Dan Greenwood 
Beekeeping is a fun, fascinating, and rewarding hobby, but it can be intimidating to first-timers. It’s not exactly a matter of jumping right in whenever you feel like it. You’ll need to prepare, and you have to invest in some necessary tools of the trade.
Collecting honey is perhaps the most popular part of beekeeping. It’s the fruits of the bees’ and your labor. In fact, many people become beekeepers solely because they want to harvest honey.
Whether you want to keep your honey or sell it to others, honey harvesting needs specialized tools. Let’s take a look at one of the most hotly-debated tools: honey extractors.
As a beekeeper, a bee smoker will likely become your best friend. Bee smokers are essential equipment or anyone working with and around bees. The smoke they emit soothes the bees, making them less likely to attack while you’re inspecting their home.
It can, however, be tricky to use one, though. This is why we’ve created this guide for you. We’ve included everything, from the best bee smokers and fuels, to the how-tos.
Most people assume that bee hives are the stereotypical mounds we see hanging from trees, exaggerated in cartoons. In reality, the word bee hive specifically implies that it’s manmade. That’s where bee hive boxes come in. They’re built to contain bee nests as naturally as possible, in such a way that humans can manage what goes on inside them.
Mites are the sworn enemies of honeybees and beekeepers alike—these tiny pests are known for causing great distress within a beehive. Fortunately, experts have found that using an oxalic acid vaporizer can keep them from causing too much damage.
By using an oxalic acid vaporizer, beekeepers can now safely prevent these mites from destroying their colonies. Today we’ve put together a complete guide to help you find the best oxalic acid vaporizer. We’ve also included a small guide to using them toward the end.
Flowers are essential to bees as they provide them with nectar and pollen, which are vital to bees. However, it’s important to know which flowering plants are best for honey production as some attract more bees than others.
Over a decade ago, bees’ imminent disappearance — publicized as “Colony Collapse Disorder” — was on every media platform. Humankind was said to be in jeopardy, and we were on the verge of a disaster. Donations flew in to “save the bees!”
Taking a step back, are honey bees endangered as proclaimed? To what extent are they impacted, and how?
With honey bees and flowers, it’s a reciprocal relationship. As pollinators, they play a vital role in maintaining a healthy and fruitful garden. In return, the flowers provide bees with a bountiful harvest.
The best flowers for honey bees are those rich in nectar and pollen — the two things they need to thrive. Planting “bee-friendly” gardens is a simple but effective approach to help them achieve this.
In recent years the bee population has been under threat. With this in mind, it’s unsurprising that finding dead pollen-covered bees raises alarm bells.
There are various reasons behind this occurrence, understanding what it means can determine whether or not it’s a cause for concern.
There are more than 22,000 species of bees, they’re found in various shapes, sizes, and each possesses a unique trait. One of the quirkiest is the carpenter bee.
Bees are a vital part of our ecosystem and are renowned for the delicious honey that some produce. Do carpenter bees possess this remarkable ability — do they make honey?