Beekeeping can be a fascinating pass time or a full time career, and is practiced by millions of people around the world. It is a relatively inexpensive hobby that can give sweet honey all throughout the year.

However, it can also be quite dangerous and you should expect to get stung by some bees over time. You would have to protect yourself from bee stings, and you must be aware that a bee sting can cause death to some people who are highly allergic to it. Here are some of the major beekeeper supplies that you would have to get, if you plant to engage in beekeeping.

Protective Gear

One way to protect yourself from bee stings is to wear the right clothing when tending to your bees. Protective gear usually includes a hat, a veil, a beekeeping suit and gloves. Wearing a hat and a veil will protect your face which, being the most exposed is also the most vulnerable part of your body to bee stings.

The beekeeping suit should cover your whole body, including your arms and legs, and should be light weight, to allow movement. It should, however, be made of material that cannot be penetrated by the bee stings, to keep yourself safe from the bee venom. Gloves will protect your hands, although some may find it awkward to wear gloves while attending to their beekeeping activities. However, without using gloves, you will be exposing your hands to bee stings, which can easily impede your tasks as well.

Artificial Hives

Beekeepers often use artificial hives which usually have a foundation made of a thin sheet of wax. These are often used to encourage the bees to build a honey comb that is easier to harvest. With artificial hives, bees do not really have to spend too much time building the honey combs.

Feeders

Beekeepers often use feeders to feed their bees. Although bees can actually feed themselves, there are instances when the beekeeper has to provide them supplements like sugar syrup, especially during the winter. There are different feeder designs that a beekeeper can use, some of which are designed to be used inside or outside the hive.

Bee Smokers

A “bee smoker” is also one of the essential beekeeper supplies that is often used to emit smoke in order to calm the bees. Most bee smokers use rotten wood, cardboard, burlap or twine as common fuels. The smoke can also cover the pheromones that guard bees release to warn the colony of the presence of an intruder. When the bees smell smoke, they immediately get into an “eating frenzy”, perhaps to get ready, in case they have to leave the hive because of a fire. As the bees are kept busy or confused, the beekeeper can freely work on the hive without any violent reaction from the bees.

These are just some of the essential beekeepers supplies that you need, to get you started with your beekeeping hobby. With the right supplies for your beekeeping tasks, you can be protected from the danger of bee stings, you can easily manage your bee colonies and later on enjoy the sweet fruits of your labor.

For more useful & interesting information on this & related subjects and Grab your copy of a 10 part Email Course entitled “the 10 essential steps to better beekeeping” go to: http://www.beekeepingclasses.org

Ted Sikkink, is an ex music industry executive and now focused on helping people making better choices using internet marketing and social media.