A honey bee colony functions as a superorganism, a complex social structure composed of a queen, thousands of workers, and drones. This collective works together to regulate temperature, forage for food, and reproduce, prioritizing the survival of the group. Starting a new honey bee colony is a rewarding step into the world of beekeeping, whether for a hobby or a small-scale agricultural endeavor. This guide provides a sequential overview for beginners on how to successfully establish a new hive.
Essential Preparations Before Receiving Bees
Preparing the physical setup and understanding local regulations must be completed before the bees arrive. The hive equipment must be fully assembled and staged in its final location to ensure a smooth transfer for the new colony. This initial preparation is foundational to the colony’s eventual success.
Equipment Acquisition
You will need a basic hive structure, most commonly a Langstroth model. This structure requires ten frames equipped with foundation material inside the hive body, which guides the bees in building their comb. For personal safety, a veil or full suit, long gloves, and a smoker are necessary to calm the bees during inspections. A hive tool is also indispensable for separating sticky frames and hive components.
Hive Components
- A bottom board
- At least one deep hive body (brood box)
- An inner cover
- An outer telescoping cover
Site Selection and Regulations
The location of your hive directly impacts the colony’s productivity and health. Ideal placement involves morning sunlight, which encourages the bees to begin foraging earlier by warming the hive entrance. Orienting the entrance toward the southeast is often recommended. The site should also offer protection from strong prevailing winds, using a fence or hedge as a windbreak.
Bees require a reliable, nearby water source for cooling the hive and thinning stored honey; a shallow container with pebbles or floating wood should be placed nearby. Before setting up, check local municipal ordinances and homeowner association rules regarding beekeeping. Some regions require beekeepers to register their hives with the state agriculture department for disease monitoring.
Choosing How to Acquire Your Colony
Beginners typically choose between two main methods for acquiring bees: package bees or nucleus colonies (nucs). Each method presents distinct advantages and disadvantages regarding cost and ease of establishment. The choice depends largely on the beekeeper’s budget and tolerance for initial difficulty.
Package Bees
A package consists of roughly three pounds of worker bees, a container of sugar syrup, and a caged, mated queen, all housed in a screened box. Package bees are the most cost-effective option and are available earlier in the spring than established colonies. They also ensure the beekeeper starts with new comb, which helps manage potential disease issues.
The primary challenge is that the bees must immediately begin drawing comb and accepting the new queen, requiring significant energy. The colony population decreases initially until the queen’s first offspring mature. This slower start requires diligent feeding and monitoring of queen acceptance to prevent failure.
Nucleus Colonies (Nucs)
A nucleus colony (nuc) is a small, established hive, typically consisting of five frames of drawn comb, stores, and all stages of brood. The queen in a nuc is already laying eggs and accepted by the workers, which simplifies installation for a beginner. Nucs offer a faster path to a full-sized colony and have a lower failure rate because the foundation is operational.
However, nucs are more expensive, costing up to twice the price of a package, and are available later in the spring, potentially missing the earliest nectar flow. The older comb in a nuc may also pose a higher risk of harboring pests or pathogens.
Swarms
Swarms represent a third, complex method for acquiring bees, involving capturing an unpredictable, transient cluster. For beginners, swarms are unreliable because they offer no guarantee of a mated, healthy queen and require specialized knowledge for successful capture and hiving.
Installing the Bees into the Hive
The transfer of the bees from their temporary container to the permanent hive is the first hands-on task and should be done gently to minimize stress. The process differs based on whether a package or a nuc is being installed.
Package Installation
Package installation usually occurs in the late afternoon to prevent the bees from immediately flying away. First, remove three to five frames from the center of the prepared brood box to create a cavity. The bees are gently misted with a light sugar syrup solution to encourage clustering.
Next, remove the queen cage and feed can from the package, confirming the queen is alive. Secure the queen cage between two remaining frames in the center, ensuring the candy-plugged exit hole is accessible to workers. The main mass of bees is then shaken directly into the open cavity. Finally, place the removed frames back into the hive, and leave the empty package near the entrance for any remaining bees to find their way inside.
Nuc Installation
Installing a nuc is simpler because the colony is already organized on full frames of comb. Prepare the permanent hive body by removing four to five frames from the center to make space. A small amount of smoke can be puffed across the top of the nuc frames to calm the bees before opening the box.
The established frames are transferred directly from the nuc box into the center of the full-sized hive body, keeping them in the exact same order to preserve the brood nest. Any remaining bees in the empty nuc box are gently shaken into the new hive body. The empty space is then filled with the remaining empty frames, and the hive is closed.
Immediate Care and Establishment Monitoring
After installation, the first three to four weeks are focused on ensuring the colony accepts the queen and begins to draw new comb. Minimal disturbance during this time is beneficial for the colony’s establishment.
Initial Feeding
The new colony, especially a package, requires a consistent supply of sugar syrup immediately following installation to fuel comb construction and brood rearing. A 1:1 mixture of granulated sugar and water is typically provided in an internal feeder. This feeding should continue for four to six weeks until the bees have drawn sufficient comb and natural nectar sources are abundant. Supplemental food reduces stress on the workers and allows the queen to ramp up egg-laying.
Queen Acceptance Check
The most important post-installation check is confirming the queen has been released and is actively laying eggs, which indicates successful establishment. This check should take place three to seven days after installation. If the queen was installed in a candy-plugged cage, workers should have released her. The presence of fresh, pearly white eggs standing upright in the bottom of the cells confirms that the queen is accepted and functioning.
Short-Term Troubleshooting
A successful colony exhibits normal entrance activity, with bees actively flying in and out, and interior frames covered with a dense population. Signs of failure include the entire population leaving the hive, known as absconding, which can be triggered by insufficient food or a lack of queen pheromone. If the queen is not laying after the initial check, the beekeeper must consider re-queening the colony quickly to prevent further decline.