Beekeeping has a long history and keeps evolving day by day. A while ago, no one thought this venture could be practiced in the city, leaving alone the rooftops, suburban backyards, or an apartment. Amazingly this has become possible thanks to the tireless efforts of beekeepers across the globe. 

Beehive designs also keep on being invented and reinvented. Bottle beekeeping and mason jar beekeeping happen to be among the latest inventions in this industry. These methods are perfect for small spaces and only take a bit of research and planning to start. Anyone aspiring beekeeper in the city or suburban backyard can now embrace these methods. 

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Mason Jar Beekeeping

As the name proposes, Mason jar beekeeping entails raising honey bees in mason jars. The jars are placed in an ordinary hive. Instead of bees making honeycombs on the frames like in ordinary hives, they use jars. Once they are full of honey, they are removed.

 It may take some time for the bees to unravel the use of the jars, but once they get it right, it becomes a walk in the park to build combs in the containers. This method can be practiced by anyone who has some jars, bees, and wood. 

How to Start Mason Jar Beekeeping

Mason jar beekeeping is easier than you can imagine. Many apiarists have done it with great success. It involves combining a mason jar with an existing hive. 

Requirements

• Mason jars
• Thick plywood( 1 piece) to insert the jars
• An existing hive (brood box, bottom board, covers, and a queen excluder)
• Wood screws
• Four panels of wood to fit on the sides 
• Honey bees

Drilling the Holes and Fitting the Jars

A simple design involves drilling equally spaced holes on a thick plywood board to hold the mason jars. This is how to go about it:

• Create holes by tracing one circle at one corner of plywood using a Mason jar lid.
• After tracing the circle, use a hole saw to cut through the plywood to make the first hole. Strictly cut the inside of the drawn circle to make sure the hole is not too big. 
• Find out if the mouth of the jar fits the drilled hole well. 
• Proceed to make more holes and fit the jars. A standard square board will hold around 6-8 jars. 
• Set the jars above the hive box supers of your hive. 

You can omit the queen excluder in this design. However, you can place an empty super box above the jars to provide a platform for stably holding the hive roof. 

Remember to put on the top covers of the beekeeping box. It ensures the bees do not access the space between the jars to build comb. 

Wait for Bees to Start Their Job

Upon setting the mason jars, it will take some time for bees to build combs in them. It may even take weeks which can be a bit disappointing. Later on, our buzzing friends may start building combs on the sides of the jars. You may notice some honeycombs sticking out the base of the jars. Give them time; it can be a slow process. 

You should avoid lifting the board with jars at this time. It is also common for the bees to focus on the hive frames before moving to the jar. You can put starter strips or empty combs in the mason jars to entice them. 

The best news is that, when they start, they will fill the mason jars in no time. You should remove the jars before they store too much honey in them. The jars have little space for building combs, so filling the jars may take a short time. 

Harvesting Honey From the Mason Jars

Harvesting honey from the mason’s jars is different from other beehives. While smoke is used to calm bees in other hives, you cannot do the same in the mason jar. The smoke finds its way into the jars, adding a burning wood flavor to the honey. 

Remove the Comb Around the Mason Jars

Bees may have built some comb around the mason jars. For easy lifting, ensure you remove the comb before you proceed. 

Detach the Jars From the Plywood

Bees use propolis to attach the mason jars firmly to the beehive. They will also seal any other space you leave between the jar and the sides of the holes. To detach the jars, you will require a hive tool. 

You should be careful not to break or crack the jars or damage the wooden box. Once you have pryed around the mason jars and are sure they will come off easily, proceed to remove them one by one. You can place the jars with stored comb and honey in a bucket as they await processing. 

Inspect the Jars

Check the jars one by one for integrity. Cracks on the jars cause air to penetrate, causing the honey to ferment. Separate the jars which are broken or with cracks. You should discard the broken ones together with honey since you can find glass pieces in the product, and it is risky if you happen to consume them. 

How to Get Honey and Honeycomb From the Jar

The harvested jars contain comb and honey stored in the comb. Getting these contents out can be challenging. However, it is easy with the right tools and following the proper procedure. The quantity of comb you collect from a jar is small, and it may not be economically viable. Here are three ways you can do it.

Crushing and Straining

You can crush the comb and honey in the mason jar and then strain the mixture over a collecting container. This is a traditional way of extraction. Although it gives you clean honey, it is time-consuming. It is effective with small amounts of honey.

Cutting Uncapped Combs

You can consider cutting the combs from the jars without uncapping them. You may go this way if you want to eat comb, honey. This method gives you chunks of honey that you can enjoy chewing—chewing forces the honey out of the cells into your mouth. This wholesome way of consuming honey is excellent. 

Uncapping the Combs and Allowing the Honey to Flow

When the comb is visible, insert a sharp knife into the jar to uncap. You can also use a fork. Uncapping opens the cells containing honey so that it can freely flow. Since the bees build the comb while the jar is upside down, place it uprightly after uncapping. The honey flows out of the cells easily. Once the honey flows from the cells, scoop it out of the mason jar for daily use. The remaining comb can be cut into small pieces that are easily removed. 

Pros of Mason Jar Beekeeping 

• A mason jar beehive is easy to design and build
• The honey harvesting process is easier since the combs are built within the jars.
• This design reduces the workload of an apiarist and minimizes the stress on the bee colony. It is easier to monitor the health and activity of the bees. 
• Hive predation and stealing is hard since the robber bees cannot easily access honey from the jars. 
• A beekeeper enjoys more productivity. You harvest more honey from the same hive without the need to construct another one. It is also cheaper to add mason jars than to build a new hive box
• It is easy to manage your colony, unlike in a standard hive. 
• This method makes better use of existing by putting mason jars on top of existing frames. 

Cons

• The bees may not build comb in the jar as soon as you expect. They may not notice the jars the first weeks after you set up the hive. You can lure them in by placing a piece of comb in the jar. 
• They require more ventilation than ordinary hives. The jars are enclosed, meaning ventilation is low. It can get hot quickly inside the jars. 
• Options in the market for ready-made mason jar hives are minimal, unlike the ordinary hives which have been used for many years. Mason jar beekeeping is relatively new.
• Dirty jars can pose a health risk to bees and consumers of honey. always sanitize the jars before using them
• The bees can build comb and accumulate wax in areas surrounding the mason jars. You can overcome this challenge by blocking bees’ access to the spaces between the jars. 

Comparison Between Mason Jar and Langstroth Hive

• In a mason jar, bees build comb inside the jars, while in a Langstroth hive, they build comb on the frames.
• Space is limited for the mason jar hive. A beekeeper should keep on monitoring to remove and replace the full jars. In a Langstroth hive, space is not usually a significant challenge. 
• Honey harvesting is easier for the mason jars’ hives. You just need to remove the jars and carry your honey into your house. In a Langstroth hive, you need additional tools like a smoker and an extractor. 
• It is cheaper to install a mason jar hive. For a Langstroth hive, you need extra boxes, which are expensive compared to mason jars. 
• In a Langstroth hive, smoking is necessary during regular hive inspections and honey harvesting, while it is not needed in a mason jar hive. 
• In a mason jar hive, bees may take weeks to start building combs in the jars, while in a Langstroth hive, they begin immediately. 

Tips for Jar Beekeeping

• Don’t lift the jars when bees are still building comb
• The jars get filled pretty fast; once full, don’t keep them for long
• The jars are not well ventilated and get hot easily. Ensure you keep them away from sunlight
• Don’t allow the bees between the jars; you will find them building comb around the jars. 

Bottle Beekeeping

Bottle beekeeping entails raising a bee colony in transparent recycled plastic bottles or keg bottles. This is real beekeeping and not honey hunting. Surprisingly, keeping bees in artificial vessels is thousands of years old- in ancient Egypt, bees were kept in clay pots. 

Bottle beekeeping is an excellent opportunity to provide your family with high-quality honey. Unlike the ordinary beekeeping methods, it is exceptionally cheap—no expenses in buying expensive beekeeping equipment and specialized clothing. With a nine or ten ltr plastic bottle and bees, you are good to start the venture. The plastic bottles are also very light and can be easily stacked and joined to create more room for the bees. You can connect several bottles in a row for one colony.

There is no need to open the hive and distract the bees. It also helps you to study bee life continuously from all angles. 

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Here is How to go about it

• Prepare your recycle or keg bottles. Clean and sanitize the bottles to ensure they are free from germs and contaminants.
• Drill some additional vents the size of the bottle mouth near the ends of a bottle. These openings can be modified so that you can open or cap them and are fitted with a small-sized mesh. 
• Insert thin strips of wood across the bottle. These will help the bees to build the foundation and combs. 
• Add some combs inserted in thin stripes of wood in the container.
• Add the honey bees. You can populate the plastic bottles with bees through a funnel.

You can start putting a queen cell in the bottle and adding some bees there. It will develop into an entire colony that will overwinter successfully on its honey. 

You can also add brood at different stages that can be planted in the bottle with several fresh eggs. The new queen which emerges will lay eggs and grow the population. It is advisable to start with a young, strong queen. 

Ways of getting a colony if you are not a beekeeper

• Catch swarms in your area
• Buy a swarm from a beekeeper
• Buy a split from a beekeeper and place it in a bottle

To enlarge a colony, you can connect an empty recycle bottle to an already existing colony, and when there is a brood, disconnect it. The bees will make a queen cell and develop a new queen. 

Advantages

• It is a cheap way of beekeeping.
• You can transfer the colony from a bottle to the ordinary hive in a matter of minutes.
• Bees overwinter in the bottles successfully.
• The wood used in an ordinary hive is prone to fungus and molds growing on it, especially in wet seasons. The honey can have traces of molds or mildew. However, a plastic bottle can’t rot. 
• Allows you to study bee life at every stage almost continuously. You will learn a lot about the fantastic creatures. 
• There is no need to open while doing inspections. You inspect through the transparent bottles.

FAQs

What is Mason jar beekeeping?

This method of beekeeping entails adding mason jars to an existing bee colony. Bees build honey combs in the mason jars instead of frames. 

Can you use mason jars to store honey?

Many beekeepers like storing honey in jars since they are transparent and allow you to monitor the product for crystallization. 

What do you do with the honeycombs from the jars?

Amazingly, you can eat the combs as they are. Other ways of utilizing it include sweetening homemade desserts on top of salads, pancakes, yogurt, or oatmeal.