Beekeeping for Beginners: An Introduction to Beekeeping
Are you interested learning how to keep bees and having the opportunity to produce your own honey? The idea of beekeeping for beginners can be quite daunting at first, but once you are familiar with what is required and make sure that you stick to the required routine then you will be well on your way to having your own ready supply of honey for you and your family. You may even have sufficient supplies to sell to friends and neighbors at reasonable profit.
The first question to consider if you are finding out how to keep bees is the legalities. In many countries, such as the UK, there are no legal restrictions at all so anyone can keep bees. In other countries, such as the US, there is a requirement for you to apply for a license. The license is easy to apply for and is inexpensive. In a few communities, however, there has been a ban on individuals keepingbees. Therefore, you really need to check your local legislation before you embark on your new beekeeping enterprise.
The first question for many people learning how to keep bees is where do I get my bees from? Do I put up a hive and wait for them to arrive? Well that’s what I used to think anyway!! Actually you need to obtain a starter colony, either by buying one from a supplier of beekeeping supplies or from another beekeeper. It may be worth contacting your local beekeeping association to see if they know of anybody who has a starter colony available.
Another daunting question for people learning how to keep bees is what equipment is needed. So here is a list of the basic beekeeping equipment you will need.
- A hive
- Bee suit and veil
- Suitable boots
- Bee gloves
- Smoker
- Hive tool
- Queen marking cage and pen
- A feeder to feed your bee’s sugar syrup
- A Porter bee escape (a one way valve for bees)
- A good guide to how to keep bees.
Your routine as a beginner beekeeper will be determined by the seasons. During the winter months your main task will be simply inspecting your hive (or hives) to make sure that they are in good shape and that the entrances are free of blockages. You will also need to provide yourbees with food over the winter.
In the Spring and Summer, you will need to concern yourself with checking for mites, preventing swarms and, of course, collecting your honey. One way of preventing yourbees swarming is by fooling them into thinking that they have already swarmed – which also leads to the setting up of a new hive.
Find out more about beekeeping for beginners.
