Top Five Tips for Beginning Beekeepers

As exciting as the prospect is of starting your own apiary and harvesting your own honey, there is much to learn about beekeeping! Even seasoned beekeepers will tell you they are still learning, adjusting, and figuring out new challenges each year. Time and experience do matter in beekeeping. Here are some top tips to consider if you are a new beekeeper or thinking about embarking on this incredible adventure with arguably the world's most critical pollinator.

Tip 1: Don’t Go in Blind

Hive maintenance is more straightforward once you get going. Still, the first top tip before starting beekeeping is to do your research and lean into the strong community of beekeepers available online and in your area. Knowledge is certainly power when it comes to beekeeping, and when being mentored by a local expert, it is not necessary to recreate the wheel on every beekeeping task.

Tip 2: Know Your Audience

The second most common tip for beginning beekeepers is to understand your audience: the honeybees. Honeybees are essential pollinators and significantly important to our eco-balance and environment. Honeybees also travel to forage, with some going more than five miles to find what they are looking for. Although most people think of their honeybees foraging what they have in their own yard, they will travel from rooftops and small urban gardens. Interacting and monitoring beehives is important to get bees used to the interruptions and get beekeepers used to their bees' sounds, activities, and behaviors.

Tip 3: Space Is Not the Only Factor

Since bees do forage, a small space can host hives successfully. A corner in a yard can be sufficient to have hives, but be sure to confirm that you can have beehives according to any housing or city regulations. Some homeowner’s groups or city ordinances may limit the number or types of bees a person can host. It is always better to find out ahead of time so you don't incur fees, make your neighbors upset, or be in a position to find new homes for your hives.

If you know anyone who decided to keep bees and is in violation of any regulations, please ensure the live bees are humanely removed and relocated to another area. High-quality bee removal companies pride themselves on treating bees with care and removing them from places they should not be.

Tip 4: Keep Expectations Realistic

Any beekeeper will tell you the first year is the most challenging and even drive some away from the hobby. The first year, instead of having unrealistic expectations, spend the year finding out what equipment is necessary, how to feed bees, and how to respond to their unique needs. From one hive to the next, the care may vary significantly.

The goal of first-year beekeeping should be to support new hives, so they grow bigger and stay healthy so they can sustain a cold winter. Getting the right supplies for beekeeping will make it easier but also allow you to focus more on the bees and not on how to do something without the proper tools. Seasoned beekeepers warn that cheaper is rarely better when purchasing equipment. Look for reviews and save yourself some time and money. Local beekeepers may suggest making some of your own equipment, but it is strongly recommended to stick to prefabricated tools and equipment in the first year of beekeeping. You may venture into customizing your approach as you get to know your bees.

Tip 5: Cover the Basics

Talking about the tools and equipment necessary to begin beekeeping, a few things should not be skipped. Protective gear will keep bee stings to the minimum and allow you to get comfortable with the process without fear. A smoker is another must-have tool. The smoker calms bees so the hives can be checked. Regular observation of hives and frames is required to ensure bees are healthy and no mites have infected the hive. A multi-purpose hive tool helps manipulate the boxes and frames and scrape off propolis when needed. Propolis benefits hives in many ways, so this is not to be done without knowing when to remove it.