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How to Start Beekeeping

Beesource.com is currently compiling the best practices and start-up wisdom from the Beesource beekeeping community! We’ll develop this information into a concise, easy-to-read article and post it here in the near future. If you’d like to join the discussion with wisdom of your own, the Beekeeping forum is located here. For now, here are some bits of advice from our very own experts in the field.:

Important First Steps in Starting Beekeeping

  • “Read the book First Lessons in Beekeeping by C.P. Dadant.” – A fully developed list of beekeeping books can be found on the What to Read page of this site.
  • “Get stung! It’s going to happen a lot.”
  • “Join a beekeeping group.”
  • “Go local! Visit a beekeeping farm or beekeeper in your area.”
  • “Read, read, read! Study, study, study!”
  • “Ask lots of questions!”
  • “Nurture the desire, intelligence, and patience required to care for another living creature.”
  • “Research the initial start-up equipment/bees costs and what the time commitment will be.”
  • “Assess the amount of work there is in beekeeping. Take the number of days you plan on working per month and multiply that number by 7. That is the work you will need to do. Take that time and add any special stuff to it such as honey recovery, super work, and nucleus building. There’s the time and effort – sure you want to be a beekeeper?”
  • “Get a mentor that will show you their hives and let you work with them.”
  • “Get among the bees – this is the litmus test. You will either be filled with joy, wonder, and amazement (you have the heart of a beekeeper), or fear and dread (find another hobby!).”
  • “Get Iddee’s phone number. I don’t know how many times I’ve called Iddee in a pinch. He lives in North Carolina, I live in Virginia, 40 miles west of Washington, DC. His phone # is plugged into my cell phone. He is a modern day G.M. Doolittle and does not mind one bit answering questions!”
  • “Maintain perspective. Stay calm and relaxed. Easy does it with everything.”

See more about How to Start Beekeeping on the other pages in this section.