Want to keep bees?
Year 1 for a Bee Hive: What does it take to get into beekeeping?
A question asked often. My short response is you should have a curiosity to learn, ample time, and some money to invest – very similar to any other hobby or small business.
Bees are just like any other farm animal or pet, they require consistent attention to ensure their health and wellbeing. In Illinois, bees are considered livestock and beekeepers both hobbyist and commercial should register their hives with the state. This is so the state beekeepers can assist if you run into problems such as diseases which have become more prevalent, farmers can alert you as they plan to spray crops and information on a state level can be shared.
Learning: I’d recommend starting by leveraging your local beekeeper association/clubs, State Universities, content on YouTube, books, magazines and find a mentor if possible. With technology there is so much content available one can get a good idea of the challenges and rewards of being a beekeeper; this is a hobby where you will never know everything and you will continue to learn. Also, finding a mentor can be invaluable as you can ask questions and leverage their experience and knowledge.
Personally, I leverage Penn State University and the University of Florida as they have a variety of resources such as webinars, classes, podcasts for beekeepers new and old. I’m also a member of the local beekeeper association, tend to ask a lot of questions and follow 2 – 3 beekeepers on YouTube where they post videos on a variety of subjects. The best part is the majority of what I mentioned is free, all a beekeeper needs to do is invest time.
Investment: So let’s talk about investment. What does a new beekeeper need and how much does it cost? To start you will need a place to put the bees, woodenware (complete hive), hive stand, protective gear, equipment and of course bees. You can plan on spending ~$350 - $450 per hive; this takes into account buying all the items from a distributor and getting a package of bees (typically 3 pounds). Are there ways to reduce this start up cost? Sure, by making your own woodenware, splitting your colonies as your hives become established instead of buying packages, catching swarms and even breeding your own queens will help minimize the investment in the long run.
Time: Once the bees are installed in their new home, the learning really starts as you should inspect and check them on a regular basis – or they will swarm. Each beekeeper has their own approach or system to accomplish this. Generally, I check my hives every two weeks, take audio notes on my phone for later and generally spend about 15 – 20 minutes per hive. So for example, I would spend 5 – 6 hours every other Saturday afternoon going through my hives looking for the following:
· General health of the hive?
· How is the queen?
· Are they getting ready to swarm?
· Are there pests in the hive?
· Do they have food (pollen and honey)?
Depending on the above, a hive may need to be split, pests such as Small Hive Beetles or Varroa Mites may need immediate attention and treatment etc.
While all of the above may sound daunting, it really isn’t for a couple of reasons. The first and most important reason is learning something every time you open up a hive and then understanding the ‘personality’ of each hive. Even though hives could be located side by side, each colony is different and progresses at its own pace. Interacting with the bees and watching them go about their business is fun.
When can I harvest honey? A question you may be thinking at this point in the blog. Well, this is a hive-by-hive decision as it all depends. It depends on the weather, hive strength, nectar flow(s) and making sure they have enough stores to get through winter. Some hives can be harvested year 1 and some start harvest in year 2. This year I was fortunate to harvest a small amount of honey from my hives; being able to share our product and getting all the positive feedback was extremely gratifying……
Feel free to drop a note in the comments if you have questions!
Remember keep doing good things and bee the change…..
Dave & Carol