From the type of honeybees you choose to the number of hives you manage and how you choose to manage them - there is seemingly endless variability in beekeeping. For new and expanding beekeepers, deciding which kind of beehive to use is yet another variable in play. Your beekeeping goals, local climate and budget are a few factors to consider as you weigh your options. Your equipment's interchangeability is paramount, too.
Michael Bush, author of The Practical Beekeeper book series, primarily uses modified Langstroth hives. "I run all eight-frame, medium Langstroth boxes," he says. "Full of honey, they don't weigh over 50 pounds, and I use them for everything" - well, nearly everything. Bush also keeps bees in some top-bar hives, Slovenian hives, Flow hives and a Huber observation hive. But he doesn't necessarily recommend mixing and matching your own hives to such a degree.
"If you've got five different kinds of hives, what are you going to do when this one is queenless and you need a frame of brood?" he asks. "With five different kinds of hives, you don't have any interchangeable parts - unless you went out of your way to make sure they were all interchangeable."
THE LANGSTROTH HIVE
Interchangeability and the ability to are easily expand colony size as needed just part of the appeal of Langstroth hives for David T. Peck. Peck holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University's department of neurobiology and behavior and serves as director of research and education at Betterbee.
Denne historien er fra March - April 2023-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
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Denne historien er fra March - April 2023-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The RISE of Opportunist WEEDS
Be prepared to see increasing changes in weeds we fight, such as poison hemlock and poison ivy, and in the crops we grow.
LIVESTOCK Health
Prepare yourself for how to spot symptoms of illness in your farm animals so that you can get them help before it's too late.
CUT FLOWER Farming
If you're considering growing flowers for sale, brush up on these five key things to know before diving in.
WINTER Survival
Keep your land, animals and yourself in good shape this winter with this helpful advice.
COVERAGE CONCERNS
Avoid common insurance mistakes for rural and hobby farm businesses.
FARMER'S GUIDE Berries
Set the stage for tasty strawberries, blueberries and brambles with these soil-boosting garden tips.
Preconditioning CALVES
Follow our step-by-step guide to get more money for your calves.
Soil Conservation
Often, outside of having a specific problem that needs to be addressed, soil conservation isn't something every farmer readily thinks about. Yet conserving the soil should be at or near the top of every farmer owner or manager's list of concerns because absent the prevention of soil erosion, we have the opportunity for another dust bowl.
Year-Round Lettuce & Salad Mixes
It's easy to think of salad greens as just a spring- or fall-garden crop, but it's possible to enjoy freshly harvested lettuces, mustards and more from your own garden year-round.
Barn Improvements
Days are never long enough for a farmer. From dawn to well into the night, tasks arise that often require immediate action. Having to search for tools or equipment is an enormous time waster and incredibly frustrating when you can't find what you need, especially when you know you have it.
