Beekeeping
Keeping honey bees is a fascinating and profitable pastime that can be enjoyed in several ways. You may want to keep bees for the honey they produce, or you may want to keep them for their services as pollinators, or just because you would like the fun of learning about one of nature’s most interesting insects.
You can keep honey bees almost anywhere, but before you start out, you should know that beekeeping can be hard work and keeping bees is not for everyone. If you have had an allergic reaction to a stinging insect such as wasp or bee, you should use extreme care. A single honey bee sting can bring on serious reactions to some people — even causing death. The good news is that one can wear protective beekeeping clothes and beekeeper equipment designed to avoid bee stings.
Beekeeping Basics
The best time to start beekeeping is in spring time. Fruit trees and flowers are in bloom and should supply the new colony with sufficient nectar and pollen. If you have never kept bees before, start small and grow when you feel you have mastered your art. It’s important to start with a manageable number of hives; do not start with more than two or three hives. Having a few bees around doesn’t make you a beekeeper!
How To Keep Bees
Beekeeping can be undertaken by anyone who has enough ability and determination to look after the bees properly, enough courage to work with bees, and enough money to buy bees and equipment (it’s not expensive). Before you get into beekeeping, though, you should check to make sure local zoning laws allow you to keep your bees and what your reaction is to bee stings.
Getting bees
Traditionally a person starts beekeeping by building hive equipment, buying packages of bees, and installing the bees into the equipment. It is possible that you could purchase a nuc (a nuc is a small bee hive). Generally it can be three, four, or five frames of brood and bees with a queen. The bees have begun to build new comb and the queen is already laying eggs. Or a person could buy a complete hive.
Beekeeper Clubs
One way to find other beekeepers who can help you with problems you encounter is to join a local bee club or state organization. You should check the local beekeeping associations and listings for where you live first and contact the individuals there. Ask them for information about bee clubs and who you need to contact. The person listed under the Department of Agriculture responsible for inspection should have a good idea.
Good luck!
