beekeeping for beginners: essential tips for starting your dinkum honey bee journey

Introduction

Starting a dinkum honey bee colony can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it's important to approach it with knowledge and care. In this article, we'll cover the basics of keeping dinkum bees, from choosing the right equipment to managing your colony.

Choosing the Right Equipment

Before you start your dinkum honey bee journey, you'll need some basic equipment. Here are a few essentials:

Beesuit: A protective suit that covers your body from head to toe is crucial when working with bees.

Veil: A veil will protect your face and neck from stings.

Gloves: Gloves will protect your hands while handling frames or boxes.

Smoker: A smoker helps calm bees by producing smoke that confuses them and makes them less likely to sting.

Setting Up Your Hive

When setting up your hive, consider the following factors:

Location: Choose a location that receives plenty of sunlight but is also protected from strong winds.

Hive type: There are several types of hives available. Langstroth hives are popular among beginner beekeepers due to their ease of use and versatility.

Creating Space for Your Bees

As you set up your hive, remember that bees require space to expand their colony. Start with two boxes (upper and lower) filled with frames covered in foundation (thin sheets of wax). The upper box should have 8 frames per box while the lower has 10 frames per box.

Installing Bees into Your Hive

Once you've prepared everything else, it's time to install the bees into their new home. You can either purchase a nuc (nucleus) or buy individual queens along with worker bees in small packages called "nucs".

Nuc Installation:

Remove any dead or dying bees before opening up both boxes.

Gently place one frame on top of another within each box until they're fully stacked together inside each section.

Open all screens between boxes so air can circulate throughout the hive as well as allow easy access during inspections later on down line; open only screen at bottom level which leads directly outside since this serves dual purpose – allows fresh air flow & keeps out predators like mice/rats/wasps etcetera who might try invade otherwise vulnerable areas where food sources reside near entrances! This way there’s no chance they’ll get trapped inside if accidentally closed off during future inspections by mistake!

4 Place queen excluder above first row after removing any old combs because once she lays eggs she won’t return back down below again unless absolutely necessary; remove all other layers underneath her except last layer which contains workers only waiting patiently below ground floor level till told otherwise via pheromones sent through chemical signals exchanged between these creatures when ready move forward progress making new cells grow faster than ever seen before never mind what happens next—just keep smiling knowing how close I am getting closer still though nothing compares feeling those tiny wings fluttering against my cheek cheeks trembling softly every single time just thinking about giving birth live births happening right now here within walls surrounding me!!