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Airborne beekeeping involves the artificial creation of a dwelling for bees in the form of a hollow in a tree. Bort is able to attract a huge number of wild forest bees. In order to seriously engage in the extraction of bee honey, you need to familiarize yourself with the features and nuances of beekeeping. It requires a good understanding of the trees that are best suited to attract a swarm of bees. Knowing the features of beekeeping, you can make the life of bees in artificially created hollows much more comfortable than in hives.
What is “boring”
Beekeeping is a form of beekeeping in which the hive is arranged in a natural or hollowed-out hollow of a large tree. To do this, trees are used, the hollows of which are located at a height of 7 to 15 m. The board is a replacement for the traditional beehive, it can be hollowed out artificially or it can be used formed on an old tree. In the middle of the hive, bees form honeycombs, for which they use special fortifications – snoz.
The collection of honey from the hive in the side is carried out by using narrow sticks with small holes. Such a device is called beekeepers.
In itself, beekeeping is a fascinating and not too laborious process. The only difficulty in this type of beekeeping is the collection of honey from the hive. Due to the fact that the hives are located at a decent height, it is required to climb a tree.
Origins of airborne beekeeping
Based on the history of beekeeping, they liked to do this activity in Our Country and Bashkortostan. This form of beekeeping was especially popular from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century.
Beekeeping developed especially well in dense forest plantations near the Desna, Oka, Dnieper and Voronezh. However, soon such honey production began to decline. The cutting down of trees in the forests and the liberation of green areas did not make it possible for this branch of agriculture to develop. At the end of the 15th century, almost all plantings around the Moscow River were cut down and beekeeping ceased.
In the Republic of Bashkortostan, the content of the beehive in the board developed much faster than in Our Country; today beekeeping has been preserved in the protected area of Shulgan-Tash.
The Republic of Bashkortostan is famous for its numerous linden and maple forest plantations, and these trees are among the best for creating beehives in the board.
During the nomadic period of the tribes of Bashkortostan, deforestation was practically not carried out, bees actively multiplied and took root well in wooden hives. For this type of beekeeping, only dark forest bees were used.
The life of bees in a hollow
If we compare the content of bees in hollows and ordinary hives, preference should be given to the first. Beekeeping in artificially built hives is often detrimental to bees, especially in the summer.
In ordinary hives, there is practically no ventilation. There are ventilation holes, however, they are not enough for good air circulation. For this reason, the bees in the hive are divided into two groups: some drive superheated air, others – fresh inside the hive. This process requires a lot of effort, and due to the increased activity of insects, they need more food, so the productivity of honey decreases. In the summer, some of the bees die from the intense heat in artificial hives.
The bees that settled in the hives do not lose energy for ventilation, which is why they do not require additional nutrition, as in the hive. When the air in the hollow becomes heavy, it escapes through the main hole. Thus, the bees do not expend much energy, they produce more honey. Insects practically do not get sick, they produce a high-quality bee product.
When keeping bees in a hollow, a strong and healthy swarm develops, which is not afraid of the most dangerous disease – varroatosis. Forest dark bees, unlike those found in ordinary hives, have good immunity against mites and other microorganisms.
How to make a do-it-yourself bee bort
To independently build a beehive on a tree, a middle-aged tree is chosen. It should be strong, preference is given to maple or linden. The hive board should be cut at a height of 5–15 m from the ground. The depth of the hollow should be 30 cm, length – 1 m.
Next, follow the instructions:
- Cut down a window (dovzhey) corresponding to the cut hollow in height and 10 to 20 cm wide. This hole will be the collection point for the bee product.
- After the construction of the dove, it is covered with wooden covers. It is better to fix them with wooden nails located at different heights.
The nails are made from maple. Other trees are not suitable for making nails. The thickness of each dove should be equal to the width of the window.
A small hole is made in the hollow, which will serve as a tap hole. It must be made at right angles to the main hole. The small window is located slightly above the middle of the main one. It is enough to raise it by 2-3 cm.
After the bead is made, you need to take care of the main hole. In winter, humidity rises in the hollow, the main trunk can rot, which is why the productivity of bees will decline. To avoid hassle, it is necessary to build a ventilation duct with a plug in the side. This is done in parallel with the cutting of the small window.
Making ventilation is easy enough. To do this, make small holes in the hollow.
Properly executed construction of the ventilation system in the board contributes to:
- preservation of the habitat of bees in good condition for a long period;
- improved honey production.
Keeping bees in nests
Before you make a hive in a hollow tree, you need to take care of the size of the new housing. Bees that produce a lot of honey may refuse a place if it doesn’t fit. If the bees made board suits, the swarm of insects populates and settles down in a hollow. If there are cracks or holes inside the hive, the insects fill them with propolis, work begins to build honeycomb, and then honey production.
Honey, which is formed in the upper part of the hive, cannot be touched, the lower one is a product for collection. It is very important not to overdo it with harvesting, and not to climb deep into the border, otherwise you can harm the brood. In the second year after the settlement of the bees, the active filling of the combs begins, so at first the process of collecting the bee product will be quite laborious.
It should be remembered that forest bees are aggressive in nature, so protective clothing must be used when harvesting.
Technique for collecting honey product from borti:
- It is necessary to wait for the departure of bees in the field.
- Smoke out the remaining insects with the help of smoke and tapping on the hollow.
- Collect the bee product from the hive using a beekeeper. It is recommended to collect honey at the bottom.
What are the qualities of wild honey
Honey produced by forest bees living in a hive on a tree is more useful and purified. The whole process of printing honeycombs takes place by human hands, without the use of mechanical machines. Due to the fact that the nectar does not pass through mechanical pumping, all useful properties and enzymes are preserved. Thus, vital substances do not disappear from royal jelly, wax and propolis. The price of honey from wild bees is much higher than that obtained from an ordinary hive.
Conclusion
Bort is the best place to create a hive for bees. Thanks to the correct placement of the hollow and the timely collection of the bee product, you can collect a good harvest of honey. For a year from one hive you can get from 8 to 10 kg of environmentally friendly bee product. The main advantage of creating a hive in the side is that there are no special costs. Keeping the hive in a natural hollow reduces the risk of dying several times.
