Buying a Beehive
Buying a Beehive needs to be from a Registered Beekeeper
Check out the Legal Requirements from the Victorian Department Agriculture
An Established Beehive can have up to 50,000 Bees in a Hive
Where as a new Beehive Colony may have 10,000 Bees and can take a year to Establish and Build up
the Bee Numbers and Produce Honey
Wear a Bee Suit and Appropriate Protective Wear
You can Inspect the Beehive for Excess of Beetles, Varroa Mite other pests or anything that looks unhealthy
If the Bees have Pollen Sacks under the wings it is one Good sign the Beehive is Functioning Normally
Double Beehives should have a Queen Extruder between the Boxes
and it's a Good idea to have a board in the Lid to stop Burr Comb gathering at the top of the Beehive
Beehives should be closed in the Dark so the Bees are not Outside gathering Pollen then you will lose 25% of your Bees
Pick up the Beehive in the early morning and have a Stand to put the Beehive on
An Entrance Reducer helps to stop Robber Bees and you can close the Beehive when Moving or selling
Put small Containers under the legs with a little Water or Oil to Stop Ants from entering the Beehives
Make sure the Beehive isn't Touching Grass or Trees so Ants won't use this as a Ladder
Choose a spot that is away from the Neighbors and not too Hot or Windy
You can place a Lid on top of the Beehive to stop the Rain
There are also Various Beetle traps if the Beehive has a lot of Beetles present
Bee Types
3 types of Bees in a Hive
Queen Bee and Worker Bee
Queen Bees
The Queen Bee is a Fertile Female, Bees have a Short Lifespan Queens up to 5 Years
The Queen Bee Lays Between 1,000 and 2,000 Eggs a Day to hatch new bees and New Queens to Swarm
The Queen Bee can be Recognised by
her unusual Long and Large size
Worker Bees
Worker Bees are the Smallest in the Beehive
The Worker Bees are Sterile Females
The Worker Bees do most of the Labor in
the Beehive, Collecting Nectar, Building Honeycomb and Preserving Honey
The Worker Bees Maintain the Temperature of the Hive by Distributing Water then Fanning there Wings to Circulate Evaporated Moisture, They Remove Dead Bees and Protect the Hive from Intuders
A Single Worker Bee Produces .083 of a Teaspoon of Honey
The Worker Bee can visit up to 2,000 Flowers a Day
Drone Bees
The Drone Bee is a Large Chubby Bee
The Drone Bees are Male
Drones (Mate with the Queen)
The Drones live between 6 Weeks and 6 Months Drone Die immediately after mating
The Drones have no Stinger and cannot Collect Pollenand are looked after by the Worker Bees
Bees don't Fly at Night but will Crawl and are Attracted to Light
Bees don't like Flying in Wet Weather, this is the Best time to Approach a Beehive
Bees are Generally Docile but will protect the Beehive, They become more Aggressive when moved
or when Honey is Extracted for up to a week
Bees Produce Honey for them to Eat and also helps them Survive Winter when their aren't many Flowers around
Bees Travel up to 6 Kilometers to Collect Nectar and Pollen
Bees Fly at Around 25KMH and beat their Wings 200 times a Second Creating a Buzz Sound Bees have 4 Wings
A Bee Colony can Contain up to 60,000 Bees Each Colony has it's own Odor
Honey Bees Uses a Complex Symbolic Language
A Beehive is a Constant 40 Degrees Celsius all Year
Bees are Very Neat and Organized
Bees Have 5 Eyes and three simple Eyes and tow Large Compound Eyes
Bees Die after Stinging, Bees use the Sun for Navigation
Bees can Recognize Faces for two Days and Bees have a Complex Tongue
Bees are very Sensitive to Smell The Bee Brain works in Reverse
Bees Math Geniuses are able to Calculate Distances faster than a Modern Computer
Bees make Wax from their Abdomen
Bees are Good for the Environment
Bees are Very Important Pollinators for Flowers, Fruits and Vegetables
Bees Transfer Pollen between Male and Female parts allowing plants to Grow Seeds and Fruit
The Bee Population is in Decline for over a Decade due to Parasites, Disease and Pesticides Bees increase Crop Yields by up to 25%
Bees are used Extensively in The Walnut, Almond and Fruit Industries
35% of Crops Need Bees for Pollination and 75% of Plants Benefit from Bee Pollination in Australia
Bee Swarms
CALL A BEEKEEPER NOT AN EXTERMINATOR BEES ARE GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Bees Swarm to Survive by Spliting in Two or More
They send out Scouts first to find a Suitable Location
In Melbourne, Australia Bees Swarm from October to December
Their can be up to 20,000 Bees in the Air at any one time, Which Generally Lasts for 15 Minutes
This can be a frightening experience for a short time but the Bees have had a Good feed of Honey before they leave
They Usually land on a tree branch or a bush until they fly away to make a New Hive
The Bees are only Dangerous if they feel Threatened so keep a Safe Distance
Bee Plants
Bees Like Gum Trees, Flowers, Fruit Trees, Vegetables and Herbs
Lavender, Bluebells, Sweet Alyssum,Sunflowers
Banksia, Callistemon, Lepospermum, Meleleuca
Rhododendrons and Azaleas Produce Toxic Honey
HONEY TASTING AT ALL OUTLETS
SPECIALS
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