How to Start Keeping Bees - Guideline 1

Without vegetation the honey bees cannot exist for example the South Pole and North Pole have snow all year, so there is no work for them, no vegetation that needs pollination. There are many countries in between the North and South Poles where there is plenty of vegetation with the exclusion of deserts. The deserts are not suitable because there is insufficient rainfall for plant growth and a lack of water, unlike the camel they do not have a hump for storing water. All those sandstorms would make it extremely difficult to manage your beehive, besides their survival would also be near impossible if not impossible.

Global locations where there is snow for three months or more, would need just a little more care and know how to see them through the winter period. Where there is snow you will need some basic insulation to protect the honey bees from the wind and snowstorms as they need to keep a constant temperature in the beehive. Beehives are made up of a brood box and several supers that are removable, so there could be small cracks and joins that are not fitting tightly and insulation wrapping would then cover these cracks and joins. Feeding the bees cane syrup may also become necessary during the snowy winter months. You would also need to control certain pests during winter, and keep the mice out as they like to winter in the beehives because of the warmth.

Other considerations would be the landscape in the area where you wish to keep your honey bees. Mountainous areas could make it cumbersome managing the beehives as you would need to check on them from time to time. During the robbing season, honeycombs when full are pretty heavy to carry, for this reason your beehives should be accessible to your pickup or other transport.

The geographic areas where there is no snow during winter are ideal for beekeeping as there are winter flowers and winter crops that need pollination. There is therefore no special care needed during the winter months. Although no robbing is done there is sufficient winter vegetation for the honey bees to sustain themselves. You would need to keep the beehives safe from fires and check on their water supply. In these areas they work all year doing what comes naturally.

In conclusion consider the main needs of the honey bee colony. They need enough vegetation and water to produce honey. The location should be accessible when you are robbing the beehives. Once you have chosen the area other considerations for setting up your beehive will begin to fall into place. The world of the honey bee is fascinating and they actually need very little help from us. The truth is we need them more than they need us.

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