First, a small amount of experimental purchases by novice beekeepers
It is advisable to buy two small balls at the same time. As far as climate is concerned, it is best to choose spring and autumn, and the temperature is between 20 and 30. At this time, the external climate is mild, bees are active, and rich nectar plants bloom. Buying bees at this time will breed faster. Beginners of beekeeping began to study and practice, so that their knowledge was gradually consolidated in practice, and bees gradually increased in reproduction, laying a solid foundation for expanding beekeeping in the future. It should be noted that it is good to keep China bees or Italian bees, but don't keep two kinds of bees in the same place. Italian bees like to bully China bees, so it is better to keep a single kind of bees.
Second, buy bees.
When buying a bee colony, you should first observe the outside of the hive. For example, worker bees are diligent, and the proportion of worker bees with pollen returning to their nests is large, which is generally good; When unpacking, if the bees are quiet and don't jump on people, it means that the bees are docile and easy to manage; Worker bees are bright in color and neatly covered with spleen, which shows that the bee colony is healthy; The queen bee is strong, steady in action, neat in laying eggs, quick in action, full of fluff and bright in color, which shows that the queen bee is young and healthy. In addition, we should also observe the proportion of old bees and young bees, sugar spleen and spleen, and bright body color. A good bee colony is one with a large proportion of young bees and young bees. In addition, beginners should buy some empty nests and spleens when buying bees.
The last section talked about site selection and matters needing attention. Many people think that the site should be selected first. I think we should choose the venue first. After buying the bee colony, it can be placed directly in the selected site. Let's take a look at the placement and layout of beehives!
Third, the layout of the hive.
The first thing to do after the bee farm is settled is to arrange the bees in the right place. The layout is related to the size and environment of the site. In principle, the following aspects should be considered:
Before the bees arrive, the location should be set in advance. If the location of the box has not been decided after the bees arrive, you must never open the door, because as soon as the bees come out, they begin to understand the surrounding environment and the location of the hive. Later, if the location of the box changes, some bees will not be able to return to the box smoothly.
Italian bees can be placed like this.
If the venue is spacious, the distance between boxes can be slightly evacuated to make bees easy to identify; If the space is limited, boxes can also be densely arranged, but the boxes must be separated by a certain distance and a sidewalk should be set aside to facilitate management, so that bees will not be confused about their nests and cause confusion.
Chinese bees are best placed as shown in the figure, that is, scattered and staggered. There are dozens of boxes in front of my house and behind my house, and dozens of boxes are also placed in friends' houses around me, which are completely dispersed and make better use of the flowering period!
The location of each box should be obvious. If bees get separated, steal or escape, it is easy to manage.
The door is best facing south, sunny, followed by southeast and east, but not suitable for northwest wind invasion.
The bottom of the box should be padded with bricks, wooden frames or stones, preferably 4-8 inches from the ground.
The bottom of the box is horizontal left and right, and the nest and spleen in the box are parallel and vertical; However, the front and back are slightly inclined, that is, the back is 0.5- 1 inch higher than the front, so that rainwater will not flow in from the door of the box, and bees can easily move the stolen goods out of the box to keep the box clean.
The door of the box must be spacious, not facing the wall or fence, so that bees can get in and out unimpeded. If there are weeds or smelly garbage and feces in front of the box, they should be removed in time.
After the door is opened, observe from the inside. If dead bees are found, hook them out with iron wire or thin bamboo branches to avoid blocking the passage. After an hour or two, unpack and check whether the queen bee is safe.
Share here today. I hope it will help everyone. I will share it in the next issue-real-time understanding of the actual situation of bee colonies and the early management of bee colonies!
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