What You Need to Know Before Purchasing Honeybees
Like all beekeepers, we are passionate about our bees! There is something captivating about how diligently and precisely they work--without our intervention! Because of this, they can be harder to manage than other farm assets. We still have so much to learn about hive dynamics, but we want to share with you the basics to help you get started effectively. With the continual threat of fatal pesticides and parasites looming over honeybees, we would like to encourage you to start your own hives for these precious little pollinators! We like to purchase all of our beekeeping supplies from Mann Lake (they offer quality supplies for reasonable prices), but you can often find local suppliers, as well. Currently, the Langstroth hive (click here for a complete diagram) is the most widely used hive in the United States, and we have been using it since we started beekeeping.
Hive Boxes. There are two types of hive boxes you will need--a brood box and a honey super. The brood box is the first box(es) on a hive. This houses the queen bee and provides plenty of room for her to lay eggs. The honey super(s) comes next. It is not as deep as the brood box to ensure that it is a manageable weight when filled with honey. Hive boxes can be purchased assembled or unassembled. Most beekeepers paint them to preserve the wood.
Bottom Board & Lids. Our bottom boards have 1/16 inch screen mesh, rather than solid wood on the bottom. This provides the bees with more circulation, especially when temperatures skyrocket during the summer (bees maintain a temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit in their hive, no matter the season). Also, the screen allows parasitic larva to drop to the ground, rather than develop at the bottom of the hive. We use an entrance reducer or "door", attached to the bottom board, to control the size of the hive entrance. This helps the bees control the hive temperature during cooler weather and protect the entrance from "robber" bees from other hives. To protect the top of the hive, an interior lid and an exterior lid is used. The interior lid is placed on top of the last hive box and fits underneath the exterior lid. The exterior lid acts as the "roof", protecting the bees and all of their hard work from the elements. Our exterior lids are covered with aluminum flashing.
Boardman Feeder. This sugar-water feeder sits at the entrance to the hive. Why do we feed our bees? When starting a new hive or strengthening a weak one, it is critical to provide an easy food source for them. It can also be helpful to supplement with sugar water during the cooler months of the year. If we are feeding our bees during warmer temperatures, we use a mixture of one part water and one part white sugar; but if feeding during cold temperatures, we use a mixture of one part water and two parts white sugar. We slowly heat the water and sugar mixture in a pot on the stove to make the sugar dissolve into the water, creating a "syrup". You can store extra sugar water in the refrigerator. It is important to check the feeder every day--you'd be surprised at how quickly this tasty snack disappears sometimes! However, you do not want sugar-water honey, so be sure to monitor the condition of your hive.
Frames & Foundations. Every hive box is filled with frames. They are designed to support honeycomb. You will need different sized frames for your brood box and honey super. We use a ten-frame-per-hive-box design at our farm, but if you are looking for something less heavy, you can purchase an eight-frame-per-hive-box design. On each frame, it is essential to provide a foundation. This is a sheet of beeswax or plastic embossed with a honeycomb pattern, which helps the bees to make honeycomb more efficiently.
Queen Excluder. We place a metal queen excluder on the last brood box to allow worker bees to pass through the brood box(es) to the honey super(s), but not the queen or drones. This ensures that she doesn't lay eggs in the honey super (where you will be harvesting honey!).
Smoker. To distract our bees when we open their hive, we use a smoker to blow light puffs of smoke on the entrance and around the hive. You can make your own smoker fuel by carefully lighting pine needles and placing them in the smoker, or you can purchase fabricated smoker fuel. Be careful to not oversmoke your hive, as this may cause the bees to leave.
Bee Jacket & Gloves. We wear a protective jacket and gloves whenever we go into our hives. We have found that this is sufficient gear. Make sure you tuck any loose ends of clothing in, so an irritated bee can't crawl under and sting you! For young children, a full body suit may work better.
Hive Tool. Honeybees secrete a substance called propolis, or "bee glue". The bees use it to seal cracks in the hive, including between hive boxes and frames. A hive tool is necessary to separate these parts and break the "seal" when you inspect your hive.
Bee Brush. This special brush is designed to gently sweep bees off of any area of the hive you are working on. Examining brood or honey is much easier without all of the busy workers crawling over it!
Frame Holder. When we first started working with bees, we did not have a frame holder--which we regret. This tool securely hangs on the hive box/honey super and provides the perfect spot for you to place frames as you go through your hive. It gives you more room to work with in the hive, making the inspection process easier and more efficient.
Where can I purchase honeybees? There are two options when it comes to purchasing honeybees: ordering package bees online from an apiary, or buying a nuc hive from a local beekeeper (we sell these!). Bees are usually only available from spring through summer, since the queen's egg production starts slowing down in the fall. However, make sure that you pre-order your bees or notify your local beekeeper of your interest even in the fall/winter because colonies sell out quickly. While there are different "breeds" of honeybees, we have chosen Italian bees for our farm. They are known to be docile, yet still produce large quantities of honey.
Where should I place my hive? We know that this can be a controversial subject! However, we have learned that the best way to understand hive placement is to observe where honeybees choose to build their hives in the wild: in the trunks of trees. This provides the colony with dappled sunlight. Placing your hive in full, all-day sun will make the colony too hot, forcing them to work extra hard regulating the hive's temperature in the summer. On the other hand, deep shade will make the hive damp and the bees listless. We keep our hives where they can receive morning sun and be lightly shaded in the afternoon. We use cinderblocks to elevate our hives, so they are not sitting directly on the ground. This prevents wood deterioration, improves circulation, and ensures that grass or weeds do not block the entrance. Make sure that your hives are level and in an area where it is easy for you to work with them. If there are hive predators in your area (for example, bear, raccoons, or opossums), you will want to consider surrounding your hives with fencing or electric netting.
How often should I check my hive? We check our hives every three weeks. If bees are disturbed too frequently, it will hinder the productiveness of their colony and may even cause them to leave the hive. However, it is essential to check your hive regularly to nip problems in the bud. Here are some things you will want to look for: the queen bee, freshly-laid eggs and developing brood, unwanted queen cells, parasites on the bees and in the hive, the honey stores, and overall hive strength. It is truly fascinating to see bees working together to get the job done--just as God created them to!
Our busy honeybees
Hive Boxes. There are two types of hive boxes you will need--a brood box and a honey super. The brood box is the first box(es) on a hive. This houses the queen bee and provides plenty of room for her to lay eggs. The honey super(s) comes next. It is not as deep as the brood box to ensure that it is a manageable weight when filled with honey. Hive boxes can be purchased assembled or unassembled. Most beekeepers paint them to preserve the wood.
Hive Boxes with Bottom Board: Honey Super (top), Brood Box (bottom)
Bottom Board & Lids. Our bottom boards have 1/16 inch screen mesh, rather than solid wood on the bottom. This provides the bees with more circulation, especially when temperatures skyrocket during the summer (bees maintain a temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit in their hive, no matter the season). Also, the screen allows parasitic larva to drop to the ground, rather than develop at the bottom of the hive. We use an entrance reducer or "door", attached to the bottom board, to control the size of the hive entrance. This helps the bees control the hive temperature during cooler weather and protect the entrance from "robber" bees from other hives. To protect the top of the hive, an interior lid and an exterior lid is used. The interior lid is placed on top of the last hive box and fits underneath the exterior lid. The exterior lid acts as the "roof", protecting the bees and all of their hard work from the elements. Our exterior lids are covered with aluminum flashing.
Bottom Board
Interior Lid
Exterior Lid
Boardman Feeder. This sugar-water feeder sits at the entrance to the hive. Why do we feed our bees? When starting a new hive or strengthening a weak one, it is critical to provide an easy food source for them. It can also be helpful to supplement with sugar water during the cooler months of the year. If we are feeding our bees during warmer temperatures, we use a mixture of one part water and one part white sugar; but if feeding during cold temperatures, we use a mixture of one part water and two parts white sugar. We slowly heat the water and sugar mixture in a pot on the stove to make the sugar dissolve into the water, creating a "syrup". You can store extra sugar water in the refrigerator. It is important to check the feeder every day--you'd be surprised at how quickly this tasty snack disappears sometimes! However, you do not want sugar-water honey, so be sure to monitor the condition of your hive.
Boardman Feeder
Frames & Foundations. Every hive box is filled with frames. They are designed to support honeycomb. You will need different sized frames for your brood box and honey super. We use a ten-frame-per-hive-box design at our farm, but if you are looking for something less heavy, you can purchase an eight-frame-per-hive-box design. On each frame, it is essential to provide a foundation. This is a sheet of beeswax or plastic embossed with a honeycomb pattern, which helps the bees to make honeycomb more efficiently.
Frames with Foundations: Brood Box Frame (left), Honey Super Frame (right)
Queen Excluder. We place a metal queen excluder on the last brood box to allow worker bees to pass through the brood box(es) to the honey super(s), but not the queen or drones. This ensures that she doesn't lay eggs in the honey super (where you will be harvesting honey!).
Queen Excluder
Smoker. To distract our bees when we open their hive, we use a smoker to blow light puffs of smoke on the entrance and around the hive. You can make your own smoker fuel by carefully lighting pine needles and placing them in the smoker, or you can purchase fabricated smoker fuel. Be careful to not oversmoke your hive, as this may cause the bees to leave.
Smoker
Bee Jacket & Gloves. We wear a protective jacket and gloves whenever we go into our hives. We have found that this is sufficient gear. Make sure you tuck any loose ends of clothing in, so an irritated bee can't crawl under and sting you! For young children, a full body suit may work better.
Benjamin in Bee Suit & Gloves (left), Isaac in Bee Jacket & Gloves (right)
Hive Tool. Honeybees secrete a substance called propolis, or "bee glue". The bees use it to seal cracks in the hive, including between hive boxes and frames. A hive tool is necessary to separate these parts and break the "seal" when you inspect your hive.
Hive Tool
Bee Brush. This special brush is designed to gently sweep bees off of any area of the hive you are working on. Examining brood or honey is much easier without all of the busy workers crawling over it!
Bee Brush
Frame Holder. When we first started working with bees, we did not have a frame holder--which we regret. This tool securely hangs on the hive box/honey super and provides the perfect spot for you to place frames as you go through your hive. It gives you more room to work with in the hive, making the inspection process easier and more efficient.
Frame Holder
Where can I purchase honeybees? There are two options when it comes to purchasing honeybees: ordering package bees online from an apiary, or buying a nuc hive from a local beekeeper (we sell these!). Bees are usually only available from spring through summer, since the queen's egg production starts slowing down in the fall. However, make sure that you pre-order your bees or notify your local beekeeper of your interest even in the fall/winter because colonies sell out quickly. While there are different "breeds" of honeybees, we have chosen Italian bees for our farm. They are known to be docile, yet still produce large quantities of honey.
Where should I place my hive? We know that this can be a controversial subject! However, we have learned that the best way to understand hive placement is to observe where honeybees choose to build their hives in the wild: in the trunks of trees. This provides the colony with dappled sunlight. Placing your hive in full, all-day sun will make the colony too hot, forcing them to work extra hard regulating the hive's temperature in the summer. On the other hand, deep shade will make the hive damp and the bees listless. We keep our hives where they can receive morning sun and be lightly shaded in the afternoon. We use cinderblocks to elevate our hives, so they are not sitting directly on the ground. This prevents wood deterioration, improves circulation, and ensures that grass or weeds do not block the entrance. Make sure that your hives are level and in an area where it is easy for you to work with them. If there are hive predators in your area (for example, bear, raccoons, or opossums), you will want to consider surrounding your hives with fencing or electric netting.
Hive on Cinderblocks
How often should I check my hive? We check our hives every three weeks. If bees are disturbed too frequently, it will hinder the productiveness of their colony and may even cause them to leave the hive. However, it is essential to check your hive regularly to nip problems in the bud. Here are some things you will want to look for: the queen bee, freshly-laid eggs and developing brood, unwanted queen cells, parasites on the bees and in the hive, the honey stores, and overall hive strength. It is truly fascinating to see bees working together to get the job done--just as God created them to!
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