Your Homestead Urgently Needs Bees

Sevelx | January 4, 2016 | General

Facebook

Google

Twitter

A lot of attention has been given to bees and pollinators as awareness of pollinator decline has spread. Because of this, you may have considered keeping bees yourself. Adding bees to your homestead and farm operation—whether they’re introduced honeybees (Apis mellifera) or any number of bees native to your area of the country—can play an important role in food production and your land’s ecological diversity. Whether you decide to start a hive for honey production or cultivate natural habitats for native pollinators, you’re providing a great benefit to your farm and pollinator populations at large. If you’re on the fence about keeping bees, here are a few reasons you should give it a try.

…………..

3. To Boost Your Health

Raw honey has some amazing reported health and healing benefits, from combating allergies to healing burns, but honeybees produce other products that humans have used for their own health and healing for centuries.

When collected responsibly, pollen can be a holistic remedy for many ailments. It contains more protein per pound than beef, eggs or dairy. It’s a critical source of protein for the hive. For humans, bee pollen can improve immune function, soften the effects of seasonal allergies, aid in digestion and support the cardiovascular system.

…………

5. To Harvest Honey

Honey is an important reason many beekeepers get started. It’s important to note that you won’t likely harvest honey in your first year of beekeeping, and as your hive develops, you’ll need to be aware of how much honey you take from the hive.

Female worker bees spend a significant portion of their time gathering nectar and turning it into honey to feed the colony. Honey is carbohydrate source that will help the bees survive the winter. A single Langstroth hive needs to store 40 to 60 pounds of honey to survive the colder months. If you rob them of these stores, it spells almost certain death for the hive during the time of year when forage is scarce or nonexistent.

…………..