Stock beekeeping: technology, benefits, efficiency

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Once upon a time, our ancestors were engaged in deck beekeeping. However, some still prefer to use this type of farming. It should be noted that it is the most optimal for beginners in this matter. Let's take a closer look at the features of deck beekeeping, as well as recommendations for its management.

General Description

This type of beekeeping originates in ancient times, when there were no beehives yet, but decks were used instead. They are as close as possible to natural bee houses, where these insects build a nest as they need. In these dwellings, the bees build honeycombs without artificial foundation, which makes honey the richest and most fragrant.

Modern apiaries require hard work from beekeepers throughout the entire period of honey collection. In addition, insects need treatment; it is necessary to collect a nest before each winter. Deck beekeeping implies minimal human intervention in the life of the swarm. It is necessary to make a deck, after whichplant insects in it. In autumn, you can already harvest a sweet harvest.

Stock beekeeping is best for lovers of a he althy product who do not have the desire to influence the life of insects in order to increase the honey yield.

Features

Experienced beekeepers advise not to select honey the first year, if you just settled a swarm in a new deck. Some professionals do not harvest at all in the fall, but do it at the onset of spring, when the insects practically give away the uneaten remains of honey voluntarily.

To equip a bee apiary, you need to acquire a swarm. But where to get it? You can trap it yourself, buy bee packages, and also relocate insects from the swarm.

Benefits of using decks

Bees feel better in such a dwelling for the following reasons:

1. If the deck is made correctly, then the space inside will be about 200 liters. The bee family that lives in such a house will be much larger than the one that settles in the hive. That is why the insects will be stronger, resulting in more honey.
2. Worker bees build combs in the quantity and order they need for brood, proper ventilation and nutrition. As a rule, in the deck they will not populate the old black cells. After all, they care about the he alth of their offspring. With this type of beekeeping, the cells of the honeycombs in the deck are not set by the foundation placed by the beekeeper, but are built exactly according to the size that the insects need.
3. Welcomehoney is left for bees in winter, which increases their immunity, insects get sick less.
4. Insects themselves will regulate the winter ventilation in the deck, sealing all the cracks with propolis. They do the same with the notch, reducing the diameter or clearance so that hornets or wasps do not penetrate there. As for the hives, the beekeeper always controls the size of the notch by himself.
5. Another plus of the deck is that the selection of honey is gentle on insects. It is produced through the bottom hole. Thanks to this, the nest with brood is not injured, and the bee colony is not harmed.

The benefit of the beekeeper is that with such a bee apiary there are no large labor and material costs. You do not have to spend big money on chemicals, tools and equipment. Stack beekeeping is suitable for a beginner beekeeper, because he can easily master the basics of this business, as well as learn how to deal with insects.

Disadvantages of the old method

Breeding bees in special decks has some disadvantages. They are as follows:

1. There is no possibility to influence the life of insects. If you suddenly decide to put a deck for bees, then pay attention to the fact that you will not be able to conduct breeding work.
2. If the insects don't like something, they can leave their homes. You will not be able to correct this situation on your own.

If you want to place decks for bees on your farm, then you need todecide what exactly you need such an apiary for. If the interest is only commercial, then this method of breeding bees will not work. But if your goal is to provide your family with a useful product, then you can put such a bee house in your home. Honey, which is collected from the deck, is more saturated, tasty, fragrant. In addition, it is valued more than ordinary. If honey was collected in the spring, then it will also have medicinal properties.

How to make a beehive yourself?

If you finally decide to organize a deck apiary, you need to get special hives. But how to make such a deck with your own hands? Previously, solid pieces of wood were used for manufacturing. However, a new look at deck beekeeping involves the use of boards. But if possible, you can go to the forest for the trunk. To do this, a part of the volumetric trunk is sawn off, the height of which should be about 2 m. After that, the core is hollowed out, and the bee house is equipped. In order for insects to love a new home, certain conditions must be met:

1. The girth of the barrel must necessarily be large, since the internal space of the deck must be at least 40 cm in diameter. The wall thickness must be at least 6 cm.
2. For the manufacture of the deck, you must use a deciduous tree. Poplar, birch, oak, aspen, linden or alder are ideal.
3. Wood must be dry enough to prevent mold and mildew.

Of course, in real forests today it will be very difficult to find a trunk of this size. That is why a deck for bees is assembled from boards, for which they must be well dried. The outer sides of the house can be square in shape, but inside it is best to trim it with a triangular section rail, which creates a circle-shaped space inside.

Main manufacturing process

The trunk must be at least 120 cm high. Let us consider in detail the main stages of building a deck for deck beekeeping:

1. First of all, you need to cut the log lengthwise into 2 parts, for this it is better not to use a chainsaw, as the wood absorbs the smell of gasoline.
2. Leave the tree to dry.
3. Make saw cuts for the bottom and top cover.
4. Connect the dried parts together in such a way that one seam has a notch, which is located 30 cm above the bottom and stretches to the top. The width of the gap in this case should be about 8 mm. For the winter, the insects themselves will close it up so that their housing is well ventilated.

There should be 2 crosses inside: one in the middle and the other at the top. It is on them that insects will pull the honeycomb. At the same time, the more often the grate, the stronger the honeycombs will hold on.

Installation of ready-made decks

There are many different books on deck beekeeping. In them you can learn about the methods of installing a house for insects, as well as about the features of such a farm. The correct location isa very important step. This will require a bright place on the site, protected from the wind. At noon, the deck should be in the shade.

At the same time, there should not be any barnyard nearby, as bees are sensitive to odors, for which reason they can even leave their homes. Be sure to place a canopy over the house, which will protect it from rain and additionally create a shadow.

The deck is installed at a height of approximately 70 cm from the ground. It is mounted on a special frame, the slope of which should be about 30 degrees. At the top of the hive will be honey, which should remain an insect for the winter. At the bottom will be the product that the beekeeper can pick up.

Preparation for settling with bees

If you have assembled a deck of damp wood, then it must dry. To do this, it should be left until next year. Sometimes during this time, a family of hornets or wasps can independently settle in the deck. With the advent of spring nests, they can be crushed, and then fall asleep at the bottom of the hive. This will be an additional way to attract a swarm if you are going to catch it. To avoid the colonization of wasps and hornets, the notch is reduced in such a way that only a bee passes into it. This suggests that its size should be no more than 8 mm.

If your deck has stood for a year, then by the time the bees settle in, the house must be well cleaned of dust, rot, and debris. To do this, all the walls must be scraped off well, removedan unpleasant smell, if any, then rub the surface with mint or lemon balm.

Insect settlement in the deck

If a swarm of bees settled in the deck on its own, then it should not be touched for several days. Otherwise, you will only scare away insects. By their behavior, you can judge whether the bees liked the new house. If insects fly out of the deck and immediately tend to the field, then this indicates that everything is in order. If, after departure, the bees fuss and behave chaotically, then this indicates that something does not suit them and worries them. In this situation, the swarm can leave the deck even without its queen.

In the case of settling insects from the bee package, they must be poured into the deck using a wooden ladle, while using the smoker as little as possible. Initially, the queen is placed in the hive in a cage, which is fixed on a long stick. If after a day the uterus does not leave the cage on its own, it must be released.

Fetching honey from the deck

As mentioned earlier, it is recommended to collect honey in the second year after the family was settled. To do this, you will definitely need a smoker, a special suit. Since the insects living in the deck are more aggressive, they will defend their own home with all their might. It is best to collect honey at a time when the main part of the family is on the field. For the first time, it will be very difficult for a beginner beekeeper to get a beekeeping product from a hive due to the proximity of honeycombs to each other. Exactlytherefore, a special metal rod is used to cut honey, with one end flattened and curved.

Small conclusion

So, we have considered the main disadvantages and advantages of deck beekeeping. Once again, it is worth noting that this type of beekeeping is best used for beginners who do not seek to receive monetary benefits from such an activity. The economical and uncomplicated keeping of insects in logs allows everyone to use the technology of such beekeeping. The undoubted advantage is that it can be used by those people who want to receive a sufficient amount of honey from a private small farm, which will have good taste qualities.

The deck that you make with your own hands, arranging inside according to all the rules described above, is the most natural and gentle method of keeping bees. These insects will not be in debt - they will thank you with a tasty and he althy product.