How to attract bees to your new hive

Beekeeping is quite rewarding. It’s a good business for people who want to get into farming but don’t want to spend a lot of money. It’s also a safe business that has nearly zero risks. However, starting a beekeeping business you need to collect a few skills that will help you up and running. One of the most important skills you need is how to attract bees into your new beehive.

The first step you need to do is buying beeswax from your hive supplier or other beekeepers. This has proven to be quite reliable in many parts of Kenya. Once you have beeswax in your beehive everything will play out well. Put them inside your beehive frames and place your beehive in a cool place. Do this during the swarming season (Mostly between December – March). You will be able to see bees inside your hive within a month. It happens sooner if you have all the right stuff bees need like good water supply, flowers (You can plant sunflower),

When bees are tired of their current home, they send out scouts who go out into the world to look for new homes. When they find a great place, they return back and notify the rest of the hive. These are some of the criteria bees look for in hives;

• Place your beehives under a cool and dry shade. Don’t expose the beehives to the sun.
• Bees love hives that have enough space for them to store their honey. Don’t make a small hive.
• Hives that have existing wax frames – This tricks them into thinking bees have lived there before. Bees love to live where other bees have lived.
• Your hive should have a small opening for the bees. This will give them an edge when they are defending their hive from attackers.
• Check your beehive regularly to see if bee scouts are doing research. They usually come in small groups thoroughly inspecting the new home until they find it satisfactory. When all is well, they go back to their old home and tell the others it’s time to move.

When you see bees moving into your new hive, try your best not to disturb them. This will help them settle comfortably and not second guess themselves.

Other solutions that might work in attracting bees to your new beehive is using lemongrass extract. Put a few drops around the hive opening. You will get results after a few days.