Advantages Of Having A Beehive On The Balcony Or In The Garden
Many think that a beehive can only be kept in the countryside, instead know that more and more families are betting on urban beekeeping. Would you like to produce your own honey and help the environment by raising bees? In this article we tell you all the advantages of having a beehive at home.
The importance of urban beekeeping
Why is it that more and more people decide to devote themselves to beekeeping, be it urban or rural? Bees are very important insects for the ecosystem, since their main task is to pollinate the flowers on which they rest.
Without bees, people would have no food: just think that only 10% of the plants in the world pollinate without the help of these or other insects. They also produce honey, which can be used for cooking and to treat certain diseases.
Urban beekeeping is gaining more and more followers around the world, especially in large cities. Having a beehive on the terrace is much more common than you think, especially after this practice has been legalized in several countries.
First steps to have a beehive in the house
Contrary to popular belief, urban honey is usually of excellent quality. In addition, bees help pollinate nearby gardens and are not dangerous to people – they only sting when they feel they are in danger.
It is good to know that when a bee stings, it dies immediately, because the sting detaches from its body. So, unlike wasps, which can sting multiple times in their lifetime, they must feel threatened to do so.
Raising bees is not a very expensive activity, indeed it could almost be said that they take care of themselves. The hive is a completely efficient system, where each specimen knows what to do.
If you want to have a beehive in your house and you live in the city, know that you will necessarily have to have an open space, such as a terrace, a garden or a large balcony. But first of all, you need to make sure that urban beekeeping is allowed in your city.
The best place to place the hive is near a park or green area, so the bees can search for pollen without flying too far.
How to build a beehive
Before placing the hive, make sure you have all the necessary equipment. You will need a suitable suit, which protects you from head to toe from any bites that can occur when you open the drawers to extract the honey.
If you don’t want to buy the suit, you can only wear a sheer hat, a pair of thick gloves, a tightly closed jacket, heavy jeans and closed shoes.
To open the hive, you’ll first need to emulate a fire inside. How do you get it? With a smoker, a special bellows tool that generates only smoke. The bees will calm down and you will be able to work better.
You can purchase a swarm of bees from a specialized producer, which are usually found in the countryside. Or, catch a wild swarm. This operation is a bit more difficult, but make sure there is the queen bee: it is the only one different from the others. The transfer, in any case, will have to be done at night, when they have all returned to the hive.
Once the bees are in their new home, you need to keep them under control as much as possible, at least once a week. This means seeing how much honey they have produced, if there are any eggs, and noting the changes that occur in the squares where the bees work.
However, before having a beehive at home, we recommend that you take a course or seminar held by a professional. There is no need to go to the countryside, as many teach in cities or even online via video.
