Homestead How-To The Basics of Beekeeping upkeep to hive health.
You can find a beekeeper to align with your values as an enthusiast, whether it be choosing chemicals or raising your bees organically. One of the channels that we really enjoyed was David Burns @ beek, a master beekeeper who has covered just about any bee related topic that you can think of.
Equipment
Now that we’ ve touched on educational resources, let’ s discuss the equipment you’ ll need to begin. I cannot express the importance of a good bee suit; I would suggest buying the best beekeeping suit you can afford. It will help you feel confident and keep you safe.
When we first acquired our bees, our youngest child was six years old. He has been heavily involved in all aspects of beekeeping, so keep that in mind if you have children and invest in a nice suit for them. You won’ t regret it.
Another invaluable tool that I believe you should splurge on is a bee smoker. You’ ll get one in any beginner beekeeping kit, but a great quality smoker will make your hive work much easier.
Beekeeping, similar to any venture, will require an initial investment. When we first started out, it felt as if we continued throwing money at supplies with no end in sight. Realistically, though, after our second year, we haven’ t had to purchase any additional equipment, and our investment has returned itself through our honey sales.
Similar to most people, we started out with a beginner kit that we purchased through Dadant. com. The
10-Frame Deep Kit comes with just about everything you need to get started, although I again recommend investing in a separate bee suit.
Your next big investment will be your‘ Supers.’ You’ ll need these as your hives grow and expand. We use Langstroth style hives, but you may prefer a top bar or a flow hive. There really is an option for every future beekeeper. You can learn more about other equipment through your research to see what fits for your operation.
Bees
We’ ve covered the research and equipment, so let’ s talk about the bees! You’ ll need to acquire your bees“ somehow.” Ideally, you want to try to obtain your bees as locally as possible. This is where it’ ll be valuable to connect with your local or semi-local beekeepers. Our first bees were acquired from a beekeeper who lives roughly an hour away from us.
If you do take this route, do some research on traveling with bees. You’ ll want to make that process as safe as possible. There are also mail-order options if you can’ t find anyone within driving distance. If you go online to purchase, make sure to go through trusted sellers; Mann Lake and Dadant & Sons have been around for a long time.
Safety
To wrap up your beginner bee education, I think it’ s important to talk about safety. Bees are amazing little creatures with a plethora of benefits, but they’ re also little powerhouses that can pack a punch to even the most experienced beekeepers. A new beekeeper,
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