What is best to coat a newly bought beehive with, and how do you keep bees to get high honey yields?

Bees are a relatively common resource insect in our country, and because they can pollinate and produce honey they are widely kept; at present most regions of our country have beekeeping, but to keep bees well you need to master certain techniques, so what is better to coat a newly bought beehive with? How should you keep them to get high honey yields?

1. Coat the beehive with boiled tung oil; boiled tung oil has a slight odor, but bees readily accept it, and after coating you can leave it outdoors to air for a period before use. It is waterproof, sun-resistant and not easily deformed.

2. Boil rosin and beeswax at a 1:1 ratio in a large pot until it comes to a boil, then immerse the whole beehive in the pot and boil it for 3 minutes; this can drain the water from the wood, and the beehive gets a protective layer, so it can last for many years without spoiling and be durable; some people call this method the finest in beehive coating.

3. Pour discarded engine oil into a large pot and bring it to a boil, likewise immerse the whole beehive in the oil and boil it for three minutes, then take it out to air; the beehive dried by this method is glossy black, lasts a long time, resists borers and resists corrosion. But it must go through at least half a year before it can be used.

High-yield keeping techniques:

Choose an ideal beekeeping site

For beekeeping, whether fixed-site keeping or migratory keeping, the choice of site for colony reproduction and overwintering is the key to the success or failure of beekeeping production. An ideal beekeeping site should have these basic conditions: rich nectar and pollen sources, good water sources, convenient transport, high and dry terrain, open terrain, no other bee farms within a radius of 2—3 km, and no pesticide pollution. If keeping bees at a fixed site, you must choose a place with ample sunlight, with an open south-facing hillside in front and a mountain to the north blocking the northwest wind, and with the south wind reaching it in summer, exactly a place warm in winter and cool in summer. At the same time you must also consider that throughout the year there must be at least one or more main nectar sources and multiple auxiliary nectar sources with staggered flowering periods, so as to ensure colony reproduction and obtain large amounts of bee products. But if bee farms are highly concentrated and colony density is too great, even if the nectar source conditions are good, it is hard to avoid a situation of “too many monks and too little gruel.” Therefore, beekeepers must take these factors into consideration. In addition, the environment of the bee farm must be quiet and clean; it is not suitable to place the bee farm near railways, pastures, or places with many bee enemies, especially near pesticide warehouses and bee product processing plants (because when processing honey a large amount of honey fragrance drifts out, luring bees over, and they easily enter but hard come out, causing a large number of bees to die). When keeping bees in mountainous areas, you should also pay attention to flood control and fire prevention.

Buy good colonies

When buying colonies, first make an external observation of the beehive: for example, if worker bees go in and out diligently and the proportion of worker bees returning to the nest with pollen is large, it is generally good; when you open the hive to inspect, if the bees are quiet and do not rush at people, it shows the colony has a gentle temperament and is easy to manage; if the worker bees' body color is fresh and bright and the capped brood combs are neat and joined into large patches, it shows the colony is healthy; if the queen is strong-bodied, moves steadily, lays eggs neatly, moves quickly, and is densely covered with fine hair all over and brightly colored, it shows the queen is young and in good condition. In addition, you should also observe the ratio of old bees to young bees and the ratio of honey combs to brood combs; those with bright body color and a large proportion of young bees and brood are good colonies. In addition, beginners in beekeeping should, when buying bees, best ask for a portion of empty old combs to be included.

Inspect the colony

With the change of seasons and the alternation of external nectar sources, different changes also occur inside the colony. Before the swarming fever arises in spring and at the beginning and end of the main honey flow, as well as in the preparations before the colony overwinters, the colony must be carefully inspected so as to better grasp the colony's condition and take corresponding management measures. According to different situations, inspection can be divided into three methods: full inspection, partial inspection and outside-the-hive observation.

1. Full inspection: inspecting each comb in the beehive is called a full inspection. A full inspection should be carried out when it is mild and sunny with a temperature above 14°C. Before inspection you must prepare the necessary tools; the inspector must only stand at the side of the beehive, with the sun at his back. Operations must be careful, and movements must be steady, accurate and brisk. When the beehive is full of combs, you should first take out the second comb and temporarily place it beside the beehive or in a spare box; if the box is not full of combs, just push the edge comb toward the side of the box. When inspecting each comb, hold the frame lugs of the comb frame firmly with both hands and lift the comb vertically. First observe one side of the comb, keeping a distance of about one chi from your eyes when observing. After looking at one side, turn the top bar upright and rotate half a turn outward with the bar as the axis, then level both hands and observe the other side. When observing, look at the condition of larvae, eggs, bees, pollen and the queen. In swarming season, look for whether there are natural queen cells. When putting the comb back, be careful not to crush the bees, and the width of the bee space must be appropriate.

2. Partial inspection: when you only need to learn some conditions of the bees, or when the external temperature is low and nectar sources are lacking so a full inspection is not suitable, taking out only a few combs for inspection is called a partial inspection. During inspection, if you find stored honey at the corners of the comb, it shows there is no lack of feed; if there is newly laid brood in the middle of the comb, it shows the queen is present; if new wax appears on the comb, it indicates the colony has the ability to build combs.

3. Outside-the-hive observation: by patrolling the beehives and observing the bees' activity at the hive entrance, you can judge the colony's condition. For example, if forager bees go in and out busily, the amount collected is large, and some even fall on the landing board when returning and make a crackling sound, this indicates entry into the main honey flow period; if worker bees crawl back and forth at the hive entrance and appear anxious and restless, this may indicate loss of the queen; if from time to time young bees with damaged wings crawl out of the nest, it is a sign of harm by bee enemies; if spiders and powdery droppings are often found inside and outside the hive, it is a sign of wax moth harm; if regardless of weather the bees fly out of the nest at any time, and newly dead bees are found one or two meters in front of the hive entrance, and the beehive feels very light when lifted, then there may be a lack of honey in the nest. Carrying out outside-the-hive observation in early spring or during overwintering is very necessary for promptly understanding the colony's condition.