Beekeeping is an extremely challenging and satisfying hobby. The honey
bee can be a great companion, but must always be
respected because though they have been domesticated for thousands of years, they are still wild animals capable of taking
a life. But when understood and cared for correctly, the honey bee is a great hobby that can also turn into a great business
selling all of the wonderful products bees create from honey to bee pollen, royal jelly to propolis. Florida is a great environment
to raise bees since they are only active during warmer weather which we have plenty of here in Florida.
We are certain you will find beekeeping an enjoyable and rewarding hobby that can be shared
by young and older alike. Not only will you receive the obvious reward of a naturally sweet honey crop, but also the little
known benefits to the backyard garden. Common garden plants such as melons, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, blueberries, raspberries
and most fruit trees including apple and pear require insect pollination to set fruit. The honeybee is the most efficient
insect pollinator. Bees visit these flowers to obtain pollen, the sole source of protein in the honeybee diet. Multiple visits
to a flower increase the size of the fruit, the number of seeds, and the consistency in the shape of the fruit. The seeds
inside a fruit produce the sugar that makes the fruit sweet; therefore, the greater the number of pollinated seeds, the sweeter
the fruit.
For the beginning beekeeper, we suggest taking
a class on beekeeping. These can generally be found by contacting the entomology (study of insects) department at your local
university, you can also check with your local department of agriculture. These classes will teach you all the basics of beekeeping
in your area and help you get familiar with the terms and equipment used in keeping bees. Another one of the
first resources you should familiarize yourself with is your state beekeepers association.
The Florida Bee Keeper's
Association and many other helpful links to get you started can be found below.
State Beekeepers Association
Beekeeping Links
After years of struggling to keep their bees alive, beekeepers see signs of improvement
but new problems...
Providing Beekeeping Supplies and Bee Products for more than
30 years
Has served the beekeeping community for 146 years
Explore the heritage of beekeeping in the US
could save bee from colony collapse disorder Decimated by mysterious disorder, population shows signs of rebounding
Biology, Research and Beekeeping
Controlling Wax Moth in Bee Hives
Beekeeping and candle making supplies
Online community for Beekeepers
The magazine of American Beekeeping
Learn all about
the wonderful world of beekeeping
History of Bees in the US
The honey bee is not native to the
Western
Hemisphere...
Supplies and resources from around the world
Premiere website specifically designed with beginning beekeeper in mind
Honey Run Apiaries
