Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
When you lift the top off the hive, the bees will naturally pool up to the top of the frames. Smoking helps
drive them back down into the hive so you can work the frames.
(Photo courtesy of Nicolás Boullosa)
There are many other items you can purchase, but these are the bare essentials that you'll want to
have on hand. Of course the longer you keep bees, and the bigger your hives become, the more
tools you'll be able to invest in and get your money's worth.
Acquiring a Hive
There are a few different ways of getting your first beehive after you have your hive boxes set
up and all your equipment on hand. You can install a captured swarm. You can purchase a bee
package. You can purchase a nuc hive. You can purchase a full colony. These options all have their
various pros and cons, and represent different price points for getting started.
Catching a swarm of bees can be either ridiculously easy or extremely difficult, depending on
the location of the bee swarm. Ideally a swarm would be on a low-hanging branch or other easily
accessible location. If the swarm is in a difficult or dangerous to reach place, the attempt could
harm you and wouldn't be worthwhile. A 5-gallon bucket or sturdy cardboard box may be the only
container you need for catching the swarm!
You have to understand that a swarm of bees is extremely passive. They do not try to sting
anything; they are mostly interested in keeping the queen safe, which is why they will often appear
as a giant, living ball of bees huddled around the end of a tree branch or lamppost. The queen is
somewhere in the center of the ball and if you knock her into the bucket, the worker bees will fol-
low and you'll have a large, young bee colony ready to install into your hive.
 
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