Frequently Asked Questions

It certainly can be depending on what you want out of it. If you hope to make a lot of money by selling honey, you will need to produce a lot of honey and that can be very expensive.

The popular school of thought for becoming a beekeeper is to begin with at least two colonies or hives. Between the bees and very basic hive box equipment, you could plan on anywhere from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand.

Attend classes, seminars, do an online search for beekeeping resources and strongly consider joining a local beekeeper’s group. Find beekeepers and talk to them.

You will need hive boxes, frames, inner cover and top cover and a bottom board at a minimum. You will need a protective suit (at least a veil) and probably gloves in the beginning. You will need a smoker and hive tool. You may choose to sit your hive on concrete blocks, or a base built for it.

If you have joined a beekeeper’s group, ask your fellow members. Some of them may have used equipment that they will sell you and they may also recommend various suppliers based on their experiences. You can also search online as well.

Bees are sold by suppliers and various private individuals. You will benefit by talking to other beekeepers. You can also trap wild/ferel bees. This may require special equipment and training.

You have to take care of your bees. There are many threats to honeybees. They range from garden and commercial pesticides and insecticides and diseases to tiny mites. You will need to ensure you treat your bees for Varroa Destructor mites. Managing Varroa Mites

The base supports the hive and the bottom board is the first floor of the system. There are solid and screened bottom boards. The next floor or floors are the boxes used as brood chambers where the queen lays her eggs. Inside each box are the frames upon which the workers draw (create) the honeycomb where eggs are laid and honey is produced. Often times the brood boxes are taller than the honey boxes and are referred to as deeps. Above the brood chamber(s) are the boxes where most honey production happens. These boxes are called supers and they have frames in them as well. They are typically not deeps, but are shallows or mediums depending on the height of the box. Above the supers are the inner cover and top cover.

That is dependent on whether or not you want to provide feed for them, or allow them to do it nature’s way? Feed for overwintering is largely dependent upon climate and length of winter. Some say that you should leave a full-sized colony up to one hundred pounds which includes the box, frames, bees and honey.

Overwintering your bees involves a lot of personal preference. Some wrap the hives and some never do even in extreme cold. Having a strong colony going into winter is the best practice. Overwintering Bees

Before you ask yourself about what you should plant, consider where you live and what is native to your area. Here in this part of Kentucky most of us rely on Tulip Poplar trees as forage for our bees and they typically provide very well. A more important consideration may be what to plant if the normal forage doesn't bloom or struggles for whatever reason such as late frost, etc. Building Bee Habitat