The Beekeeping Hive

Here is a lowdown on beekeeping hive 101

To start off:

To finally begin my beekeeping journey, I headed down to the nearest beekeeping store to get my equipment and supplies. I purchased hive parts, smoker, a veil helmet, a feeder, and a hive tool (which is practically the jack of all trades when it comes to beekeeping) and of course, a hive and two packets of bees. I will also need additional equipment once my hive starts producing honey, like honey supers (that's extra parts to store the honey), a bee brush and a suit; so, I am all set for now to start building my own beehive.

To install the bees in my hive:

The bees came in a small cage with a separate one for the queen and a few of her attendants. I filled the feeders with sugar syrup and pried open the cages. I then lifted the queen cage and placed it in the hive, in between two frames. I will be using gradual introduction to make sure the bees are familiar with the queens smell and therefore accepts her as their own before she is finally freed. Once the queen cage is in, I simply removed the syrup can from the main bee cage and placed the cage inside for the bees to crawl out, and placed the lid back securely. I will be back to remove the cage and refill the feeder a few days after.

A note from the hive:

It will pay to observe precautions during beekeeping installation, although bees will less likely sting during hive introductions. Always wear your veil to prevent those nasty stings especially if you are allergic. And do try to visit your hive during sunny days as the bees also get grouchy when its raining. And do not forget to open the hive only, and I mean only, when it is necessary. Your bees wont like the unnecessary attention and gets too stressed with activities.

So, don't take my word for it, go out and start your beekeeping adventure A.S.A.P!