Bee Farming

Honey bee farming is a lucrative career option on account of its high income potential not only for the various honey products but also for the value of the medicinal properties of honey. The pollen derived from bees is an essential ingredient for pharmaceutical, cosmetics and even for pollination. Similarly beeswax is used for making shoe and floor polish, candles and even facial cream. Bees farming are also used to obtain bee venom which is used as a desensitizer for various skin diseases and also to cure arthritis. Those included in taking up bee farming should first procure all the required equipment such as hives, supers and protective equipments such as gloves and veils. One should also learn about the honey making cycle of bees which is dominant in the summer and slows down I winter as at this time the bees tend to hibernate and survive on the honey they have stored in their hives. Hence beekeepers should not remove all the honey form the hives in winter as this may result in the bees dying of starvation. Bee farming also involves having knowledge about disease prevention among bees as they are susceptible to various viruses and infections.

Bee hives are also prone to the problem of wax moths but the best solution for wax moths is a large population of young housekeeping bees. The hive should be tided slightly forward so that water does not collect into the hive which may then result in dysentery among the bees on account of the damp and moist environment. Beekeepers may also uses pesticides in the form of spray applications rather than dusts and these sprays should be applied mostly late in the day or when the plants are not in bloom. Care should be taken not spray the pesticides directly over the colonies and only those insecticides should be used that have a short residual. The minimum equipment required by bee keepers for honey bee farming is a hive tool, a veil and a bee smoker. The bee veil will keep the bees away from the head of the handler whereas the bee smoker will ensure that the bees do not get too agitated. The hive tool is a piece of equipment that helps the beekeeper to manipulate the frames in the supers. It has been observed that bees are less likely to get agitated or disturbed if the right kind of equipment is used while handling them.