How to Start Beekeeping
Beekeeping can be a rewarding hobby and people pursue it for various reasons. Whether you are interested in beekeeping to harvest honey, help bees thrive or just enjoy a new challenge – getting started in beekeeping involves learning some basics and making important decisions early on. In this guide, I will introduce you to the essential steps of beekeeping for beginners to ensure you get off to a proper start.
Anyone interested in getting started in beekeeping needs to understand that this is not a “hands-off” project. To be successful, you have to learn the basics of bee behavior (colony dynamics) and know when to perform basic hive management tasks.
Beginner Beekeeping – Getting Started
While honey bees are not endangered, they have faced serious challenges in recent years. Keeping honey bees is not easy – it requires an investment of time and money.
Trying to learn everything as you go is not the best approach to beekeeping and is the reason why many beekeepers quit after one season.
While it is common for beginner beekeepers to feel overwhelmed by the unfamiliar words we use (beekeeping terms), it does get easier over time. If you follow a “learning path” your chances of success are higher.
Choosing the Best Location for Bees
Before you invest too much time and money, you should consider if you have the proper location for a honey bee hive. Does this spot meet the needs of the bees: space, sunlight, water sources, etc – and the beekeeper: convenient, accessible etc.?
A new beekeeper must also review any regulations or legal considerations. While bees can be kept almost anywhere (urban beekeepers have hives in cities), you do need to review your situation.
While it is certainly possible to move a beehive, it is much less work and stress to pick the best place for a beehive in the beginning.
Choosing the Right Equipment
Ideally, you will spend some time in research – before spending money on beekeeping equipment. Try to take a few beekeeping classes (I have an online beekeeping class) – because some of these early decisions are important and can be costly mistakes.
Choosing a Hive
When choosing among the many types of beehives, consider what is being used locally. Those people will be your mentors.
I do recommend standard Langstroth hives for those just getting started in beekeeping. I think it is easier for those first couple of years when you have so much other stuff to learn.
But, that is my opinion. You may want to try a top bar hive, a horizontal hive or even the flow hive. Each hive style has fans and detractors (see its that opinion thing again).
Essential Tools
Of course, you need a few tools and supplies to promote beekeeping safety and enable you to enjoy working your hives.
Every beekeeper should have a hive tool (or 3 or 4) to pry apart stuck hive boxes. Along with a good bee smoker and some appropriate bee smoker fuel , that should get you through your first months of beekeeping.
If you decide to purchase a beekeeping kit be sure to consider the included items and make sure they are what you need. Sometimes, they contain a lot of fluff that is not very useful.
Beekeeping Clothing
You have many choices for beekeeping protective clothing. Having a beekeeping jacket, full bee suit or hat/veil combo is very useful.
I believe that a beekeeper’s veil is absolutely necessary. It is not just about preventing stings. Protective equipment helps you feel confident and soothes those beginning beekeeper nerves.
You can spend a lot or a little and replace things as you go. Choosing a beekeeping suit that can be washed is a good investment as it prolongs the life of the garment.
For beekeeping gloves, I use disposable nitrile gloves on a normal basis. They are inexpensive (if sweaty) and allow greater dexterity while working my my hives. Heavier gloves are saved for the tougher jobs – but I do have a pair or two.
Getting Your First Bees
Most folks who are starting out opt to order or buy honey bees from a supplier. Orders are placed beginning in December or January for Spring pickup or delivery. Don’t procrastinate about ordering bees-early delivery dates will sell out.
Beginning beekeepers usually buy bees sold in packages. These small colonies are easier to manage and perfect for someone just getting started keeping bees.
Of course, you may be able to order a nuc colony (nucleus hive) – another good way to start a hive. But, they can be harder to find and more expensive.
There are several races and hybrids of honey bees available for sale. What is the best type of honey bee for beginners? While there is some debate on this issue, Italians or Italian-Carniolan crosses are the most popular.
Setting Up Your Beehive
At least a week before bees arrive, assemble the required parts of the hive, using nails and glue – you will be glad you did! Some folks wish to build their own beehive. This is great if you have the skill.
If you wish to paint your beehives, do this well ahead of bee arrival to give the paint smell time to dissipate.
While not a requirement, it is highly recommended that you use some type of beehive stand for your hives. Your back will thank you in years to come – less bending. And, this also helps protect the hive entrance from predators.
Do you live in an area where Small Hive Beetles are a pest? If so, consider what will be put under your hives. Placing bee colonies in the shade – surrounded by tall wet grass is asking for trouble where beetles are concerned.
Installing Bees into Your First Hive
It is a good idea to install bees in their new home as soon as possible. The actual installation procedure depends on how you purchased them. The methods are similar but have slight differences:
Regardless, of the container they arrive in – keep the bees in a calm cool place until you are ready to get them into their new hive.
In most regions, feeding sugar water to bees will help them be successful. New beekeepers often underestimate the amount of food required by a new colony.
Caring for Your New Hives
Once the bees are in the hive, it is time to feed them and let them settle in. Don’t look in the hive every day – though I know you will want to! Give them a week or so to settle down and feel at home.
When it is time for a first hive inspection after installing your bees, you can put into action what you have learned in your initial education phase. Are things progressing as you would expect? Do you see bee eggs, new comb being built, etc?
Dealing with Common Pests and Diseases
As your small colonies grows, continue to watch for any signs of honey bee pests. Some are only an inconvenience to the beekeeper but others can be deadly to the colony.
Likewise, honey bees can get diseases as well. Even if you can not diagnosis the problem, you should be able to recognize that you have a problem so you can get help.
Keep an eye out for honey bee predators that are common in your area. Can you offer some protection to the hives?
Seasonal Hive Management for Beginners
One of the most overlooked aspects of beginner beekeeping is education. How can you be a good beekeeper if you don’t know what to do?
How indeed. Yes, you need actual experience in the hive – but you need to know what you are looking for too!
A honey bee colony goes through cyclic changes during a calendar year. There is a time of growth – Spring Beekeeping, when we must give the colonies space to expand. This is also the time to watch for bee swarming.
During the warmest months of the year, our bees are busy making honey. Again, our tasks shift a bit to Summer beekeeping tasks, managing a honey harvest, making hive splits, monitoring varroa mite counts etc.
As Fall arrives, our concerns turn to making sure the hives are ready for Winter. You may need to invest some money in Fall feeding for your hives that are light on food stores.
This should be done weeks before you finalize or winterize your beehives for the cold months ahead. In most regions, Winter beekeeping involves a lot of waiting and hoping that we did everything we could.
What About the Honey Harvest?
You may wonder how I forgot to mention the most important part of getting started in beekeeping – harvesting honey! No, I did not forget.
However, many new colonies will not produce enough honey for you to take a share in their first season. My advice is to concentrate on growing strong, healthy colonies ready for Winter.
If you get some excess honey, that’s great. But, don’t’ be impatient and lose your hives as a result.
Continuing Education and Beekeeping Resources
Beekeeping information is readily available on the internet. You-tube videos are great for general information-but please don’t believe everything you hear and read.
Hive management techniques that work well in North Dakota, may not be a good idea in Florida. Don’t forget to learn about regional bee issues.
Educate yourself by reading beekeeping books (those written by real beekeepers). Videos are great but good books will never lose their place in training beginners.
Don’t miss an opportunity to connect with local beekeepers. Try to join a local beekeeping association. If you are really lucky, you may find an experiences beekeeper that is willing to serve as a mentor.
Tips for Beginning Beekeepers
- plan to begin your new beehives in the Spring – gives them months to grow before cold
- realize that you will make some beekeeping mistakes – learn from it and move on
- some beehives will die – expect some losses
- keep hive numbers reasonable – start with 2 or 3
- keep good records – notes of installations, mite treatments etc is valuable information
- expect to spend some money – most of the beekeeping costs occur in the first year
- managing bees requires time. Expect to devote a couple of hours per week to your bees
- if you live in the south and hate to sweat – beekeeping may not be for you (P.S. I do hate to sweat but do it anyway 😉
Consider Your Goals in Beekeeping
Why do you want to be a beekeeper? Even if you are not going to harvest honey, your colonies will require attention. The old days of just sitting a hive out in the backyard and forgetting it – are over.
If you have the dream to start a beekeeping business, start small and learn the basics. Then, develop a good business plan, before investing thousands of dollars.
However, even small scale beekeepers can make a little salary or profit from their backyard hives. You must balance your investment, time and expenses.
FAQs
Starting a new hive of bees in Spring is the optimal time. But, the weeks/months prior to be arrival should be used to learn and prepare for the new colony.
It is commonly recommended that a new beekeeper start with 2 hives. This give the beekeeper an opportunity to share resources between the two colonies and compare growth.
Routine inspections are necessary-often on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule. You must monitor your colonies for various parasites and pests especially during the warm season.
No, there are several times of protective clothing that beekeepers can use. A full bee suit is a benefit for new beekeepers – even if you only have a couple of hives. A hat and veil is the minimum to protect your face.
Final Thoughts
Starting your beekeeping journey can seem overwhelming at first, but with the right knowledge and preparation, it’s a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. One of the most enjoyable parts of the hobby for me is meeting other “bee loving” people.