Tuesday 21 August 2007

Backyard Beekeeping Benefits

There are several beekeepers who love backyard beekeeping and they have maintained bee hives. Sometimes bees are also kept on the roof-tops. Usually bees' travel many miles for collecting pollen as well as nectar hence they don't require flowering plants nearby. Maximum beekeepers will take good care of their bees so that their neighbors don't feel uncomfortable and unsafe in their yards. The advantages of beekeeping go far beyond pollination and honey. There are many other products that are produced by bees that can easily be harvested as well as put to great use like propolis, royal jelly, and beeswax. Some other advantages of maintaining backyard beekeeping are explained below-:

• Honey-: the biggest attraction of keeping bees is harvesting honey. No other honey will have that taste and nutrition which original honey harvested from bee hives will posses. It is not only delicious but also very good for health. The amount of honey that you will get is based on location, rainfall, and weather.

• Bees act as pollinators-: usually all gardeners know the importance of pollinating insects. There are different insects performing vital activity in seed and fruits production. Basically the plants will survive because of pollination. Honey bees are responsible for 80% of all pollination that is carried out by insects. If honey bees are not there, several vegetables and fruits will be lost.

• Become educated-: irrespective of whether you are performing backyard beekeeping as your hobby or for the purpose of obtaining delicious honey, you are also becoming educated by this task. Beekeeping helps you to continuously discover different things about bees, their extraordinary social behavior, and nature. You can share this knowledge with nature centers, schools, youth organizations, as well as garden club.

• Enhancing health-: bee therapies help in relieving stress. Studies have shown that honey bees dramatically help in reducing stress. When you work with bees, you get a feeling of calmness that is actually magical. You imagine yourself to be a part of nature and all problems that you may be facing will evaporate. What can be much better than a warm day when you are out to explore some wonderful bee hives or hear that gentle humming of uncountable bees? Pollen, propolis, honey, and royal jelly are an important part of all health remedies since ages. Moreover, propolis and honey have great antibacterial qualities. Propolis is actually sticky resinous substance that is collected by bees from plants and trees. Royal jelly is a substance secreted from glands of bees and used for feeding brood. This substance has abundance of vitamin B. It is largely used as fertility stimulant and dietary stimulant. Pollens are rich in proteins and are used in homeopathic for allergies like seasonal pollen.

Apitherapy is the term used for the use of products of bees for treatment of health disorders. Bee venom is administered to patients suffering from inflammatory conditions like arthritis. Prior to performing backyard beekeeping, one needs to make sure that they have gained complete knowledge regarding how this process that place.

There are lots of beekeeping benefits for you and your family. You can learn how to build your own beehive [http://warre-beehive-plans.com/] on your yard to start your backyard beekeeping activity.

Thursday 16 August 2007

Everything You Need to Know About Owning a Pet Chinchilla

Everything you need to know about owning a pet chinchilla is going to be shared with you here, and I aim to help you decide whether or not a chinchilla is a suitable pet for you and your family.

My advice for anyone thinking about owning a pet chinchilla is to contact an expert chinchilla breeder to have a discussion about ownership. If, having carefully considered all factors involved, you decide you want to go ahead and provide a good home to a new pet chinchilla, I strongly advise you to purchase from an experienced and reliable chinchilla breeder. This is the best source, rather than buying from your local pet shop.

At first sight, chinchillas appear to be very quiet, if not docile. However, be aware that "playtime" normally starts around dusk and dawn with chinchillas being nocturnal animals. During periods of activity, chinchillas are extremely quick, full of bounce and incredibly agile. You'll find that all chinchillas have a very individual personality. Chins are complex, highly intelligent, very independent and inquisitive little creatures.

Generally speaking, a typical chinchilla's characteristics tend to make them suitable as pets. However, you must also realize that they're not a suitable exotic pet for everyone. Because chins are quite small and fragile, young children will need to be carefully and rigorously supervised at all times when handling. Should a youngster squeeze a pet chinchilla over tightly, it's likely that the chinchilla would bite in self defense.

As with any pet, owning a pet chinchilla is a big commitment. Healthy chins can have an unusually long lifespan for small rodents, so you'll have to be fully prepared to love and care for them for anything up to 20 years+.

Typically, chinchillas tend to be reluctant or suspicious of change. Chins really don't cope very well with new or unfamiliar situations. This might be changing their diet, a new accessory added to their cage, and any further routine changes.

Chinchillas are known to be extremely clean and odourless pets. They still need some help in preventing their fur getting dull and sticky. You must give them access to a special dust bath, preferably every other day. This will help them in cleansing their beautiful soft fur whilst also removing dirt and grease from their gorgeous coats.

Without the benefits of this special chinchilla dust, the fur of a pet chinchilla can actually start coming out in clumps. This will be both uncomfortable and unsightly, detracting from one of the world's most beautiful animals.

My Top 10 Tips For Owning A Pet Chinchilla:

The main signs to look out for to check that your pet chinchilla is healthy are that they are generally active at "wakey" times are as follows:

1. Ensure that the cage enclosure and environment for your chinchilla(s) is safe and secure at all times.

2. The most suitable temperature for your pet chin is anywhere between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. As herbivores, pet chinchillas need to be provided with a diet rich in fibre. This should be based on grasses and hays to enable their digestive systems to properly function.

4. As chinchillas' teeth will be growing continuously throughout their lifetime, they need to constantly gnaw on a good variety of suitable chewing objects, and eat grass and hay to keep them in a healthy condition.

5. Register with your local "exotic pet" vet in the case of any emergencies arising.

6. Treats should only be given to your chin on occasion, forming no more than 10% of your chin's overall diet.

7. Always provide sufficient ventilation and clean your chinchilla's cage out every other day.

8. Chinchillas do not travel well, so if you have to, carry your chinchilla within a suitable protective small pet carrier.

9. Be absolutely certain that you chinchillas are mature enough for breeding, before you put a male and female together.

10. Last, but by no means least, provide your pet chinchilla(s) with lots of TLC.

Owning a pet chinchilla, like other pets, will take a lot of effort and time. However, becoming the proud owner of a cute pet chinchilla is a wonderful experience!

On final point I must raise here is that with chinchillas being social animals, it's often recommended to consider the possibility of owning more than one. This will allow for companionship and provide a welcome playmate.

Our Cute Chinchillas UK website provides advice and information about looking after and buying chinchillas as pets from chinchilla breeders in the UK.