What’s an ingredient you just can’t live without, for whatever reason?
For some it’s a good pinch of salt on every meal, because no dinner or breakfast is the same without it. For others it might be their favorite organic lotion to keep cracked knuckles and dry elbows at bay. Honey, a delicious gift that enters our lives in one way or another, remains a favorite of many. It can be drizzled over your oatmeal, mixed into a hot drink or incorporated in a DIY lotion when winter comes back into the fold. Is it at all surprising more and more people are starting to get into the art of maintaining a beehive?
Should you be considering the beekeeping basics, or just want to learn more about the insect that gives you so many reasons to celebrate, look no further than below.
Did You Know?
Bees are fascinating creatures. Not only do they supply us with the ingredients we need for our flavored honey straws and bee pollen supplements, they boast incredible speeds and a unique hive structure. Honey bees are able to fly up to 15 miles per hour and are responsible for cross-pollinating up to 30% of our crops and 90% of wild plants. These amazing powers don’t come without a price, however, and taking care of your bees properly takes a lot of hard work and study. What beekeeping equipment can’t you do without?
Beekeeper Hat
The most iconic part of the beekeeper’s outfit is the hat. Covered in a sheer net to keep stingers at bay, these are essential to help you navigate your very own bee colony while keeping your surroundings clear. To make one pound of honey a bee has to fly around 90,000 miles, or three times around the globe, to get enough materials. A single honey bee can also produce one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. What else should you add to your beekeeping kit?
Beekeeping Gloves
Just like a beekeeping hat helps you produce flavored honey straws without being covered in stings, so too do beekeeping gloves keep your hands protected. They’re designed to be tough, yet flexible, so you can swap out equipment, pull out honeycomb and clean out your hive without trouble. A single pellet of bee pollen contains more than two million grains of flower pollen, believe it or not, and despite its sticky texture it’s technically an acid.
Bee Hive Smoker
Last, but not least, no beekeeping equipment should be without the bee hive smoker. Bees don’t want to see their hive pulled apart, understandably, and can grow quite irritated when their keepers walk in to start rummaging around in their home. Smoke is a useful tool to calm bees down and make them sluggish enough for you to do your work, with convenient little nozzles to spread the smoke exactly where you need it. Americans will consume a staggering one and a half pounds of honey per person every year.
Flavored Honey Straws, Bulk Honey And More
When you’re interested in creating your own varied flavored honey straws or raw organic honey to sell, beekeeping is a lucrative and fun hobby. The retail price of honey has just about doubled since 2006 and North Dakota is currently leading the way in honey production with 33 million pounds produced each year. The United States has over two and a half million honeybee colonies to its name, a number that is carefully tracked by the USDA in light of the recent honeybee population shortage. When you take care of a bee colony you do your part to give back to Mother Nature.
Where would we be without flavored honey straws and the iconic honey bear? Bees truly are an incredible addition to our everyday lives.
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