As long as you aren't allergic to bee stings
beekeeping is a way for someone who doesn't have a great
deal of money and acres of land to take an active role
in agriculture. The start up expense of the average hive
is approximately $300 per hive (you only need one to get
begin with). Once you have purchased a hive it can be
kept in a remote corner of your back yard, it is not
uncommon to see some suburban homes with a bee hive.
If you are considering starting a beehive the first
thing you should do is call your local Cooperative
Extension office. They will be able to tell you if you
live in an area that restricts keeping bees. They will
also be able to give you the contact information of your
states beekeeping organization where you can become a
registered beekeeper.
The next thing you need to do is select a site for your
potential honey bee hive.
Once you have selected a site for your beehive you will
need to go about acquiring the equipment needed to
successfully maintain a beehive. Some of the equipment
you will need can be purchased used on EBay. If you are
unable to find the equipment you need on EBay there are
several on-line sites where you can purchase equipment.
If you need further assistance finding and purchasing a
beehive and other beekeeping equipment call your local
Cooperative Extension office or the Federation of
American Beekeepers.
Before acquiring bees for your hive it's important to
make sure that you are properly protected, this means
you have to purchase beekeepers gear.
Once your hive is in place and you are confident that
everything is in working order it's time to order your
honey bees. The easiest way is to order Honey Bees from
an established Apiary. You should plan on placing you
bee order early in the winter, the average beekeeper
orders their bees in January and February. The order is
typically shipped in March and April. Most Apiary's ship
their bees through the U.S. postal service. When the
bees arrive at the post office your mail carrier will
call and ask that you pick up the bees. Very few mail
carriers are comfortable driving all over the county
with a car full of young angry bees in their car and
most bees are healthier if they don't have to spend
several hours in a hot car.
When you pick up your bees they should have been
packaged in a special carrying case that is designed
just for bees. This package will be a wooden framed
"house" that has a screen covering the outside. This
packaging allows air to circulate to the traveling bees
and keeps handlers, such as post office employees, from
getting stung.
When you get your bees, do not be surprised if you see a
few dead bees laying in the bottom of the package.
Traveling is hard on bees and they can't all be expected
to live through the trip. The rest of the bees should be
clutching the sides of the container.
You will notice that one bee in the container has been
separated from the rest of the hive. This is your queen
bee. The rest of the bees in the container will make up
the rest of your bee hives hierarchy. Some Apiaries ship
the queen with a couple of nurse bees. The top of the
queen's container will be covered with piece of sugar
candy.
You should also see a container that is filled with a
sugar solution. This sugar solution is what the bees
feed on while they are traveling. Once you get your bees
home offer them something to drink. You do this by
taking a spray bottle and covering the container with a
very fine covering of water.