Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Getting Started

When I decided that I wanted to take up beekeeping as a hobby, one of the great difficulties I found was trying to find a comprehensive source that could answer all of my questions. I had to read numerous books and consult dozens of websites to get a basic understanding of beekeeping. Still, no matter how much research I did, there were always some niggling questions I had that were never addressed no matter how hard I looked. Questions like: “Do I paint the inside of the hive?” Some sources said yes and some said no and I was constantly left baffled by the information I found which was so often contradicted by another source.

By the time I had prepared sufficiently last year to buy my bees the season was over and I had to wait for spring so that I could purchase a nucleus colony. I used this time to attend a beekeeping course at the University of Queensland Gatton campus and read up on bees and much as I could. Now that I am about to get two nucleus colonies this Saturday I thought that I could create a blog as a journal so that other aspiring beekeepers can get a bit of an idea of what it is like starting off as a beekeeper before they get their hives.

I will try to update this blog frequently and include video and pictures in addition to my written updates. My blogging pattern will begin with the very basics of assembling equipment and preparing for the arrival of my bees. It will progress as I learn more about beekeeping and my hives grow.

Since I would like to attract readers globally I will discuss my activities in terms of the seasons and not the months as this can get confusing (as I have found in books) for people on the opposite side of the equator. I will also be able to reply to comments and questions from readers who want to learn a bit more and I am also happy to accept any tips that other beekeepers may have and I will update my blog with any good ideas that are submitted.

Jack

1 comment:

  1. Well done Jack,
    our neighbour is setting up a bee hive so I am putting him onto your site.
    We might even go into bee keeping as well!

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