People are always asking me why I got started with beekeeping. It's really simple: I like honey, and I like to know where my food is coming from. So after I started raising chickens and growing my own vegetables, bees seemed like a natural extension of my "live close to the earth" philosophy. About 3 years ago I started learning about bees, and what I learned is...there’s a lot to learn!
Beekeeping Equipment
And not only is there a lot to learn, but there’s also a lot of equipment you need. Here’s what’s needed (at a minimum), for just one hive:
And not only is there a lot to learn, but there’s also a lot of equipment you need. Here’s what’s needed (at a minimum), for just one hive:
- Medium size hive body (where the queen lives and lays her eggs)
- 10 frames for the hive body (a frame is a wooden rectangle with a plastic or wax insert so bees can lay eggs and draw out honeycomb)
- 2 smaller size hive bodies called honey supers with 10 frames each (these are where surplus honey is made and stored)
- Bottom board (keeps insects out and gives the bees a landing platform)
- Telescoping outer cover (seals over the edges to keep moisture out)
- Smoker (for calming the bees)
- Hive tool (for cleaning the hive or opening hive body)
- Bee suit and gloves (if you don't want to get stung)
- 10,001 bees (more on this later)
- 2 smaller size hive bodies called honey supers with 10 frames each (these are where surplus honey is made and stored)
- Bottom board (keeps insects out and gives the bees a landing platform)
- Telescoping outer cover (seals over the edges to keep moisture out)
- Smoker (for calming the bees)
- Hive tool (for cleaning the hive or opening hive body)
- Bee suit and gloves (if you don't want to get stung)
- 10,001 bees (more on this later)
I accumulated my equipment over the course of last winter, thanks in large part to my friend Tom, who built the hive bodies and honey supers for me, as well as the bottom board and outer cover. What Tom couldn't make I bought from my favorite bee store, Dadant.
Ordering Bees
I ordered my bees on-line in early November 2011 from Beeweaver Apiaries in Navasota, Texas. Bees are usually sold in packages, which contain about three pounds of bees (around 10,000). A package of that size is enough to start one hive.
The bees are in a screened shipping box with a round hole in the top for a can of sugar syrup to provide food for the bees during shipment.
If you're starting a new hive, as opposed to adding to an existing hive, you need a queen; in that case you would have about 10,001 bees. She is placed inside the shipping box, along with the bees, but in a small wooden box called a queen cage. This is to keep her separated from the bees until installation in the hive.
Here’s a picture of two bee packages:
I ordered my bees on-line in early November 2011 from Beeweaver Apiaries in Navasota, Texas. Bees are usually sold in packages, which contain about three pounds of bees (around 10,000). A package of that size is enough to start one hive.
The bees are in a screened shipping box with a round hole in the top for a can of sugar syrup to provide food for the bees during shipment.
If you're starting a new hive, as opposed to adding to an existing hive, you need a queen; in that case you would have about 10,001 bees. She is placed inside the shipping box, along with the bees, but in a small wooden box called a queen cage. This is to keep her separated from the bees until installation in the hive.
Here’s a picture of two bee packages:
You can see the syrup cans in the top, and the orange straps are holding the queen cages.
Bees are available for shipment in early spring, just before the honeyflow begins. You can have your bees shipped through the mail, but I decided to pick mine up since my rural mail service is very unreliable.
Getting the Bees
So in early April I drove to Navasota, about 3 1/2 hours from my house. The drive there was uneventful; the drive back was exciting. I picked up probably 100 or so hitchhiker bees--bees just flying around the apiary that were attracted to the sugar syrup can in the shipping box and hung onto the box when I put it into my car. I had not planned on that!
So in early April I drove to Navasota, about 3 1/2 hours from my house. The drive there was uneventful; the drive back was exciting. I picked up probably 100 or so hitchhiker bees--bees just flying around the apiary that were attracted to the sugar syrup can in the shipping box and hung onto the box when I put it into my car. I had not planned on that!
The good news was that 10,001 of the bees were contained; the bad news was that there were a lot of bees just flying around inside my car. It takes a lot of concentration and willpower to drive for 3 1/2 hours with bees flying around your face!
I thought my adventure was almost over when I got home, but it was only just beginning. What I thought would be the easiest task, hiving the bees (installing them in the hive), was actually harder than it looked.
Next Week....Hiving the Bees.
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