AFB DOG
is a company that focuses on fostering and promoting sustainable beekeeping in New Zealand.
We specialise in the annual rental of fully managed beehives with a passion for improved local environments and ecosystems across New Zealand with the help of honey bees.
What is Host a Hive?
Host a Hive takes the difficulty out of beehive ownership as our team takes care of everything
Allows you to enjoy pure and natural honey from your very own backyard
Dramatically improves the pollination on your property
Bringing “nature” back to your area, and helping New Zealand grow that’s the idea behind host a hive
BACKYARD PACKAGE
1 HIVE-
1 Fully Managed AFB DOG Beehive
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7kg of Honey From Your Beehive
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Pollination of Your Property Year Round
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We Take Care of Everything
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Save over 10% on your Subscription by paying annually
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Pay via Credit Card or Online Banking
HOME & GARDEN PACKAGE
2 HIVES-
2 Fully Managed AFB DOG Beehive
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14kg of Honey From Your Beehive
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Pollination of Your Property Year Round
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We Take Care of Everything
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Save over 10% on your Subscription by paying annually
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Pay via Credit Card or Online Banking
LIFESTYLE BLOCK PACKAGE
4 HIVES-
4 Fully Managed AFB DOG Beehive
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27kg of Honey From Your Beehive
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Pollination of Your Property Year Round
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We Take Care of Everything
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Save over 10% on your Subscription by paying annually
-
Pay via Credit Card or Online Banking
All Host a Hive Packages include the following:
- Full hive maintenance
- Allocated honey from your own Host a Hive
- Pollination of your property year round
- Registration costs, levies, statutory obligations
- Regular checks of hive activity and bee health
- Regular inspection for disease (AFB)
- All treatments for Varroa mite
- Transport costs
faq's
Bees don’t understand boundaries and the farthest they can fly for foraging is up to 3km. Thus a small space on your property would be enough to host a hive.
When living in residential areas a backyard is the most appropriate place to put beehives.
Make sure that your neighbors are not disturbed because of the bees’ activities. You can also place them on rooftops. Ensure that the local government permits beekeeping in the neighborhood. Along with this you must be registered to keep bees, But we take care of this with the Host a Hive service. We also breed calm and gentle bees for the beginners and hobbyists so this helps the host a hive bees handle smaller yards easier.
With host a hive, Bees will gradually come out of the hive and fly in small circles around the hive’s entrance. The circles will slowly get bigger and they will fly away from the entrance of the beehive. This behavior of the bees symbolizes that they are trying to get acquainted with their new environment. Once adapted to their new ambiance they will fly in lines to their source of nectar.
Presence of a beehive is not a problem if you have cats and dogs at home. Although cats could get somewhat intrusive, but either of them understands that they should not provoke the bees. If they do get playful and disturb the bees, you must keep diphenhydramine for emergency. Having an outdoor kennel for your dog is not safe if you have bees. Some pets are allergic to bees and if your pet is too then keeping bees in your backyard can be risky. You must speak to the veterinary to learn about medicines or symptoms of allergy before you go ahead with beekeeping. we at host a hive also have gentle bees that are less likely to make a issue with pets
It is rather difficult to predict some behavior of the bees. But it has often been observed that o days when it is cooler than usual you might see lesser bees moving in and out of the hive. On such days they stay in their hives and cluster within the frames so they can protect their queen from the cold and maintain the temperature of the hive to about 35°C. Host a hive has bees from europe and bees hibernate like bears so sometimes the bees are asleep!
The only way to know that a beehive is about to swarm is to check for additional queen cells in the hive. The bees swarm during the spring and it is pretty much a natural process. The bees swarm because the beehive makes a new queen cell and when the pupa finally becomes a queen bee, the old queen leaves the hive along with a crowd of worker bees. The new queen takes over the old hive along with the bees that are left. At times, when more than one queen is hatched then there could be smaller swarms.
Although swarming bees look to be dangerous but actually they don’t cause any trouble. When the bees leave the hive they look for a place to settle down. A swarm of bees will usually find a place within 30-50 meters of the old hive. They can hang in their new place for hours, days and sometimes they make it a permanent. Swarmed bees are not aggressive as they are susceptible and don’t have their hive or honey to protect. If you find that your hive has swarmed then you can get in touch with us. We will come and collect the swarm. Host a hive make sure to have fresh queen each year so the chances of a swarm are lowered with this practice
As mentioned in the terms and conditions of ‘Host a Hive’ the hosts aren’t permitted to open or check the hive when they like. The bees are vulnerable to fluctuations in temperature and when you enter a hive suddenly the bees will stress out. It is dangerous to disturb the frames as one may accidentally crush or harm the queen bee. This could prove fatal to the hive because it will affect her egg-laying pattern and the hive will fail. Also, while entering a beehive, our team wears a protective bee suit as the bees sting when they are disturbed. They sting to protect themselves, their queen and their honey.
If you are fascinated by bees like us and would like to see what is happening within their hive then we can arrange you to get a closer look at your ‘Host a Hive’ beehive.
However, you must take an appointment with us so we can make the necessary arrangements. We would gladly take you around for a visit and also help you understand what happens within a hive and what the bees generally do in a day of their lives. The best time to visit a beehive would be between spring and autumn.
During this time we would be able to show you how we service your ‘Host a Hive’. If you are comfortable, then you can come in with us in the hive too. We have several bee suits and protective gloves available in different sizes including ones for children. Visiting a beehive is an educational and amazing experience and you must definitely experience it. so get in touch with host a hive to book your inspection of your hive!
Usually we harvest honey twice a year on an average. However, this is done only during the summer months. The first harvest happens just before Christmas. As the host, you get to enjoy fresh honey from your beehive along with your family in the Holiday Season. Depending on the ‘Host a Hive’ package (7kg/14kg/27kg) that you have signed up for we pack the entire year’s honey in 1.5 kg tubs.
You get fresh, natural, raw and unprocessed honey harvested on the site by our team. However, if you wish to have pre-packed honey instead of the fresh harvest, then you can inform us about it before the first harvest and we will gladly arrange this for you. Additional honey from your hive will be available for purchase later during the summer if you make a request before the second harvest. All details about the price of honey are available in our online stores. if you are after some honey now just contact host a hive and see what we have in stock!
this is a great question we are a family run business here in northland serving auckland as well. we also help other beekeepers with our AFB sniffer dog as well as breed queens for the commercial beekeepers so we are really in the mix when it comes to bees and not just a fly by night company.
wHAT IS Host a hive?
Anyone who decides to take up beekeeping typically thinks of the whole process of acquiring the right equipment, learning about beekeeping, understanding the differences of species of bees. And still they rely, pretty much, on a trial and error methodology to figure out what works and what doesn’t for the bees. This is true not just for the bee hives on your property NZ, but those around the world. For this reason, a popular solution that makes beekeeping relatively easier is to choose beehive rental solutions to keep bees on your property. Managed bee hives have several benefits.
- It is an ideal solution for people who do not have the time to keep bees but have the real estate and the willingness to do their bit for these friendly pollinators.
- Beehive management by our team of experts reduces the chances of colony losses and reduces risks of diseases or pest infestations going undetected.
- Bee hive hosting gives you the opportunity to enjoy access to fresh bee honey, beeswax and honeycombs.
- Lastly, your bee hive hire makes pollination easy for your garden and those of your neighbours.
Can you get honey from a first year hive?
Yes. There are several bee colonies that have adequate stores of honey to spare even in the first year. But this depends a lot on how easy it is for the bees to forage for nectar in and around your property.
At the same time, the strength of the colony and the risk of diseases or pests can make a difference as well.
In most cases, we try to reduce colony stress by not harvesting honey from colonies that have not wintered before. After their first winter, colonies we can harvest honey with lesser chances of causing colony stress.
How long does it take to get honey from a hive?
Typically, honey is harvested twice a year. This happens during the summer months only. When you begin to host a beehive the first time that we would harvest honey from the hive would be around Christmas.
The amount of honey supplied to you will be based on the number of hive rental you agree on. Honey provided to you is usually raw and unprocessed honey. But if you would like to get pre-packed honey then we can make necessary arrangements if you inform us in advance.
The length of time it would take for the bees to fill in their stores and begin storing excess honey will depend on the strength of the hive. Since we will harvest honey only after there is adequate honey for the bees, the total time taken for harvesting honey varies from hive to hive.
Is it safe to eat honey from a hive?
Ideally, honey is safe for consumption. But in some regions, bees may end up collecting honey from the Tutu bushes which has a neurotoxin called tutin. To avoid ingesting honey that may contain tutin, it is best to eat honey from the hive before Christmas. After Christmas, honey should be tested for tutin until March to avoid eating honey that contains the toxin. This is especially for high-risk areas that have lots of tutin plants in the surrounding regions. Since bees can fly up to 3km in search of nectar, it can be difficult to figure out if the honey is toxic or not without conducting tutin testing.
Can you eat honey from a dead hive?
Whenever a colony of bees dies, the first thing we do is conduct an analysis that hive and all other managed bee hives. By understanding the reason the bee hives on your property may have died, we can better understand if the honey is safe or not. In most cases, honey from a dead hive can be safe and edible, but it may require tutin testing based on the time of the year when you lost the colony.
Some pest infestations may also render the honey inedible or may cause harm to other bee hives on your property. For example, colonies losses caused by AFB require the hive equipment to be burnt and the honey to be disposed of in a way that it cannot be accessed by the other bees since the AFB spores can quickly travel from one hive to another.
Can you eat a dead bee?
The first time I tried to eat a dead bee from my beehive, I did not quite enjoy the taste of it. But many beekeepers and workers develop a taste for the dead bees. Additionally, I find the stinger to be dangerous too. So, you can eat a dead bee, but you must watch out for the stinger. Probably, you may not even like the taste of it.
What do you do with a dead hive?
If you are renting a hive and notice a dead colony of bees in one of the bee hives on your property NZ then you must immediately contact our team. On the other hand, if our team identify a dead colony, then we will quickly get to work on analyzing the reason for colony loss. This involves inspecting the colony for diseases and checking for pest infestations. If required, we may even seek a second opinion for the reason behind the colony loss.
Colony losses that may have occurred for reasons other than a disease which can be spread to the rest of the apiary, may allow you to reuse the hive equipment. If an infectious disease killed the colony then the equipment is rendered unusable and must be disposed of according to the industry regulations.
Is it okay to eat or swallow beeswax?
Beeswax does not have a great taste and is not ideal for consumption. But you will not face any problems if you end up eating beeswax either.
It is ideal for topical use in creams, lotions, soaps and lip balms.
Beeswax has also gained a lot of popularity in recent years for being used on food wraps.
It offers a sustainable alternative to plastics and a non-biodegradable food wrapping products like cling-films that are generally used in the kitchens.
It is okay to eat or swallow beeswax because it will not harm your body. But it is not ideal for consumption.
Can I eat or swallow honeycomb?
Yes, honeycomb makes the honey more delicious and is often preferred by many honey lovers around the world.
A specific type of honey known as chunky honey comes with pieces of honeycomb in the honey.
Additionally, some beekeepers use special equipment to harvest comb honey which is harvested in the form of small boxes oh honey including the comb it was built in.
Comb honey would typically include small amounts of royal jelly, propolis and bee pollen as well since it is sold right out of the hive. Eating honeycomb does not have any side effects or problems.
Which beeswax is better – white or yellow?
The color of the wax will greatly depend on the type of honey the bees eat. But it also varies based on the amount of filtering the wax goes through. The darker shades of yellow usually indicate that the wax has gone through fewer stages of filtration and most of the actual components of the hive like the propolis, honey and royal jelly may be included in it. It will also have a stronger smell of honey if used as a candle.
White wax, on the other hand, is indicative of processing and the use of chemicals to bleach the wax. If the color of the wax is not naturally a lighter color but has been turned white through processing, then the wax may have lost many of its properties and the lovely smell of honey.
How often can you collect honey from a hive?
It takes some experience to work this out. There is a fine line for how much honey can be harvested and whether honey should be harvested or left behind for the bees. Once you have the bee hives on your property, we can analyze the rates at which the bees forage and the ease with which they can access food and water to identify how frequently honey can be collected from the hives.
When we harvest the honey, we feel it is best to reduce as much stress as possible for the bees by leaving behind enough for them to avoid starvation.
Can I rent a hive in Tauranga?
Certainly; for beginner beekeepers, a hive rental is one of the best ways to begin their beekeeping journey. It is also ideal for people who do not have the time or effort required for beehive management. If you would like to rent a hive in Tauranga, we will provide you with the equipment, the bees and the expertise required to raise healthy bees or manage an apiary. When you host a bee hive through us, we take the responsibility of all paperwork and council approvals.
This means that the bee hives on your property will be managed by professional beekeepers who have experience in handling the bees, understanding bee patterns and identifying problems with disease and infestations.
When you choose to have bee hives on your property NZ, you have to go through a lot of paperwork to make sure that you conform to the local and national regulations for beekeeping. These are handled by our team to reduce the hassles involved in the early setup of an apiary.
While you can buy bee hives on sale, managing them can still be difficult if you do not have the time or do not want to deal with the bee stings. Hosting a hive, on the other hand, is less expensive and very easily.
Beehive management
How much does it cost to set up a beehive?
There are lots of costs involved in starting an apiary or even having a single beehive in your property. These include the early investment in the hive equipment. Once the equipment is put together, you will have to buy a colony of bees and a queen bee. You may also have to invest in fencing if you live in an area where the beehives may come under attack from predators.
Your initial investment will also include beekeeping tools and a suit to protect you from the stings when you step out for hive inspections. Weathering gear for the hives will also be important to safeguard the hives from bad weather in a timely manner. Additional equipment in the form of supers must be bought for extracting excess honey from the hives. Paperwork and approvals will also add to the cost of setting up the beehive. The cost is one reason why many people are beginning to host a hive on their property.
What is the best beehive to buy?
If you are just getting started with beekeeping then a rental hive is the best for your first year. You can arrange for personal visits and learn about beekeeping through the experts during the course of bee hive hosting on your property. Once you learn about the process then you may consider transitioning into owning the hive instead of renting it.
How do I attract bees to my new hive?
Every time a colony of bees grows too big for their hive, they tend to swarm. The existing queen will leave with part of the workers of the colony leaving behind the hive and the rest of the workers who would eventually have a new queen. A swarm of bees can be caught by using swarm lure in the hives.
How long does it take for bees to make a hive?
Bees will begin drawing out the comb as soon as they have selected their home. If your hive includes foundation frames, then the bees will find it easy to begin the process of storing honey, but if the frames are foundation-less then they may take some time to draw out the combs and store honey.
How long do bees live without a hive?
Bees will not wait too long before finding a new home because they are by instinct required to find a new home and begin drawing out the combs to store honey.
How long will a bee hive last?
A bee hive can last as long as the woodware will handle the elements. Beekeepers usually dip the equipment in wax to make it last longer.
