Bee Keeping Logbook

Bee Keeping Logbook Description So bee keeping (or apiculture) using man made hives, is a great pastime, that also pays. From bee hives, keepers make honey, and sell it. But not only honey of course, but beeswax for candles,and royal jelly, and one can also makes mead! But before that time the hives need inspecting and hive maintenance needs to be carried out. The hives are checked for still being waterproof. Checks are made in winter every few weeks, that bees are still well, (they only come out from February to October in the UK for instance). Is the hive still well ventillated? The corner of the hive is lifted in winter to check the weight of honey, that there is still sufficient to feed the colony. In spring they are fed sugar syrup, fondant and even honey sticks to kick start activity. Also in spring, there is a need to check their numbers, as too many bees indicate an iminent swarm (April / May). Later the checks are that the bees are out foraging for pollen. Replace old frames as necessary. Check for the Queen and that she is laying eggs and the new brood is developing. Now is the time to check for parasites (mites, wax moths etc.) By late spring or the start of August, extract honey, then add new supers (boxes that contain fresh frames) to collect honey. Honey is extracted by means of centrifugal force by spinning the honeycombs in a metal framework. Thus, the keeper is looking at bee activity, pollen, honey, the brood and the queen. Hives are inspected, using smoke to subdue the bees. Bee keepers wear protective clothing, a hooded suit, gloves and a face mask or veil, made of light coloured cloth, as dark colours would indicate a predator such as a bear is about to attack the bees. To make necessary inspections, bee keepers need to log what they see on each frame. For this, a logbook is required such as this one. The book has 100 log pages in a soft cover and attractive cover design. Enjoy!