Fall or Winter is the perfect time of year to decide that you want to keep bees. Why? Because, if you don’t order your package or nuc before too long then they may be sold out before Spring. It surprises me how many people think that beekeeping is a simple hobby. It is far from simple, or cheap, but literally anyone can learn to do it. Find a beekeeping class that is being given in your area. They usually last one day and sometimes they even provide you lunch. You can learn beekeeping from books, from mentors, from beekeeping clubs in your area, and even from the internet. I wouldn’t advise taking all of your lessons from the internet, however. Just remember, anyone can post anything on the internet without any proof or expertise. Just look at me!
Basic Issue
To get started, you will need some equipment. There are many different types of bee hives out there, but for the purpose of this blog post we are going to assume that you are starting with the “standard”. That is, a 10-frame Langstroth hive, named after it’s inventor Lorenzo Langstroth and patented in 1852. I highly advise that you start with two hives instead of one. This way you can take resources from one hive and give them to the other if needed. For each hive you are going to need the following:
- 1 Bottom Board (screened or solid)
- 1 Entrance Reducer
- 2 Deep Hive Bodies
- 1 Medium Hive Body
- 20 Deep and 10 Medium Frames with foundation
- 1 Inner Cover
- 1 Telescoping Top Cover
- Some type of feeding system i.e. Boardman Feeder
A great book that I have read and recommended to others was Beekeeping for Dummies. It really breaks down some of the jargon and terms used in beekeeping, especially for the equipment.
A Few More Things
Now that you have everything for your hives, you will need some additional equipment to aid you inn your beekeeping practices.
- Bees sourced from a package, nuc, or even a swarm
- Hive Stand
- Hive Tool
- Smoker and Smoker Fuel
- Veil
- Bee Jacket or Suit.
- Method of Mite Sampling and Treatment
All said and done, you can easily rack up $500 in starting costs. Beekeeping is not a cheap hobby!
I Bought Everything, Now What?
As early as April you are going to receive a phone call from your local Post Office that your bees have arrived. They probably won’t be too happy but they will tell you to COME GET YOUR BEES! Your package of bees will arrive in a screened box with a can of sugar syrup and a queen inside a separate cage. It is important that you install this package as soon as you can. Once you have the bees in the hive and the queen cage in place, then you close up the hive and check back in about 3-4 days. You should find your queen released from her cage by the worker bees. If not, then you release her yourself being careful that you point the cage downward onto a frame. You want her crawling into the hive, not flying away! Take it from me, it hurts seeing that expensive bug fly away from you. With the queen released you then close up the hive, feed it some sugar syrup, and check back in about a week. By that time, the queen should be laying eggs and you can assess her laying pattern. Your first year you can check on the hive every 1-2 weeks to make sure everything looks normal and healthy inside.
Bee Informed
Now that you have your bees all set up, it is important to keep learning all that you can about these fascinating insects. Find a mentor or beekeeping club in your area. Attend seminars and conferences so that you can sit in on lectures given by experienced beekeepers. They are more than happy to pass on their knowledge to upcoming “beeks” in the hopes that their instruction will help you keep your bees alive. If you HAVE to use Youtube as your source of all beekeeping knowledge, at least watch those who are in your area. Beekeeping strategies vary widely from the one section of the country to another. Beekeeping is dependent on your LOCAL environment.
Don’t Get Discouraged
Your bees are going to die. Whether because of you or because of issues out of your control. You are going to make mistakes. My first year beekeeping I lost every single one of my colonies. Now, I average around 10% losses. Learn from your mistakes. Ask help from those with more experience. Try different things. Become a BETTER beekeeper each and every year. Your girls will thank you for it.
Bee Safe.
Harry