Starting a backyard beehive is a rewarding endeavor that offers benefits like fresh honey and improved local pollination. This process involves establishing a colony of Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee, within a managed structure. Success depends on careful preparation, understanding local regulations, and executing the initial installation correctly. This guide provides a practical framework for new beekeepers.
Necessary Legal and Locational Groundwork
Before ordering bees or equipment, you must research the regulations that govern beekeeping in your specific location. Zoning laws, municipal ordinances, and homeowner association rules often dictate whether hives are permitted, and if so, how many and where they must be placed. Many jurisdictions require beekeepers to register their apiary with a state department of agriculture or a local authority, which helps with disease tracking and management.
Ideal hive placement requires considering both the bees’ well-being and neighbor relations. Hives should be positioned on a sturdy stand, preferably facing east or southeast to maximize morning sun exposure, which encourages early foraging and helps the colony regulate temperature. A location that is protected from strong prevailing winds, perhaps with a windbreak to the north or west, is beneficial for colony health.
Setback requirements are common, often specifying a minimum distance, such as 25 feet, from property lines or public walkways. Using a solid barrier, like a fence or hedge, can direct the bees’ flight path upward above head level, which minimizes interaction with people in adjacent areas. Finally, bees require a consistent source of water, so providing a dedicated source near the hive prevents them from collecting moisture from pools or neighbors’ pet dishes.
Selecting Your Equipment and Protective Gear
The Langstroth hive is the standard choice for beginners due to its standardized, interchangeable components and widespread community support. This vertical system uses stacked boxes with removable frames, which simplifies inspections and honey harvesting. The horizontal Top Bar Hive is a common alternative for those interested in a more natural, foundationless approach, but it is less common and may yield less honey.
Beyond the hive structure, you will need several specialized tools for safe and effective management. A smoker is used to puff cool smoke into the hive entrance, which calms the bees by masking alarm pheromones and causing them to gorge on honey, making them less defensive. The hive tool, a small metal pry bar, separates frames and boxes sealed together with propolis, a sticky resin. A feeder is necessary for providing sugar syrup to new colonies, and a queen excluder, while optional, prevents the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers.
Protective gear is necessary for minimizing stings and ensuring a comfortable experience. A ventilated bee suit or jacket and veil combination is the most important gear, protecting the head and body. Beekeeping gloves are also recommended, though some experienced beekeepers prefer bare hands for increased dexterity. Long, thick gloves are useful for beginners.
Acquiring and Installing Your Bee Colony
Beginners typically acquire bees either as a Nuc (nucleus colony) or a Package. A Nuc is a small, established colony, usually five frames of comb containing a laying queen, brood, honey, and pollen. Nucs offer a faster start because the queen is already accepted and laying. A Package consists of about 10,000 workers, a can of sugar syrup, and a caged queen. Packages are generally less expensive but require the bees to draw all their own comb from scratch.
Installation should occur during mild weather, ideally in the evening when all foraging bees have returned. For a Nuc, the process is straightforward: remove empty frames from the hive body and carefully transfer the Nuc frames, maintaining their original order, into the center of the permanent hive. The Nuc frames, which contain the established brood nest, should be surrounded by the empty frames to fill the box.
Installing a Package is more involved, as the queen is kept separate in a small cage to ensure the workers accept her scent. After removing a few frames to make space, the queen cage is suspended between two central frames, often with a candy plug providing a slow release mechanism. The workers are then gently shaken or poured directly from the package box over the frames and the queen cage. Once the bees are inside, the remaining frames are placed back into the hive, taking care not to crush any bees.
Immediate Post-Installation Care
Once the colony is installed, the focus shifts to ensuring the bees successfully transition to their new home. Immediate and sustained feeding of sugar syrup is required, especially for colonies started with Packages on new foundation. The syrup, typically a 1:1 mixture of granulated white sugar and water by volume, provides the high-calorie fuel necessary for the young bees to produce beeswax. This wax is essential for drawing out the comb where the queen will lay eggs and food will be stored.
The first internal inspection should be scheduled approximately three to seven days after installation. The primary goal of this initial check is to confirm that the queen has been successfully released and is beginning to lay eggs. If the queen was installed in a cage, you must check to see if she is out, and if not, you may need to manually release her.
Finding small, white eggs or newly emerged larvae in the center of the frames confirms the queen is accepted and the colony is functioning. If eggs are present, seeing the queen herself is unnecessary, and the hive should be closed quickly to minimize disturbance. During this first inspection, check the sugar syrup level and refill the feeder as needed, ensuring continuous access to feed for comb construction and population growth. Monitoring the hive entrance for steady activity, which indicates healthy foraging and orientation flights, is the final step in establishment.