Directions to BeeWare:
Take John Vorster off ramp,
Turn towards Irene,
At Logan, turn right.
At Bradford, turn right.
End of road before the sharp turn left is the complex Glen Carlou.
Our infamous Easy Buzzing Bee Course will be on again with the next date on 14th August. See the Bee Course section for more info...
Check our Bee course video demo below:
May 10th - July 30th
I am currently contracted to train at BHP Billiton Metalloys in Meyerton no a major project until end of July 2010. As such postal orders or mail orders carry on as per usual however trading times are strictly by appointment during the week.
Weekend times are generally between 9am and 13h00 by arrangement as well. Please be patient with our current position as it is now very quiet in the beekeeping industry in SA and so we balance the low activity by running other projects as they arise.
Please email orders to info@beeware.co.za and we will attend to them within 24 hours. Apologies for any inconvenience caused during this time.
1st March to 24th April
I am currently contracted to work at BHP Billiton on a major project from the 1st March 2010 until the 24th April 2010. Due to this contract and the working hours involved being during the week days, I am only able to accept collections or visits over the weekend.
Please note we are certainly able to accept email orders as well as mail orders. Collections will have to be confirmed in writing. I will not be available on the phone either during the contract. So, please email me on info@ beeware.co.za for any enquiries.
We appreciate your patience and understanding with regards to any inconvenience caused.
February 1st - Shop closed until 3rd Feb
I recently visited my apiary site in Mpumalanga province and made videos -without audio- of a hive inspection. It's short and sweet but makes for a brief look into beekeeping...
Our first bee video attempt went quite well except we haven't included any audio this time round. So, hope you enjoy the basic footage...
February 1st - Shop closed until 3rd Feb
I will be going to Mpumalanga on the 1st to 3rd of February and the shop will not be open for these three days. Be sure to send me orders for beekeeping equipment via email in the meantime & I will attend to them upon my return.
I am going to do Apiary work on a site before the new season comes into proper effect and between rainy weather.
January 27th
It has been raining non stop everyday in Gauteng for like 2 weeks! This is crazy. It will have an effect on the harvesting for your bees with so much rain. They can't fly when it's raining...
Our first bee course lunch braai was almost washed out! But thankfully the weather held out for our practical beekeeping demonstration at our apiary site with 4 working bee hives. We were also fortunate enough to see the queen bee as well.
Final summer maintenance or harvest could be conducted now but then that would be the last time you internally inspect your bee hives for a few months.
Happy wintering!
December 17th
It is that time of year again when people are going on leave and waiting with anticipation for the holidays and spending time with loved ones! At Bee Ware, we will be doing exactly that! So, please note that we will be closed from the 24th Dec - 2nd Jan.
Any orders placed during this time can only be actioned after the 2nd January 2010. We wish you all the best memories over the festive season and a fantastic holiday!
May your 2010 be filled with golden opportunities and great beekeeping!
December 1st
The silly season has arrived! It is harvesting time again. If you haven't harvested from your bee hives yet this season then it's definitely time to get over to your apiary and harvest honey from your bee hives.
We've also added a currency converter to our site. For anyone ordering from other countries, I think you would agree that a currency converter makes ordering a simple process. Find out what our prices are in your own currency by using the currency converter now!
For customers looking to come to the bee supplies shop in Centurion, you can now use the Google Map Locator to pinpoint exactly where we are! Find Bee Ware now using the Google Maps link now by visiting get Bee Ware Map!
November 23rd
The next Beginner beekeeping course is taking place on the 27th FEBRUARY 2010 by Hills and Dales near Lanseria. Bookings are now open. Minimum of 6 candidates required. So bring a friend for a great day out!
We've MOVED! Our new address is 25 Glen Carlou, Bradford Str, Highveld, Centurion. Be sure you call before you come through. Best times to purchase are on weekends please...
BRAND NEW stock has arrived! We now stock plastic honeygate taps, bee brushes, wax embedders and eyelets for beekeepers! Our new stock of Bee smokers has also arrived and is ready for the Bee Season! Our main bee supplies are listed for you to purchase now.
New Prices! We have had to increase our prices due to a considerable increase in costs. After keeping prices stable for over 2 years, we are unable to sustain them. Main products effected are the bee hives and bee suits.
Beeswax sheets increase in price - Now R12 per sheet. Demand on local beeswax is pushing prices up. If you have excess beeswax contact us. We purchase beeswax.
The Jackson Horizontal hive is now R741 and stock is available again. Now Agents for Jackson bee hives!
We launch Bee Project services which includes consulting, beekeeping project training and maintenance. We also focus on offering honey and bee product branding services for any community beekeeping projects.
May 13th
American Foulbrood scare in South African Beekeeping circles.
We are waiting to hear more about this disease and how far it may have spread from the Western Cape bee body and government. Apparently it seems as if not enough inspectors are available in order to make an efficient study of the western cape area in order to ascertain the extent of infection.
Samples of honey from beekeepers are being collected from all ends of the country in order to gauge whether the disease has indeed spread passed the Western Cape's borders.
Awaiting further feedback from esteemed beekeeping industry contacts we stress that care should be taken not to mix bee colonies unnecessarily as well as that you ensure you have a clean honey harvesting room. Bees should not have access to your honey room at any time. Ensure honey stores are properly closed and sealed tight while in transit or in storage.
We buy rendered beeswax so for more information, will you contact us on info@beeware.co.za or call 082 359 8787 !
Our nextBeginner Beekeeping Course is running on the 23RD JAN 2010 so be sure to RSVP now! Register now at info@beeware.co.za
Find out more about Beginner's Beekeeping course to be held on 23RD JAN 2010 in the Lanseria area. Click on the banner below to find out more about what the bee course is about, what bee tools will be covered and the beekeeping info you can learn!
Updated our Shop interface in order to use an ecommerce platform for ordering our top line goods straight from the site!
Just remember to add the delivery fee if delivery is required.
Latest Update: We have moved down the road. If you are collecting goods ordered by arrangement, then please note to do so at our new address:
Location: 25 Glen Carlou, Bradford Str, Highveld, Centurion! Be sure to make arrangements to collect before you come.
Please Note: Beeswax Foundation sheets are now R12 each. Minimum order is 10 sheets.
Beekeeping can be fun. Some people do it for leisure and free honey and others do it professionally. Either way it's still a great way to get outdoors, meet people and get closer to nature. 'Buy Beekeeping Equipment' at Shop Our Store section on the right for an idea of what we supply and more.
Beekeeping Minute # 3 - Nov
You should have harvested your honey as soon as the first rains came. If you did, that was great. It is now time again to inspect your bee hives and consider harvesting where super frames are full.
Ensure there is enough space left in the brood for the queen bee to lay eggs. Perhaps remove one brood frame during your inspection if there is a "dead" frame.
Good honey harvesting!
Beekeeping Minute # 1 - Aug!
A one minute idea you should consider now:
It is time to get your beekeeping suit, smoker, hive tool and spare supers out. Clean the beekeeping suit and smoker. Get some pine needles and horse manure as these work best for smoking bees and generally come inexpensively.
Make sure your suit is in good condition with no holes or stitching required. Make sure you also have 2 clean 25L buckets with lids for harvesting purposes.
One should have at least 2 spare supers around for you to remove and harvest frames from hives in order to create space for the new flowering season...
Good preparation makes for good harvest!
Beekeeping Minute # 2 - June!
A one minute idea you should consider now:
It is time to leave your hives alone. Perhaps a final inspection before the wintering months come into being can be conducted. Consider feeding the hives that may not have enough food to sustain themselves through the winter in the immediate vacinity of the colony. A good ratio during winter for suger to water is a 1:1 solution. For every cup of sugar you only add one cup of water.
Do not feed for longer than 2 weeks consecutively! Give the feeding a break of at least a week before feeding again. Your bees can get upset stomachs by overfeeding.
Also, bear in mind the article about using Emergency Queen rearing process to Build your Apiary size which enables a beekeeper to usetried and tested methods to create new queens and new colonies for them. You could begin this process now if you missed it in August.
New Gallery of BeeWare's Products is available! To view our main products at a glance you can go to the following link at BeeWare's Product Gallery
Brood Chamber Wax foundation sheets are in stock. These are pure beeswax sheets moulded for brood only and are full foundation sheets.
Each sheet is R12; min order: 10 sheets
excluding postage
Veil, ankle zips, wristbands and double zip at chest.
Best quality protective bee suit suitable for export.
from R615 (large) See bee suits page...
excl postage.
Or if you are only looking for information on keeping bees you can purchase one of our eBooks: Beekeeping - A Practical Guide is available title through the website.
We have our own handbook available as a downloadable document at a low fee due to no print costs. Available NOW for US$17.00 You can order the
Mail order Bee Journals. The first issue for 2006 has been printed and distributed to all of the up-to-date SABIO members included in the membership fee. If you'd like a copy contact us and we will send them via mail order.
SABIO Registration is now up for renewal. R250 a year fee for registration as a beekeeper. You also receive the SABIO Bee Journal quarterly.
Welcome To Our Site
Here be the place where you can find out more about bees and beekeeping. BeeWare is a company passionate about bees. We love honey. We believe this combination of passion and buzz about bees created a hive of activity in the founders. The company practices beekeeping in Midrand.
You can find information on theby-laws of keeping bees, where to get training on beginner beekeeping, what equipment you need and different bee products that can be made We have a newsletter for people to chat and have open discussions on beekeeping and such subjects. The beekeeping industry contributes indirect income of 4.7% of the GDP of South Africa. At least 80% of the country’s fruit and vegetation is pollinated by the African bee. Many fruit growers obtain up to 100% more yield in a crop by utilising the services of beekeepers in the pollination process.
There is currently a domestic shortfall of honey production which means more beekeepers are needed to fill the gap. From hobbyist to commercial farmers, everyone contributes to the industry as well as the protection of bee populations in South Africa.
7th September 2007
Email orders and collections in Midrand can be arranged prior to collection. Please call before you come through as our suppliers are now closed as well.
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Our new Beekeeping eBook is now available! Order it by completing the order form and you will receive your download link via email!
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Bees in Angola - A story of mining and wild colony relocation
Warren Klein, a reptile specialist, has been catching and relocating snakes, reptiles and other small mammals from a palm site marked for clearing in Angola. He also came across wild bee colonies and volunteered to remove them.
Manfred Leitner - The Miner's Hat & beekeeping veil
Manfred Leitner of Southerns Beekeeping spoke at our last meeting about his design of a different type of beekeeping veil. He has used a miner's hat, stainless steel mesh and miner's light pack to enhance his beekeeping experience. Thanks to Manfred for being our speaker and we look forward to orders for those interested in trying the veil. It takes about a week to manufacture the Miner's Beekeeping Veil.
Midrand Beekeeper's Club Launched! On the 23rd of August some enthusiastic residents of Midrand got together and held the first beekeeper's club meeting. I opened it and welcomed those present. We had 14 people attending including Hans Blokker of SABIO.
I spoke about the pro's & con's about the Jackson Vs. Langstroth hive and opened the floor for questions & answers. We informally ended at 8:30pm however most people stayed until 10pm discussing bees & drinking coffee.
Our next meet is at Ukuvuna Permiculture, 50 Pretorius Str, Glen Austin, Midrand. It is the road just before Eskom Conference Centre. Drive over at least one speed bump and # 50 is on your left.
Beeswax Foundation sheets Now Available! BeeWare is carrying stock of Beeswax Foundation sheets. It is time to begin increasing hive numbers by inducing queenless colonies to create emergency queens. It is recommended to provide foundation sheets in this process.
Also recommended at this time, is the removal of old brood comb - normally 2 frames a year - to be replaced by fresh wax foundation. This is a management method to ensure the queen always has sufficient laying space in the brood chamber.
Be sure to place the new foundation sheets in the middle of the brood chamber at frame 5 & 6 and move the remaining frames outwards.
Our beeswax foundation sheets are available at the shop. Each BEESWAX foundation sheet is R12-00 with a minimum order of 10 at a time.
What Next?
For registering as a beekeeper whether you have one hive or 1000, it's important. Get the paperwork at SABIO. R250 per annum.
Join an association. There are a number of good beekeeping associations around Gauteng and the country. They meet often and provide invaluable information and practical days for members.
Get the equipment. Essential equipment is available from our office in Midrand. Hives, hive tool, protective clothing & smoker make up the need-to-have list. Click here
We are starting a Beekeeping Club in Midrand - JOIN US! After numerous requests and interest from people using the site, I decided it was time to action an idea I have had for months. Jeanette Bradley is acting secretary for the club until we hold the first meeting to establish the members. John Nzira is sponsoring the venue and is a permiculturist by profession.
Look out for details in the Midrand Reporter as well. However, to ensure that the best possible awareness is made of the launch of the Midrand Beekeeper's Club, we will provide the details here.
Date: TBA
RSVP: info@beeware.co.za
Time: 6:30 for 7:00pm until 8:30pm
Venue: 50 Pretorius Street (Just after ADT), Glen Austin, Midrand
NOTE: Near the Eskom Conference Centre en route to the Licensing Department from Midrand's CBD. Look out for Tango's Tots Creche on the right.
The purpose of this beekeper's club is to enable all those whom are interested in bees to learn more about them. To provide a place of learning and point of contact for the city and the public with regard to bee removals, gaining access to raw honey and so on.
Beeware will also be making beekeeping equipment available at meetings for beginners and experienced beekeepers alike.
We will invite speakers and hold field day excursions for the public and members in order to nurture the relationship between bees and people.
We are now taking Mail Orders for SABIO Bee journals. If you would like a copy please email info@beeware.co.za. These are published for and on behalf of SABIO members. The South African Beekeeping Industry Organisation manages the registration of beekeepers and assist in dissemination of laws, regulations, information and surveys for example. The Bee Journals are printed quarterly and are a vital source of industry knowledge and insight. If you would like back copies or the first issue for 2006 contact me.
We have added an eBook to the site. It is titled, "Beekeeping - A Practical Guide" - click here for more info.
Check out our new Jackson Horizontal Experiment Logbook section. We are starting a logbook of the JHH experiment which is going to take you on a journey with us using a Jackson Horizontal hive. We have never used one before and so we are going to share the experience with you as we set up, start and progress throughout the process of developing a new colony and managing it.
We will provide some guidelines and feedback as we go along. Also check out our Beekeeping Blog for more info as well from time to time. We will take photos at stages and events so keep an eye out for these.
Feel free to provide feedback and or ask us to try something out while this experiment runs.
We have put together a Starter Kit Package and pricing
