The Beekeeper’s Corner – An Introduction to Beekeeping

By Mike Gebert –

This column will cover all aspects of beekeeping, from the basic to the more complexities of beekeeping.  These articles will mostly cater to new beekeepers, but will cover some advanced topics.  Since this is the first article, allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Mike. I have been a beekeeper for 5 years, maintain 4 hives in my backyard along with 1 nucleus colony.  I have been a member of the Florida State Beekeepers Association for 5 years as well as, been a member of the Broward and/or Palm Beach Beekeeper Associations during that time.  I practice chemical free beekeeping; however, I am not opposed to using chemicals if your beehives are dying and need assistance for survival.  We will cover more of this in later topics.  I also mentor several new beekeepers and assist them with their new hobby in beekeeping.

There are several reasons why I decided to write this column.  One reason is because, during my travels, people discover I am a beekeeper and often have numerous questions about beekeeping.  Another is people have become aware that there is a declining population of bees in the world and have questions that are not asked in documentaries and news stories, or they have follow up questions from theses stories.  The last reason is because people are interested in becoming a beekeeper, but don’t know how to start or where to go for information.  Because of these reasons I decided to write down and share what I have learnt and discovered about beekeeping.

Over the next few months I will be covering topics such as; how do you start beekeeping, the different classes of bees, beekeeping equipment, products of the hive, question and answer from people reading this column as well as Intergraded Pest Management (IPM) just to name a few topics.  If you have a question or are a beekeeper and have a different way of accomplishing a task, feel free to contact me and I will be happy to post them.  On that topic, in beekeeping there are numerous ways and techniques that accomplish the same task.  So just because I do a task one way does not mean it can’t be accomplished using some other means.  There is an old saying… ask ten beekeepers a question you will get ten different answers.

The next logical question is why does one get into beekeeping?  People get into beekeeping for various reasons.  Some have heard that the bee population is declining and want to do something about it.  Others are gardeners or farmers and want their own bees for pollination. Yet others just want a hobby that is relaxing, rewarding and has the benefits of free honey. Whatever the reason you want to start beekeeping, understand you will not become rich, but will have a relaxing time in the bee yard.

This concludes the introduction to this column and some of the reasons one gets into beekeeping.  The next article will give you general information about bees and how one starts their beekeeping adventure. If you would like to contact me I can be reached at beekeeper120@hotmail.com. Until next time!!