Beekeeping is a great way for someone who doesn’t have  loads of money and acres of land to take up a hobby that is both rewarding and that you can make some money from. The start up expense of the average hive can be from $300 to $400 per hive. To start I would only recommend the one.

You can locate your hive at the bottom of your garden or a  remote corner of your back yard, it is now becoming more common to see suburban homes with a bee hive at the back of their house.

Before you rush out and buy your first bee hive it is worth checking with the local authorities or Cooperative Extension office. They will to tell you if you live in an area that beekeeping is allowed. Remember to ask them for the contact information of your local areas beekeeping organization where you can become a registered beekeeper.

Select a site for your honey bee hive.

Now that you have selected your site you will need to buy the basic equipment. I would recommend searching on the internet to find your local beekeepers association or use eBay and if all that fails try the local yellow pages. If you are struggling to find a hive you could always build one, instructions can be found at http://www.30media30.com/beekeeping/  there is nothing more satisfying than building your own bee hive.

Now that your hive is in place and you are happy and confident that everything is in 100% it’s time to order your honey bees. The easiest and best way is to order Honey Bees is from an established Apiary. Honey Bees should be ordered early in the winter, the average beekeeper orders their bees in January and February. The order is then shipped in March and April but depending on your country this may vary, ask before you bye.

Bees can be either, sent by post / shipped or collected, although a lot of couriers do not like to transport bees. Again check with the Apiary for the best way to transport your bees to their new bee hive.

When your bees arrive they should have been packaged in a special carrying case that is designed just for bees. The package should be a wooden framed “house” that has a screen covering the outside. This packaging allows air to circulate to the traveling bees.

On unpacking your bees, do not be surprised if you see a few dead bees at the bottom of the package, this is normal. Bees do not like traveling and they find it hard, so unfortunately you will loose a few. You will find the rest of the bees clutching the sides of the container.

You should also 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.  Good Apiaries will ship the queen with a couple of nurse bees and some times the top of the queen’s container will be covered with piece of sugar candy.

With the bees there should also be a container that is filled with a sugar solution. This sugar solution is food for the bees. As soon as you get the bees home offer them something to drink, do this by taking a spray bottle and covering the container with a very fine covering of water.

If you would like to know more about beekeeping and how to keep bees or looking to take this up as a hobby then visit

http://www.30media30.com/beekeeping/

Beekeeping is a very popular hobby and obviously the main reason for setting up, maintaining, and stocking a beehive is to harvest the honey. You will know that it is time to harvest the honey (the month depends on your location in the world) when you look into one of your hives and find that the frames of comb are full of honey and that the honey bees have covered it with wax caps.   It’s time to remove the super and keep it in a bee proof room prior to extraction.

When the super is full of capped honeycomb you are going to have to remove the honey bees from that super. There are several commercial chemicals available on the market that will make this easier.  All the bee-keeper has to do is apply the chemical to a fume board or pad and place it on top of the super.  When the honey bees detect the chemical they head to the bottom of the hive to the brood chamber or a part full super below the full one.  This leaves the super full of capped honeycomb and bee free for you to harvest.

This product does not harm the honey bees; the honey bees simply find the scent offensive and move away from it.  Another method bee-keepers use to clear honey bees from a super is by using a crown board with a Porter bee escape fitted.  There is also the Canadian clearer board and the clearing cone; there is also WBC cone escape if required.  Using the escape method can take 24 to 48 hours.

Now that you have removed the super you need to prepare the frames for extraction. The first step in this preparation is to remove the wax caps that the honey bees have used to seal the honey into the comb. Many bee-keepers use between nine and twelve frames in their supers, some modern hives take more frames.  By using the correct number of frames to suit your type of hive you give the honey bees enough room to draw the comb out to the edge of the frame, they then cap it right on the very edge. This makes it easier to remove the wax caps by cutting flush to the frame.  Bee-keepers use a metal knife to remove the caps, the knife works best if the knife blade is hot, after all it’s easier to cut warm wax then it is to cut cold wax. You can keep the knife blade hot by keeping it in hot water.

A tall jug or pitcher that covers the knife blade is ideal. If the container is metal and can be kept on the heat then so much the better.  Some bee-keepers like to use their bread knife to remove the wax caps from the honey comb while others prefer an electrical knife that is designed just for bee-keepers. Another method of removing the caps is by using an uncapping fork.

Once you have removed the caps from the comb the honey is exposed, you can then use a straining cloth or bag or you could secure a piece of cheesecloth over an empty pot or container and put the wax cappings on the cheesecloth the honey will drain through the cheesecloth and the bee’s wax caps will be left on the cheesecloth.  This wax can be processed in a solar wax extractor or in a steamer/melter.  Once the caps are removed from the honey comb the honey is ready to be extracted.

This can be done by resting the frame on its top bar (upside down) in a tray or suspend the frame upside down over a tray.  The honey will drain out of the comb.  The honey comb cells have a slight up turn towards the top bar.  This is to prevent the honey running out when being deposited by the worker bees.  This is not very a very efficient method but is used as a last resort for some if they can’t get access to an extractor.

It is perhaps better if you borrow a centrifugal extractor from a fellow bee-keeper or your local group, club or association. There are many models of extractor I would suggest you seek advice.  You can of course make cut comb honey in 16 oz, 12 oz or 8 oz rectangles.  Rectangular cutters are available or you could use a hot knife and cut your own rectangles.

The beginner is not always able to get the best as an instructor, it is therefore, a good idea to supplement such instruction by a course of reading, and thus be able to make comparisons and discuss the instructor’s methods in the light of those procedures used by others. In fact, I am inclined to think that a thorough course of reading is the most desirable first step that can be taken by a prospective bee-keeper. Having done this, the next step is to subscribe to a honey beekeeping magazine. At this stage a season with an expert bee-keeper would be of great value, when the reading will enable the learner to use the information, and see the reason for things instead of being simply an imitator, following blindly in the footsteps of his teacher.

Many people who now keep honey bees never had any formal training. Many have become interested in honey bees from the capture of a stray swarm. Neighbouring bee-keepers would be visited, books or magazines borrowed or bought, improved hives and methods adopted, and, as the honey bees increased, so did the enthusiasm and interest, until, finally, the honey bees received more time and attention than did the regular business. Then bee-keeping eventually become a speciality or the sole business.

When a person has decided to embark on a bee-keeping venture as a business, they should learn the business thoroughly before investing extensively. No hard and fast rules can be laid down, so much depending upon circumstances. A young man with no established business would do well to pass one or two seasons in the company of some experienced bee-keeper, as has been already suggested, while a more experienced person already in business, with a family to support, may find it advisable to move into bee-keeping gradually, reading and studying as his honey bees’ increase. Whatever the method employed, let the work be thorough; and, especially, be sure to get plenty of actual experience before venturing into honey beekeeping as a business.

On occasions, a person already has some honey bees when he decides to become a full-time bee-keeper. Perhaps he never formally makes any such decision. He captures a stray swarm, and saves the honey bees, and the stock increases with such wonderful speed that the owner becomes a bee-keeper of substance and scarcely realizes it. This amazing speed with which honey bees increase is one strong argument in favour of a person securing a few colonies and building them up into an apiary instead of buying a large number of colonies at the beginning. By rearing queens that will supply the newly made colonies with brood, and you furnishing them with full sheets of comb foundation, the amount by which honey bees can  increase in a favourable season is something almost beyond belief. Just how or where the first colonies come from may well be considered.

Sometimes the person who has steady work, and a good income, can buy honey bees and in the hives that they intend to use. If the honey bees and hives can be obtained locally, from a reliable bee-keeper, so much the better. Of course, there are instances in which a person has more time than money, or there may be a trace of the opportunist in their make-up, and, in either case, the hunting of honey bees, or the putting-out of decoy hives to catch stray swarms, will appeal to them. In those parts of the country where many honey bees are kept, as in Colorado or California, there is no difficulty in catching swarms in decoy hives; in fact, there is difficulty in keeping swarms out of chimneys and the walls of buildings. While out riding one day a man in Colorado, pointed out one house where the walls were covered with five colonies.

He used ordinary boxes instead of hives, and put them pretty high up in tall trees, as a good hive, easily accessible, is quite likely to be stolen.  A piece of old black comb is fastened inside the hive or box, and the hive or box is firmly fastened to the tree so that it is not to be easily blown down, a position being chosen where the hive will be in the shade. A tree on the edge of the woods should be chosen, because, when a swarm reaches the woods, it at once begins a search for a suitable hollow in which to make its home. This is sometimes done in advance by worker bees when foraging.  The hives or boxes are examined at least once a week, more often if there is time, and when one is found to be occupied by honey bees the hive or box is removed and another put in its place.

Honey bees are also found by walking through the woods in the swarming season.  After the honey bees have been found, then the next task is getting them out of the tree and into a hive. Sometimes it is possible to shake them from a light branch into a box, if they are located on a large limb, you might need to cut off the portion where they are located, and lower it by means of a rope. Having captured the honey bees they need to be transferred from the box to a hive. Frames with drawn comb should be put in the hive.  A white cloth or canvas should be placed in front of the hive and the honey bees shaken onto it.  Make sure there is a slight incline up to the hive entrance. If the hive is left on the spot for several hours, perhaps until dusk, nearly all of the live honey bees will go into the hive.

As said at the beginning, if a person has and a reasonable income they might find it more satisfactory to buy honey bees in a hive; but if they have the time and inclination to get a start by hunting honey bees, or by putting up decoy hives, then this should help them to do it.

There are many more reasons of course, but I hope that these have given you some inspiration to think about learning how to keep bees.

Before you obtain your bees you will need to make some necessary preparations, so you will need to make sure that you have all the necessary equipment. Your most obvious piece of beekeeping equipment is the bee hive. There are many different types available, but whatever type you choose it is better to ensure that you choose one and keep with it. The reason for this is that at some stage it is likely you will want to extend your beekeeping to more than one hive you will need to be able to interchange the various parts.

The other main items of beekeeping equipment that you will require are the beekeeping suit, gloves and a smoker. If you are buying the suit second hand you should ensure that you check it thoroughly to ensure that there are no gaps for the bees to get into. There are a number of different smokers available with a range of prices. However, you will find that the cheaper ones dent and corrode easily so will probably only last you one season. If you pay more you will find that they will last you longer.

A frequent question amongst those looking to learn how to keep bees is where to obtain your honeybees from. Your main option for this is to obtain them from a specialist supplier who can send them by mail order in a small nucleus hive. Alternatively, you could see if there is a local beekeeping association in your area who may have a member who could supply you will a small starter colony.

Once you are set up it is case of regular maintenance. You should check your beehive regularly for signs of damage, particularly during the winter months. Any broken or rotten boards should be replaced if possible. If this is not feasible then you should fill gaps with a weatherproof filler.

You should check your bees regularly for signs of mites and treat them as soon as any signs are detected. You should also check for any signs of swarming and take steps to prevent this. The key issue for swarming is space; if your bee colony runs out of space then they will swarm in a bid to find a new home. One factor in ensuring that they have sufficient space is regular honey collection.

Although there is no real set time to start, the best time to begin your beekeeping project is the winter. This is really the planning and preparation period. So during this time you will need to purchase your equipment; principally the bee suit, hive and smoker. You should also think about where you are going to site your bee hive, ideally this should be in a relatively sheltered position facing away from the prevailing wind.

Although not essential, the best time to obtain your bees is early spring so as to make sure that your colony is well established by the time they are collecting nectar and producing honey. You can obtain a starter colony by mail order from specialist suppliers or contact your local beekeeping association who may have a member who has a queen and small colony to spare. It is possible to collect a passing swarm of honey bees, but this is really not recommended for beginners.

During the summer, your bees will be busy collecting nectar, producing honey and reproducing. Your main tasks are to check your bees to make sure that they are free of mites and to make sure that they have plenty of space. The issue of space is important as if they start to run out of room then this will trigger the queen to initiate swarming – essentially this is a case of the bee colony leaving their hive in a bid to find more roomy accommodation. You obviously want to avoid this as this will mean you no longer have any bees. Not only this, but your neighbors might find it a little disturbing to find a swarm of honey bees in the back yard!

Late summer is honey collecting time. This is a sticky and messy task, but highly rewarding. This is after all the reason why you learn how to keep bees. It is a matter of straining the honeycomb to produce clear honey. A honey extractor make the task considerably easier. Alternatively, you could simply cut the honeycomb into pieces and package it into jars as it is.

Over the winter, your colony will be less active and your main task is to check that your beehive remains weather proof, replacing any damaged boards or filling holes with weatherproof filler. You will need to replace the honey that you have taken with sugar water to provide your colony with food.

As you can see, the natural process of keeping bees and producing honey is tied to the rhythm of the seasons and you need to bear this in mind when planning for your beekeeping project.