Ever dream of harvesting your own honey but felt overwhelmed about how to do it? This guide makes beekeeping simplified! Understanding apiarists’ approaches will help demystify your options. Start by understanding what’s most important to you:

Is rigorous research meaningful to you? Are you more attuned to nature’s rhythms than researchers’ data sets? Maybe you’d rather let the bees be. Whatever your personal style, learning about beekeeping approaches will help you find your style. Here’s the buzz about methods of beekeeping I’ve encountered on my apiarist journey. Which approach is buzz-worthy for you.

Conventional Beekeeping Methods

Conventional beekeepers are those who actively manage, monitor, supplement, and treat their hives.  They believe it is the beekeeper’s responsibility to safeguard the health of their bees, and the future of the species. They regularly track their bees’ behaviors and needs, monitor their environment for deficiencies, and address any problems. These apiarists plan their care and maintenance based on seasonal tasks built around the bees’ lifecycles. They stay connected to state beekeeping resources and use research-based beekeeping methods.

Conventional beekeepers conduct regular hive inspections to identify and treat diseases. They look for signs of parasites such as varroa mites or other threats and provide necessary treatments. Conventional beekeepers rely on commercially produced products and chemicals with a strong track record to address problems that arise. 

They check to ensure the queen is in the hive, healthy, and regularly producing eggs. They analyze the combs to ensure there are adequate worker bee larvae and that there is not an over-production of drones. If necessary, they may remove excessive drone combs. They may remove a queen who is not producing and replace her with a fertile one.

In inclement weather, beekeepers may supplement their hives’ food supplies with a mixture of sugar and water in feeders. If local crops and flowers fail, conventional beekeepers supplement food, water, pollen, additional flowering plants, or whatever else is needed to ensure the hive’s survival.

This group prefers to use commercially available treatments containing manufactured chemicals. These products undergo rigorous and consistent testing and experimentation. These beekeepers use data to choose treatments they believe will be most effective. They see these research-based methods as proven and healthiest.

Natural Beekeeping Methods
Some apiarists use only natural methods to address any of the bees’ needs. They use herbal remedies and natural pest and predator controls. Herbs used for treatments are typically organic. There is one exception, however. When feeding, naturalists do not use organic sugar.  Surprisingly, organic sugar can cause dysentery in bees because of its high ash content. Dysentery can destroy a hive.

Naturalistic beekeepers may use beehives, and some prefer to tend their bees wherever they colonize in the wild. This might involve working in hollowed out trees, barns, stables, or wherever the colony sets up house. This is called feral tending. Many who use natural beekeeping methods also have holistic lifestyles that extend beyond the hives and into their homes and families’ lives.

Flexible Beekeeping Methods

This approach to beekeeping involves openness to different strategies. These apiarists will use either natural or manufactured methods to take care of their bees’ needs. Philosophically, they may lean more toward natural or chemically based treatments in most cases. When those methods fail, however, they’re willing to try other options. 

Minimal or No Intervention Methods

Followers of the no intervention philosophy raise bees without human management. They often capture wild local colonies because they are already acclimated to their areas. This group believes in allowing nature to take its course with their bees. Human involvement, in their view, prevents colonies from adapting and evolving in a natural way. Intervention keeps the bees dependent on a human for survival. Minimalist beekeepers see this intervention as detrimental to their hives, and the species. It is important to note that some states require any commercial honey producers to conduct hive inspections and control bee diseases and communicable pests such as varroa. In those states, bee havers would not be permitted to sell their honey to the public.