Beekeeping

Wild hive: how to find bees in the forest, tame them and get honey

Wild hive: how to find bees in the forest, tame them and get honey
Anonim

Wild hives can be found in the forest, in abandoned areas. Compared to domestic insects, wild insects are distinguished by greater endurance and efficiency. Individuals have good he alth, and they can also adapt to different weather conditions. Differences can be seen even outwardly: wild bees are much smaller in size, body colors are not as bright and pronounced as in domestic ones.

Wild Hive Appearance

There are special terms for wild bee hives. For example, bort is the name of a beehive inside a hollow tree. It was from this word that the definition of "beekeeping" appeared, which was the main occupation in Russia for some Slavic tribes.

A spontaneously created hive is a formation that only looks chaotic from the outside, inside there is order and distribution over the cells.

Structure of honeycombs

Natural honeycombs are most often built in a language form, and a layer is used for connection. The hollow continues for 5 meters. Usually there are 7 rows, which are arranged vertically. Good ventilation is important for the hive. Due to the presence of holes inside the honeycomb, there is a constant exchange inside the hollow.

During the settlement of the hive, the tray is placed below the place where the honeycombs are. After the hive is completely populated, the cells are built up in the direction from bottom to top. Insect hives take years to build.

How to find wild bees in the forest

Often, beekeepers find wild hives and move them to their own apiary. If you follow the rules and safety precautions, the result can be good.

Search for wild hives can be conducted in accordance with some rules and features:

  1. If there is a river or stream in the forest, then you need to go with the flow. This is due to the fact that the bees need somewhere to take water. Most often they form a hive for 0.5 kilometers from the water.
  2. Most often, insects choose hollows of aspens, oaks, much less often - pines.
  3. Searchs are organized at a time when the sky is overcast - it's easier to notice the years of the flock.
Another option is to build a honey trough. Sooner or later the bees will see or smell it and start taking honey. The search engine can easily follow the path of the swarm and see the nest.

Taming

There are several ways to tame wild insects.

  1. The first way. Construction of a trap and placement on a tree next to the hollow.
  2. The second way. Smoking the bees out of the hollow, then removing the combs and moving them to another location.
  3. Third option. Drank a beehive from a tree.

Trap fishing is suitable for the end of May - that's when swarming begins, which means that there is a high probability that this method will work.

The resettlement process consists of several stages:

  1. First, they open the hollow, for this they make it washed down with a hacksaw. The choice of the place for washing down is important - it is better to do this further from the location of the notch on the opposite side. This is important to protect against the aggression of disturbed bees.
  2. After that, the wall of the tree is sawn through to the bee's nest. At this stage, an ax is used, any other tools that help to chip off the sashes.
  3. To reduce the aggression of the hive, they use a smoker, that is, they blow smoke.

Ancient ancestors used the method when a special path was made for the board - due. After the hollow was completely populated, it was opened from one side, collecting honey. This method led to the fact that the beekeeper unintentionally cut off the honeycombs along with the honey. This led to the death of half the family.

Modern beekeepers prefer the taming method - this is a more humane method that allows you to get honey from wild bees in your own apiary.

If the hive is located on the forest edge at the highest point of the tree, then cutting and opening the hollow is not safe. In this case, you can cut the honeycomb out of the hollow, shake the frames.

It takes patience and experience to set up honey production. It is not enough to simply open the nest to establish prey. Getting honey from a wild hive is hard, but it's even harder to lure out the bees.

Getting honey

In the wild, honey has been obtained for a long time. Today, this knowledge is almost completely lost, only a few are engaged in beekeeping. This is an old craft that requires certain skills.

If beekeepers are engaged in beekeeping, then in order to obtain a product that has excellent characteristics. Wild honey is much more valuable than honey from apiary, where the breeding is artificial.

Beekeepers build hives inside tree trunks so that the hollows are then chosen and populated by wild bees on their own. At this stage, the correct selection of the place matters:

  • important to provide for a water source nearby;
  • the best option is the presence of honey plants around the edge;
  • the exit of the hive is traditionally oriented to the south side.

If you correctly form the future bee dwelling, then most likely it will be inhabited in the next 2 years. This option is suitable for the long term.

Beginning beekeepers can organize breeding with the help of the so-called bee packages. These are special sets of two types:

  • box with frames, feeders and special mesh for the uterus;
  • Fibreboard box suitable for transportation, it can be carried and placed on a flat surface. Inside there is a feeder for the uterus.
Both options are good because the bees may not be kept on a permanent basis. A bee bag will be needed during the relocation, it can serve as a shelter for several weeks. The only thing left for the beekeeper is to provide food and drink, and also lead the swarm to the bee package so that the insects can successfully move inside.

If the family expands inside, then you can add new frames, if the dimensions allow. The main condition is not to harm the uterus, which can be located both on the feeder and on the frame, along with working insects.

Honey from a bee package is obtained in the usual way. First, the frames are taken out, then they are printed using a special tool or manually. At this stage, it is important to prevent clogging of raw materials. Wild honey is rich in vitamins and minerals.

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