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Honeybees & How to Start Beekeeping




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Ancient beekeeping is such a fascinating subject, this site has information about bees and how to become a beekeeper. There is evidence of honey being harvested stretching back for thousands of years. In fact beekeepers have been taking advantage of bees in the wild for a very long time. I have been a 'beek' since about 1998 in a number of different places. Would you like to learn about keeping bees? On this web site you will find everything you ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask.- a resource for everyone.

Send this  page to a friend. Now might be a good time to read The Universal Disclaimer. If you have an interesting or entertaining story about bees, beekeepers or beekeeping, Please go to The Story Page and tell us all about it.

Simple_Back_Yard_Beehive
If you have a burning question you'd like answerd click here to Ask Me a Question page. We love to hear from our visitors.

The European Honeybee Apis mellifera is a species of insect, Apis is Latin for "bee", and mellifera comes from the Latin meli- "honey" and ferre "to bear" - hence the scientific name means "honey-bearing-bee".

The name Apis mellifera was coined in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus. He later realized that they do not bear honey, but nectar, so tried to correct it to Apis mellifica ("honey-making") in a subsequent publication. However, according to the rules of synonymy in zoological nomenclature, the older name has precedence.

For a long time keeping bees was a hobby for me, but like so many hobbies it grew to be something more. I think I can safely say it has become my passion. Please explore this site and learn about this amazing insect and how to start bee keeping. Who knows, being a beekeeper just might become your passion too.

Sign up for our Have you signed up for our Free Beekeeping Course? then click here to jump straight into How to Start Beekeeping..

If you'd like to know the story of how and why the site came into being click here, or on the Why Build a Website button on the menu.



Donations to this website
We appreciate your donations. It takes many hours of experience, research, coding and of course bee stings to create and maintain this website. If you find this site useful you can to make a contribution to assist with its' development.

The Bee Disclaimer
Bee Disclaimer - Not the usual legal stuff - that's in the Privacy Policy Page - It's just that Bees often don't do what the books say they should. I think it's necessary to include this bee disclaimer because there comes a time in beekeeping when one has an epiphany! Obviously one learns a great deal from books, other beekeepers, the internet and one's own experience.

Honey Bee Eggs are the Start of it All
When the queen lays bee eggs, up to 2,000 a day, she first backs into a cell and measures it. If the cell is the smaller size she fertilizes it as she lays it. I'd rather not get drawn into one of those 'which came first, questions. In the larger cells she lays, but does not fertilize it. The size of the cells built by worker bees depends on whether drones or workers are required.

Free Honey | Honey Competition
Win free honey, mailed to you anywhere in the world, subject to local regulations! It's so easy a child can do it. Simply take a look around the site. Somewhere you will find a secret question. It will be a very easy question, even if you don't know the answer you'll be able to find the answer elsewhere on Bees-on-the-Net. You'll recognize the question when you see it because it will be totally out of context with the rest of the text which surrounds it.

Google Wave Video
Here is the full 80 minute Google Wave video which explains the new fusion of email and Instant Message which Google are launching soon.Don't listen to the people who are saying it is incredible, see for yourself. It's still in the prelaunch stage. It appears that more and more invitations are being sent out, but no one knows, it was ever thus with Google, all the details of the progress and release of this application.

Google Wave for Beekeepers
You may not have come across Google Wave, the new innovation from Google. At the time of writing it is still in the pre-release stage and only available to those who have received invitations. If you haven't heard about it I suggest you view the video below. This is an abridged video of the 80 minute version posted on YouTube covering which can be seen by clicking here.

Dolphin Cove
In Dolphin Cove in Taiji Japan, dolphins are being slaughter in their thousands, as many as 23,000 every year. Watch the video then go to the The Cove Website to find out how you can TakePart to help these incredible creatures, because everyone should be aware of this appalling situation.

Drone and Worker Brood
Drone and worker brood are different because the drone is larger so the developing pupae needs more room. You can see in the photo below that the drone brood on the left has domed caps on the cells whereas the cappings over the worker brood which is on the right is almost flat.

Swarm Trap | Bait Hive
It's a good idea to put a swarm trap or lure up in the spring. This has a two-fold purpose, firstly you might catch a passing swarm, secondly if one of your own hives swarm you might catch the swarm rather than seeing it disappear either into the distance, or into some less convenient location such as under your shed.

Basic Beekeeping Equipment
Before you can start beekeeping you need some basic beekeeping equipment. What you need and what you end up buying depends a lot on how serious you are, and how much money you have of course.

Jump start your beekeeping with our Free Beekeeping Course














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