Embarking on the journey of beekeeping is a truly fulfilling endeavor, but it requires careful planning and continuous learning. This comprehensive guide provides you with a step-by-step approach to successfully starting your own bee colony. If you’re serious about beekeeping, dedicate your time to understanding these steps, and you’ll be a beekeeper before you realize it!
The 7 Essential Steps to Start Keeping Bees
Step 1 – Dive into the World of Honeybees & the Hive
Before investing in any equipment, enroll in a class, attend a local bee club meeting, or explore informative YouTube channels. Your initial focus should be on learning about honeybees and understanding the inner workings of a beehive. There are countless resources available to expand your knowledge. Some recommended books include The Beekeeper’s Bible, Langstroth’s Hive and the Honey-Bee, and Tales from the Hive. You can also watch documentaries, with More Than Honey being a popular choice. For online resources, honeybeesuite.com is a great blog to follow.
Understanding Bee Biology
Honeybees are highly social insects that live in colonies, essentially large bee families. Within each colony resides a single queen bee, responsible for laying all the eggs. She’s the sole female in the hive capable of mating and producing fertilized eggs.
The majority of the colony consists of worker bees, which are also female but do not mate or lay eggs. These worker bees perform nearly every task within the hive: feeding larvae, regulating temperature, gathering food, cleaning, and defending the colony.
The third type of bee in the colony is the male, known as the drone. Drones are brothers to the worker bees and sons to the queen. Their primary function is to mate with a queen from another hive. Drones congregate in specific areas, awaiting a queen’s arrival. Mating occurs mid-air, after which the drone dies. If a drone doesn’t mate, worker bees will eventually expel it from the hive, leading to its demise, especially when nectar sources become scarce. This is because drones aren’t essential for the hive’s survival, and the colony prioritizes conserving resources like honey. The queen never mates with drones from her own hive.
Step 2 – Confirm You’re Not Allergic to Honeybees
Even if you’ve been stung by a wasp without a significant reaction, it’s crucial to determine if you’re allergic to honeybee stings. Before committing to beekeeping, ensure you don’t have a severe reaction. Most people experience minor swelling and itching, which is a normal response.
However, signs of a severe allergic reaction include heart palpitations, itchy palms and soles, throat constriction, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. Consult your doctor for an allergy test if you’re unsure. Despite wearing protective gear, stings are inevitable. Bees can find their way under gloves or through small openings in clothing.
Step 3 – Try Before You Buy: Shadowing a Beekeeper (Optional)
This step isn’t mandatory, but it can save you considerable stress, time, and money. Shadowing an experienced beekeeper or taking an in-person class is highly recommended. Getting hands-on experience will help you understand the physical demands of beekeeping (a full medium honey super can weigh over 35 pounds).
If you’re struggling to find a mentor, reach out to your local bee association. Offer assistance to beekeepers in exchange for learning opportunities, such as helping with hive moving, honey harvesting, or jar labeling. Beekeeping organizations and universities often offer in-person beekeeping classes.
Step 4 – Choosing the Right Location for Your Hive
Selecting the right location for your beehive is crucial for the health and productivity of your bees.
Ideal locations offer:
- Abundant flowers: Especially flowering trees, providing ample nectar and pollen.
- Peace and quiet: Away from heavy foot traffic, children, and pets.
- Protection: Shelter from strong winds and potential threats from animals like bears.
- Level ground: Or the ability to create a level surface using palettes and wood.
- Legal compliance: Ensure beekeeping is permitted in the area.
- Distance from pesticides: Avoid areas that may be sprayed with harmful chemicals.
A reasonable distance from your home is ideal, balancing the need for accessibility for honey harvesting and hive maintenance with minimizing disturbance to your household.
Avoid placing hives near:
- Bright lights that could disorient bees at night.
- Areas where pets or children frequently spend time.
- Sidewalks or high-traffic areas.
- Swimming pools, as bees are often attracted to chlorinated water.
- Steep slopes that are difficult to access.
- Locations far from vehicle access.
If keeping bees at home, ensure everyone living on the property is aware and not allergic. It’s also wise to consider your neighbors, as beehives can sometimes cause concerns.
If your home isn’t suitable, explore alternative locations like cemeteries, retreat centers, office parks, schools, rooftops, and botanical gardens. Keeping bees at home offers the advantage of frequent observation, allowing you to monitor their activity and health. However, the location’s suitability significantly impacts the overall well-being and productivity of your bees.
Step 5 – Investing in Essential Beekeeping Equipment
A beehive provides a home for the bee colony, where they store honey and raise their young (brood).
Opt for the most common hive style in your region. In the U.S., Langstroth hives are widely used, making equipment purchases and finding assistance easier.
Step 6 – Understanding the Beekeeper’s Role
The beekeeper has five primary responsibilities:
- Managing Space
- Protecting the Hive
- Managing Pests
- Managing Food Storage
- Managing the Queen and Brood
Managing Space
Most hive styles allow for adjusting the internal space based on the colony’s size. Smaller colonies need smaller spaces, while growing colonies require larger hives. This is achieved by adding boxes to Langstroth hives or adjusting the follower board in top bar hives. Space management also involves preparing the hive for winter by consolidating the bees, adding insulation, providing an upper entrance, and ensuring sufficient food stores.
Protecting the Hive
Many creatures are attracted to honey and warm beehives. Bears, skunks, mice, wasps, and other bee colonies can attack and even destroy a hive.
Mouse guards placed over the entrance during cooler nights prevent mice from entering. Elevating the hive deters skunks, and electric fences are effective against bears. Protecting the hive from robbing by other bees and wasps is also crucial, especially during periods of dearth (when flowers are scarce). Reducing the hive entrance and eliminating external honey or syrup can help prevent robbing.
Managing Pests
The primary pests that attack beehives are varroa mites, small hive beetles, and wax moths. Varroa mites are the most significant threat and require proactive management. Maintaining a healthy hive is essential, as weak hives are more susceptible to pest infestations.
Managing Food Storage
Feeding bees may be necessary in early spring and during fall and winter when natural food sources are limited.
Managing the Queen Bee
A healthy, egg-laying queen is vital for the hive’s survival. Beekeepers monitor the brood (developing bees) to ensure all stages (eggs, larvae, and pupae) are present, indicating a healthy queen.
Regular hive inspections (every 1-2 weeks) are necessary to assess the hive’s condition and identify any potential issues.
Step 7 – Ordering Your Bees
Purchase bees from a local apiary. Bees are typically sold as either a nuc (nucleus hive) or a package. A package consists of a screened cage containing thousands of worker bees, a caged queen, and a syrup can. This is the cheaper option but requires more effort to install and establish.
A nuc is a mini-hive with 4-5 frames of honeycomb filled with baby bees, food, worker bees, and a laying queen. Nucs are easier to install and allow the colony to grow faster but are more expensive.
Avoid having bees shipped, as they often arrive dead. If possible, request a marked queen, which has a dot of paint on her back for easy identification.
Starting with 2-3 colonies is recommended, as it’s easier to manage multiple colonies. However, limit yourself to three colonies until you have successfully maintained them for a full year.
Step 8 – Ordering Your Equipment
Consider purchasing beekeeping equipment from reputable suppliers known for high-quality, durable products.
For a Langstroth hive, you’ll need to choose between 8-frame and 10-frame boxes. Eight-frame boxes weigh less but require more boxes due to their smaller size. Boxes come in three heights: deep (used for the first two boxes where baby bees reside), medium, and shallow. A medium box weighs approximately 10 pounds more than a shallow box when full of honey.
Stick to a maximum of two box sizes for consistency across all your hives.
Essential equipment includes:
- Smoker
- Hive tool (1-3)
- Sting-resistant gloves
- Veil/veiled jacket/beekeeper suit
For each colony, you’ll need:
- 16-20 deep frames
- 16-20 shallow or medium frames
- 2 deep boxes (8 or 10 frame)
- Bottom board
- Mouse guard
- Entrance reducer
- Inner cover
- Telescoping outer cover
- Feeder
Step 9 – Getting Your Equipment Ready
Most beekeeping equipment requires assembly and painting. Allow the painted boxes to air out for a few weeks before introducing your bees.
What’s Next?
Follow these steps:
- Review this guide and familiarize yourself with each step.
- Take your time and learn more about each step as you progress.
- By the end, you will have your bees on the way and be a beekeeper!
Final Thoughts
Beekeeping may seem overwhelming, but remember: “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway.” ~ Earl Nightingale
Stay inspired by following beekeeping-related social media pages, watching documentaries, and connecting with other beekeepers.
