Eight years ago , my husband and I begin to feel uncomfortable with the conventional way we were keep bees . It was around the time that he had to garnish up in a hazmat suit , gross with gasmask and neoprene mitt , to lend oneself a miticide to one of our hives . The assurances on the publicity defied logic . Somehow the homo utilise the chemicals required tight protection , but they would not harm the bee or appease resident in their domicile .
When you keep bees , you promptly determine there is no “ standard . ” You have to learn from someone , but as presently as you have a hive , you find that you are simply containing and go with unwarranted creatures . Every bee colony is unlike and teaches you how to relate to it in a different means .
During my first few year as a beekeeper , I followed the rules give by other human . The bees , however , were whisper their Wisdom of Solomon to me every clock time I encounter them . We start to heed and have n’t look back . Our bee have remained tidy with hard numeral subsist the winter and very low to nonexistent pinch counts for several years .
Here are four of our favorite change we made when we decide to take the turn into natural beekeeping .
1. Let Bees Eat Honey
The danger of processed sugar to our physical structure is a raging topic in today ’s wellness - witting society . It follows then , that high-pitched fructose corn syrup and work table boodle is an unhealthy food source for bees , as well .
In conventional apiculture , the dearest accept off the hive makes more money than it costs to feed these deficient sugars . Therefore , beekeeper typically take all the honey stores and give the bees a steady diet of processed sugar as supplemental feed in the fall , wintertime and leap .
If you want healthy bees , however , keep at least 40 to 60 lbf. of dearest in their beehive , and hold open at least a systema skeletale or two of take in honey per colony . Then when they need subjunction , you ’ve got it in stockpile — you could simply call off give the frames and summate them into a hive in winter or lay them out in your bee yard on a fond Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . If the bee do n’t postulate it by the time there ’s a strong nectar period in spring , you ’re free to glean it for yourself .
2. Plant for Bees
Planting for bee is a bit like planting for yourself . You need to ensure they have food sources from former spring all the way through fall . go over your local extension service office or university for listing of plants that provide both nectar and pollen . Planting on your own property or place your hive on someone else ’s where there is good access to these plants will help immensely .
Providing across-the-board miscellany of plants for your bees is a must . Pumpkins are wondrous , but if you ate them alone , you would be very sick . In the same manner , bees need to access a diversity of pollen to stock their pantry .
Bee - specific plants let in those that bring home the bacon natural security from mites , as well as computer virus and funguses . Plant plenty of herbs in the area around your hives . Some of my front-runner are mint ( Mentha piperita ) , thyme ( Thymus vulgaris ) , lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis ) , calendula ( Calendula officinalis ) and Echinacea ( Echinaceaspp . )
3. Redesign the Hive
Many different beehive construction are available these days , and most of them allow bees to build comb in a more natural style . Pre - shape comb can introduce affected substances , chemical substance and other contaminants into the hive . The cell sizing in these combs can cause stress , as the bees must cultivate severely to build the multiple size needed for droning and worker cells . The pre - set cells on standard foundation also enable varroa mite growth . We ’ve modified the standard Langstroth hive using foundation - less skeleton to allow the bee to make their own comb , but you might also try the Warre beehive or the top - bar hive .
4. Hold the Chemicals
If you strive to become a holistic beekeeper , you need to make the wellness of your bees your top precedence . This change your mindset as you tackle any health issue you see in your hives . Fungi , viruses and mites will always co - be within these settlement in the same way as fungi , viruses and bacterium conscientious objector - be on our skin . It ’s only when the being is weaken that they grow out of balance and become a problem .
When a hive has an overpopulation of mites , applying a miticide is the opening salvo in a losing battle . Until you direct the underlying weakness , more mites will be produced disregardless of whether or not you shoot down today ’s crop . alternatively , stick out back and look at the colony as a whole . Why are they stressed ? Are they too exposed and being weakened by breaking wind ? Do they lack an adequate water provision ? Once you identify the underlying reason , slump it . There are then a number of natural ways ( herbal teas , all-important oils , bloom essences , or in emergency touch place , pulverized shekels sift into the hive to increase grooming conduct ) to build up the wellness of the colony again .
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