Become a Beekeeper

Due to the Colony Collapse Disorder disease, the Honey Bee population is declining, and they really need our help. Bees pollinate crops to produce food, as well as performing many other useful functions for humans. Becoming a beekeeper isn't difficult, and it can be a fun hobby for you to get into in your backyard.

Steps

  1. See if any local resources offer a beekeeping course. It may cost you a couple hundred dollars, but the experience will teach you the many things you'll need to know about bees and keeping them. Check with your state's public college or university's cooperative extension. States with schools that specialize in agriculture are most likely to host such a course.
  2. Read up on beekeeping. Numerous books and websites offer advice and instructions, but make sure the author is well-versed in the topic (reading their biography may help). These books offer great help for the beginner:
  3. Purchase a "starter" kit. This will include the necessary equipment you'll need to get going with bees. It should include:
    • Hive Bodies
    • Frames
    • Bottom Board
    • Entrance Reducer
    • Hive Outer Cover
    • Hive Inner Cover
    • Feeder
    • Varroa Screen/Monitoring Tray
    • Hard Plastic Helmet
    • Round Tie-down Veil
    • Stainless Steel Smoker with Heat Shield
    • Hive Tool
    • Gloves
  4. Get some bees. Contact a local beekeeping association for advice on where to get your bees.
  5. Very broad stroke here but basically you set up your hive in a place where there are nearby flowers. The kind of flowers will affect the flavor of the honey. Your hive will have a deep body with frames in it. The bees will fill that frame with comb.
  6. You will add another deep frame on top of that when they have the lower one full. They will then fill that body. You add it simply by stacking it atop the first. The deep bodies have no top or bottom so they can be stacked.
  7. When they almost fill the second you add a screen on top of the two that has a grid large enough to let bees through but not the queen. Then add a shallow body on top of that. This honey will be yours.
  8. They may fill that shallow body. Then you can add a second. Depending upon several factors you may get several shallow bodies stacked up in one hive.
  9. This is only a basic idea of how it works. You need to read about it.

Tips

  • Avoid ALL clothing or anything at all on your body that is made from animal products. Remember, the bees' main natural predators are mammals, and they will become extremely agitated if they sense wool, leather, fur hats, and the like. Cotton is not the best either since it is related to one of their natural food sources. Wear smooth white polyester/nylon clothing and gloves throughout your body.
  • Beekeeping is certainly not for everyone. Every beekeeper will be stung, and you should determine first if you may have an allergy.
  • The contents of beekeeper "starter" kits may vary depending on where you got it.

Warnings

  • Local, county and/or state laws may exist in your area regarding beekeeping. Check with your township, county and state before preparing to keep bees.
  • Bees can be harmful or fatal to those who are allergic to them. You may want to see a doctor to determine if you are allergic before beginning with beekeeping.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  • The New Starting Right with Bees, published by A.I. Root.
  • The Beekeeper's Handbook, by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile.
  • Beekeeping, A Practical Guide, by Richard Bonney.

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