Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
come with deep body frames, and others come with medium body frames, so be sure you know
what you're buying! Nucs cost around $120 to $150 and are available from local beekeepers or
through mail-order apiary supply stores.
The last option for starting your beekeeping hobby is to purchase a mature and thriving colony.
This of course gives you an immediate return on your investment, with a full honey harvest the
very first year. However, it is the most expensive option. You run the risk of buying outdated or
faulty equipment, but on the other hand if you already have to purchase hive boxes and frames,
your cost for an established colony might not be that much more than the price of all new boxes
and frames plus the bee package.
Regardless of how you get the bees, you'll need to have your equipment set up and ready when the
bees arrive. And of course, the same principles apply to bees as to all livestock. The initial purchase
is only the first, and often the easiest step. After getting your bees home, the work begins.
Keeping Bees—A Year-Round Guide
Let's look at how you'd go about working your hive throughout the year. I want to stress, though,
that this is an overview of what to expect throughout the year in a general sense. I strongly urge
new beekeepers to connect with a local beekeeping group. You'll have the wisdom of expert bee-
keepers who know the specifics of your local region and their advice can literally save you hundreds
of dollars. You can ask your State Apiarist for contact information about a group in your local area.
Find the State Apriarist in your state at bit.ly/BYFBeeStates.
Start in the early spring with your newly acquired hive—the time when most new hives should
be purchased. Spring is the time when many plants are blooming, providing steady sources of
pollen and nectar to feed your bees. This also gives the newer, less stable colonies a chance to grow
stronger before the trying winter sets in.
Let's say you get your package of bees installed by the end of March or April. Your queen will be
released from her cage by the third day (rarely will you need to release her yourself on the third
day) so you'd want to check the hive the third day to make sure. Let the hive be for another couple
of days after you release the queen so she can settle in. When you check the hive at the end of that
first week, you'll hopefully see brand-new eggs in brand-new combs. Those hundreds of tiny little
eggs are the sign that your queen has settled in and is doing her job—by building up the workforce
to strengthen the hive.
Check the hive again three weeks later and you should see the first of those new eggs beginning to
hatch as the first of your worker bees emerge. Congratulations, you are a bee parent!
