Beginning Beekeeping FAQ
The questions we hear most often from people thinking about their first hive.
This is an often heard question whenever we have a booth or presentation somewhere in the area.
First, contact your local beekeeping association. They can be a wealth of knowledge and help.
Next, see if any of the clubs or associations are offering a beginning beekeeping class. The Beekeepers Association of the Ozarks hosts a yearly class in beginning beekeeping.
Finally, try to pair up with a local beekeeper, and spend a day or two with them. Most beekeepers are willing to take on beginners to help them out.
Beekeeping does require some strength, and a bit of physical labor, although both handicapped people and blind people have been known to keep bees.
A full deep box of honey can weigh 80–90 pounds, so most of the lifting comes at harvest. Much of the rest of the year the work is a matter of looking, not lifting.
Order your bees in winter and take delivery in spring. Packages and nucs sell out early, so the decision to keep bees is usually made several months before the bees arrive. Winter is also when the classroom part of our beekeeping school runs, which is not a coincidence.
Expect the first hive to cost several hundred dollars once you have the boxes, frames, foundation, a bottom board and lid, a veil, a hive tool, a smoker and the bees themselves. The annual club auction is the cheapest place in the area to pick up used equipment.
Two, if you can manage it. With one hive you have nothing to compare it against; with two you can see which colony is behind, and you can move a frame of brood or food from the strong hive to help the weak one.
No. Hives are kept on quarter-acre suburban lots and on city rooftops. What matters more is a water source, a bit of sun, and a flight path that sends bees up and away from where people walk. Check your city ordinance and talk to your neighbours before the bees arrive.
Yes, eventually. Most beekeepers are stung a few times a season and think little of it. If you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to a sting, talk to your doctor before you start.
Often none, and that is normal. A new colony spends its first season drawing comb and building population. A surplus you can harvest usually comes in the second year.
Still have a question?
Come to a meeting and ask it out loud. Q&A starts at 6:00 pm on the 4th Tuesday of every month, and no question is too basic.