Post by Ismail AbdulAzeez on Jan 20, 2013 2:33:57 GMT 1
Many people who are beginning to keep bees in their backyards are not actually beekeepers. Many beekeepers never really become beekeepers, but only remain bee-havers. There are several reasons why people remain bee-haves and never become beekeepers, but I think the biggest reason is FEAR. Bee-havers simply do not feel confident in their skills. They are afraid that their lack of knowledge will result in doing something wrong and may kill their bees, and in the process, they end up under-tending their hives.
As a result of this fear, most bee-havers know only enough to install a package, dump expensive and unnecessary medication on their bees, watch them die in the winter, and buy packages the following year only to repeat the same techniques that may have led to their bees failing the first time. We’ve got to break this cycle! Here are a few ways to gain confidence as you tend to your bees:
Education is key. With a bit more education and mentorship, a bee-haver can become a beekeeper and develop a level of skill, knowledge and confidence that can catapult their beekeeping hobby to a whole new level of success. And I’m not talking about simply reading this and going for it. No matter how “book-taught” a beekeeper is, the best education is through a hands-on course with experienced beekeepers. While you’re researching, check out the Honeybees and Beekeeping Blog, which provides a place where experienced beekeepers share their stories and expertise.
Catch swarms. Swarms rarely sting and always draw an audience. It builds your confidence to retrieve a swarm and place it into your bee yard. Once people hear that you keep bees, they will be calling you asking you to remove a swarm. Every beekeeper should have an extra empty hive to capture swarms. You can catch them and keep them as a new hive. Also, you’ll have extra equipment should you want to raise an extra queen, keep a smaller hive going, or support an observation hive. Besides saving money, a swarm consists of local bees that have their own queen and are healthy enough to have already multiplied and many more.
As a result of this fear, most bee-havers know only enough to install a package, dump expensive and unnecessary medication on their bees, watch them die in the winter, and buy packages the following year only to repeat the same techniques that may have led to their bees failing the first time. We’ve got to break this cycle! Here are a few ways to gain confidence as you tend to your bees:
Education is key. With a bit more education and mentorship, a bee-haver can become a beekeeper and develop a level of skill, knowledge and confidence that can catapult their beekeeping hobby to a whole new level of success. And I’m not talking about simply reading this and going for it. No matter how “book-taught” a beekeeper is, the best education is through a hands-on course with experienced beekeepers. While you’re researching, check out the Honeybees and Beekeeping Blog, which provides a place where experienced beekeepers share their stories and expertise.
Catch swarms. Swarms rarely sting and always draw an audience. It builds your confidence to retrieve a swarm and place it into your bee yard. Once people hear that you keep bees, they will be calling you asking you to remove a swarm. Every beekeeper should have an extra empty hive to capture swarms. You can catch them and keep them as a new hive. Also, you’ll have extra equipment should you want to raise an extra queen, keep a smaller hive going, or support an observation hive. Besides saving money, a swarm consists of local bees that have their own queen and are healthy enough to have already multiplied and many more.
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