This is a basic and important first step every time you inspect a colony. The removal of this frame gives you a wide-open empty space in the hive for better manipulating the remaining frames without squashing any bees. Always be sure to remove the wall frame from the hive before attempting to remove any other frames.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/how-to-remove-the-bee-hive-first-frame-4159646.html

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In this episode of The Trip for Life, I continue my exploration of the methods that Growing Power, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, uses to grow enough food to feed many thousands of people in a couple of acres. In the last episode, I showed you how they produce the high quality soils that they need for their plants; in this episode, I will explain how they manage water, in both the fish ponds and the aquaponics beds, and how they grow their massive crop of food plants. I will also be talking about some of their experiments in integrating more traditional animal husbandry into the Growing Power system. And, you will get to see their bee yard, and future plans. An info-packed episode of The Trip for Life, a must see for anyone who wants to build a high intensity urban farm for themselves!

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The main aspect of beekeeping has to do with the hives in which the bees are kept.  Over the years beekeepers have improved upon the hives for the bees in order to make honey gathering easier.  The Langstroth hive is the most commonly used in the United States by beekeepers today.  It is what is called a movable frame beehive.  The support structure of the Langstroth hive is a rectangular wooden frame which holds the combs within it.  There are typically nine or ten of these combs inside the frame.  Amazingly, there is no top or bottom of the frame.  The combs hang freely within the frame.  The combs are made of a sheet of wax or plastic foundation.  The bees are able to produce wax and build honeycomb by using the wax sheets as a starting point.  They are then able to deposit honey and pollen into the cells of the comb.  The box is designed to easily be able to remove the frames full of honey to be extracted.

Some hobby beekeepers within the United States are using top-bar hives that are commonly found in Africa.  A top-bar hive has bars across the top of the structure which allows the honey bees attach and hang wax combs from.  Different from the frames that are used in a Langstroth hive, the combs on bars cannot be reused after the honey extraction.  This type of design results in a lower production of honey.  But the honey from the clear yellow combs Produced in a top-bar hive is of the highest quality.  It can be sold as an in-comb honey product.

Regardless of which hive design the beekeeper decides to use, certain aspects of keeping these hives on the property must be considered.  First off, before the beekeeper decides to keep bees on their property they must research the local restrictions to keeping bees found in some areas.  They should also consider the amount of room that is available on their property and the placement of the hive.  The bee hives should not be placed near homes or areas that are used for recreation.  Bees can be bothersome to some people especially those who suffer from bee sting allergies.  The bee hives also needs to be placed near nectar and pollen sources in order to give the bees easy access to a food source.  Some beekeepers use bees solely to pollinate their crops.  The hive should also be placed near a fresh water source.  This can be a natural water source or something that is supplied by the beekeeper.  Another important aspect that should be considered when placing a bee hive on one’s property is predators and vandals.  The hive needs to be protected from natural predators like bears and skunks and from human vandals that might be interested in gathering some free honey.  The hive also needs to be protected from severe weather conditions and it needs to be accessible throughout the year.  Although bees are most active during certain times of the year, beekeeping is a job that lasts throughout every season of the year.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/beekeeping-and-understanding-the-bee-hive-3388874.html

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Beekeeping is the controlled raising of bees in hive in order to gather honey.  It has a long history and is a wonderful hobby.