Beekeeping For Dummies. Howland Blackiston

P...FIGURE 3-6: The clever bucket-and-packing-pellets solution is a great do-it-you...

      3 Chapter 4FIGURE 4-1: This is a traditional ten-frame Langstroth hive, showing a bottom b...FIGURE 4-2: This is an eight-frame version of the traditional Langstroth hive, ...FIGURE 4-3: The Kenyan Top Bar hive is likely one of the oldest beehive designs...FIGURE 4-4: Here’s a top bar with beautiful, all-natural comb, heavy with honey...FIGURE 4-5: Apimaye hives come fully assembled and are available in two color c...FIGURE 4-6: The Flow hive introduces a new way to harvest honey, by simply turn...FIGURE 4-7: The Warré hive is a Top Bar hive without foundation that allows the...FIGURE 4-8: These are the top bars used in a Warré hive. Note there are no side...FIGURE 4-9: A nuc hive (sometimes called a nucleus hive) is a small hive with a...FIGURE 4-10: Here are two different styles of observation hives: The thicker on...

      4 Chapter 5FIGURE 5-1: The basic components of a modern Langstroth hive. FIGURE 5-2: This entrance reducer is being installed with its smallest opening ...FIGURE 5-3: A queen excluder. FIGURE 5-4: The parts of a standard frame design. FIGURE 5-5: Inserting the prewired foundation sheet into the grooved or slotted...FIGURE 5-6: Turn the frame upside down to sandwich the foundation’s bent wires ...FIGURE 5-7: With the frame still upside down, use a brad driver to nail the wed...FIGURE 5-8: Insert support pins in predrilled holes of the side bars to hold th...FIGURE 5-9: A wooden and a plastic inner cover. FIGURE 5-10: The correct placement of an inner cover. Note tray side faces up. FIGURE 5-11: The basic Top Bar hive box. Note the end is trapezoidal. FIGURE 5-12: The different types of center guides that help the bees get starte...FIGURE 5-13: A hive-top feeder. FIGURE 5-14: An entrance feeder. FIGURE 5-15: Here’s a pail feeder placed over the oval hole of the inner cover....FIGURE 5-16: A baggie feeder is a cost-effective feeding option. FIGURE 5-17: Frame feeders are placed within the hive, replacing a frame of com...FIGURE 5-18: Feeders for Top Bar hives come in different shapes and sizes. FIGURE 5-19: Various smokers. FIGURE 5-20: A frame lifter (top) and a hive tool (bottom). FIGURE 5-21: Protective clothing comes in various styles, from minimal to full ...FIGURE 5-22: Although not needed for routine inspections, it’s a good idea to h...FIGURE 5-23: You can elevate your hive on cinderblocks. FIGURE 5-24: You can use a level stump to get your hive up off the ground. FIGURE 5-25: This commercially available hive stand is completely weatherproof ...FIGURE 5-26: This hive stand made from cinder blocks elevates a Top Bar hive to...FIGURE 5-27: A frame rest is a handy device for holding frames during inspectio...FIGURE 5-28: Use a soft and washable bee brush to gently remove bees from frame...FIGURE 5-29: Slatted racks help improve ventilation and can improve brood patte...FIGURE 5-30: Screen bottom boards are available for Top Bar hives. FIGURE 5-31: This simple toolbox (formerly a fishing tackle box) is a convenien...

      5 Chapter 6FIGURE 6-1: Package bees are contained in either wooden or plastic boxes. Note ...FIGURE 6-2: A standard nuc box. FIGURE 6-3: The yard of a commercial bee supplier. FIGURE 6-4: A commercial bee breeder shakes bees into packages for shipping to ...

      6 Chapter 7FIGURE 7-1: A smoker with all the “ingredients” is ready to load with paper, ki...FIGURE 7-2: A smoking smoker — the beekeeper’s best friend. FIGURE 7-3: Approach the hive from the side and blow a few puffs of smoke into ...FIGURE 7-4: A little smoke under the hive cover distracts any of the colony’s g...FIGURE 7-5: If you’re using a hive-top feeder, apply some smoke through the scr...FIGURE 7-6: Use your hive tool as a lever to ease apart hive parts. FIGURE 7-7: Direct some smoke through the hole in the inner cover — wait half a...FIGURE 7-8: These are the three positions you must maintain when handling Top B...

      7 Chapter 8FIGURE 8-1: Use your hive tool to pry the wall frame loose before removing it. FIGURE 8-2: Carefully lift out the first frame and set it aside. Now you have r...FIGURE 8-3: Hold frames firmly with the light source coming over your shoulder ...FIGURE 8-4: The correct way to inspect both sides of a frame. FIGURE 8-5: Bridging. Notice the wax between the top of the comb and the sloped...FIGURE 8-6: Notice how this comb is hooked in the first figure and straightened...FIGURE 8-7: Larvae go through various stages of development. Also, note two egg...FIGURE 8-8: Supersedure cells are located in the upper two-thirds of the comb; ...FIGURE 8-9: This young adult bee is just emerging from her cell. FIGURE 8-10: Use the outer cover (placed on the ground bottom-side-up) as a sur...

      8 Chapter 9FIGURE 9-1: On this early summer evening, this “beard” of thousands of bees was...FIGURE 9-2: The proper honey band width in a Top Bar hive to accommodate a wint...FIGURE 9-3: Wrap your hive in tar paper to protect your colony from harsh winte...FIGURE 9-4: A foam covering serves as insulation and a windbreak for your Top B...FIGURE 9-5: Although the outside temperature may be freezing, the center of the...FIGURE 9-6: Reversing hive bodies in the spring helps to better distribute broo...FIGURE 9-7: When this newly forming swarm cell is capped, the colony will likel...FIGURE 9-8: Beekeeping temperature zones in the United States.

      9 Chapter 10FIGURE 10-1: A swarm resting in a tree. FIGURE 10-2: A swarm that has taken up temporary residence under a picnic table...FIGURE 10-3: A useful way to provide a colony with ventilation is to drill wine...FIGURE 10-4: Hanging a queen cage. FIGURE 10-5: Sliding a queen cage onto the bottom board. FIGURE 10-6: I don’t advocate using a Boardman entrance feeder — the smell of t...FIGURE 10-7: The best way to determine whether you have laying workers is to co...FIGURE 10-8: This young lady allows herself to be covered by so-called “killer ...

      10 Chapter 11FIGURE 11-1: The huge pile of dead bees in front of this hive is a telltale ind...

      11 Chapter 12FIGURE 12-1: These are a few of the many natural food additives and supplements...

      12 Chapter 13FIGURE 13-1: Varroa mites can seriously weaken a hive by attaching to bees and ...FIGURE 13-2: This jar’s lid has been modified for a powdered-sugar-shake mite i...FIGURE 13-3: Varroa mites first attach themselves to drone pupae, so that’s a g...FIGURE 13-4: An adult tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi). FIGURE 13-5: Tracheal mites (seen in this magnified photo of an infected bee’s ...FIGURE 13-6: In warm weather a packet of menthol, such as Mite-a-Thol, placed o...FIGURE 13-7: Para-Moth is approved for use in the control of wax moths. It cont...FIGURE 13-8: The small hive beetle has become a significant problem for beekeep...FIGURE 13-9: Placing the legs of your elevated hive stand in cans of oil preven...FIGURE 13-10: These beehives were shattered to smithereens by a hungry bear. FIGURE 13-11: Installing a metal mouse guard prevents mice from nesting in your...

      13 Chapter 14FIGURE 14-1: This illustrates the dominant versus recessive gene expression. FIGURE 14-2: Cutting a sawtooth pattern along the bottom edge of the wax founda...FIGURE 14-3: Carefully cut around the queen cell and transfer it onto a frame i...FIGURE 14-4: A cell bar frame (detail of individual queen cup). FIGURE 14-5: Three different kinds of grafting tools. FIGURE 14-6: Queen cell protectors snapped into place. They are used to protect...FIGURE 14-7: Different kinds of cages designed to hold her majesty. FIGURE 14-8: A push-in queen cage helps you confine a queen to just a few cells...FIGURE 14-9: The delicate process of grafting larvae into queen cell cups. FIGURE 14-10: A pee-wee mating nuc takes up less real estate than a conventiona...

      14 Chapter 15FIGURE 15-1: Egyptians harvested honey over 3,000 years ago. FIGURE 15-2: This chart illustrates the typical content of honey (based on data...FIGURE 15-3: The four basic types of honey you can produce (extracted, comb, ch...FIGURE 15-4: Some of the honey varietals from around the world that are in hone...FIGURE 15-5: Use this honey aroma and tasting wheel to pinpoint the unique flav...FIGURE 15-6: A refractometer is used to measure the water content of honey.

      15 Chapter 16FIGURE 16-1: This hand-crank, stainless-steel extractor extracts up to six shal...FIGURE 16-2: An electrically heated uncapping knife makes short order of slicin...FIGURE 16-3: A double stainless-steel honey strainer (like this one) is an effe...FIGURE 16-4: A double uncapping tank helps you harvest wax cappings. It reclaim...FIGURE 16-5: An uncapping fork or roller is a useful tool for opening cappings ...FIGURE 16-6: The honey gate valve at the bottom of this five-gallon bucket make...FIGURE 16-7: You can use a solar wax melter to begin the rendering process. Ver...FIGURE 16-8: Here’s the setup, left to right, in my garage for extracting honey...FIGURE 16-9: Here’s my honey label — simple and to the point. FIGURE 16-10: These are the standard layouts and nutritional information that c...

      16 Chapter 17FIGURE 17-1: On the top is a frame of comb from a Langstroth hive. On the botto...FIGURE 17-2: Shaking bees off a Langstroth frame. FIGURE 17-3: This triangular bee escape enables