Here is a list of information for a beginning beekeeper:
Buy at least two reference books: 1) First Lessons in Beekeeping by Keith S. DeLaplane available through Dadant.com for about $7.50 and 2) The Beekeeper's Handbook by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile for about $30 from many online sources.
The above suggested reference books are How-To guides. If you want beekeeping broken down even more, purchase Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston. Finally, an encyclopeida of beekeeping is found with the compact but hefty: The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture for about $50.
These four books form your core beekeeping library. Read them, re-read them and then read them again. Once you have absorbed the knowledge, you will realize that beekeeping can be done a hundred different ways within these guidelines.
Buy new hives. There are some unethical beekeepers who will offer their diseased hives for sale. DO NOT BUY USED HIVES unless you know the person and/or there are multiple beekeepers who will vouch for the beekeeper's integrity and honesty. Nothing is worse than bringing home another bee yards problems. New hives run about $170.00 and can be purchased fully assembled and ready to place in the bee yard. Once you begin to be more knowledgeable, you can buy parts, assemble the hives and frames yourself or even make your own. But please do not do any of this until you have experience under your belt.
Mark and register your hives. In Alabama, every beekeeper is required to register their hive(s) with the State of Alabama. You will need to determine a mark for your hives and mark every single component of the hive. Going back to the previous bullet, there are unethical beekeepers who will steal hives. It is a long shot to recover your hive because it can be identified with your mark but without a mark, you can guarantee it cannot be traced back to you.
Buy quality package bees with a queen. I prefer the American bees with the super hygenic queens from R. Weaver Apiaries in Texas. A package with the queen runs about $115. Your package for next spring needs to be ordered no later than November 1st of the current year. First dibs on the available packages go to long-standing orders from commercial beekeepers. Once those orders are filled, the hobbyist/new beekeepers orders are filled. Expect your package around mid-April (earliest) to mid-May (latest). No one can guarantee when the packages will ship. These are living animals who produce as they see fit. All types of problems can prevent your bees from shipping. Be ready to install them within 24 hours of receipt into the hive. Plan on feeding them throughout the spring, summer, fall and winter until the next honey flow at the end of the following winter.
You will kill a hive through stupidity or unintentional neglect. It will happen. You learn and move on.
Have a hive tracking system. Use a notebook or an on-line software tool such as Hive Tracks, which is free. You want to know the condition of the hive every time you open it. You will want to know when you last treated for tracheal mites or varroa mites or hive beetles. You will want to track how much comb/brood you see and the general condition of the hive.
Plan on harvesting honey on the hottest day of the year - in a full beekeeper's suit with veil. You will sweat, it is work, get in and out of the hive as quickly as possible. The honey needs to be extracted from the frames as quickly as possible due to hive beetles, moths and a host of other problem insects that will slime your honey comb.
Lastly, you will be stung. Again and again depending on the length of time you have the hive open and in various locations. The bees can get up your sleeves or pants legs if you have not secured them closed. They love inside your fingers. It does hurt. For most people, it is not a major event. "Oh, I've been stung", is what you think and you continue working the hive. It swells, it itches, you get the stinger out and you move on. Remember you are invading their home; what would your reaction be if someone invaded your home?
I encourage young people to pursue a beekeeping hobby. When I attend these state meetings, I see an age range of 45 - 75. I want to see more young people. Yes, it takes time to be a beekeeper: about one half hour a week per hive. More in the summertime when one harvests the honey. You can keep bees anywhere there is at least a ten foot clearance for the bees to get out of the hive and fly up and off to find pollen and nectar. Garden balcony, rooftop, back yards are some of the locations a beehive can be set up. If you have gardens nearby, your yield will increase dramatically due to the bees.
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