So what does it take to get started?

[SgtMaj]

So... I've been looking at my missing bees problem, and I'm now thinking that really, my best option is maybe to just put in a hive.  But I know nothing about bees, really.  What equipment would I need to put in a hive, how much does it all cost, where do you get it, how do I control the size of the hive (I would actually prefer a smaller hive), how much honey could I expect to harvest from a modestly sized hive, can bees live in areas with abundant sugar ants (sugar ants are the one thing my property has no shortage of, and from personal experience of leaving honey on the counter, I know they LOVE honey), how do you start a hive?  These are most of the questions I have so far... if anyone can take a crack at some of them I would be grateful.

[Scadsobees]

Your best bet is to get a hold of a catalog from Mann Lake, Brushy Mnt, or Dadant (or others).

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/catalog/page1.html
http://www.dadant.com/catalog/

It all depends on what you like to do, how much you want to do, who you know, etc.  If you start out from scratch you'll probably spend at least $500, and get zero honey.

Every state is different, but in Michigan the average hive produces ~80 lbs of honey a year (6 gallons), and that is all weather related, some do more, some may do less.

You have to keep the hive at certain size or they will swarm, although there *may* be things you can do, I'm not familiar.

We have lots of ants around, but they don't usually bother a strong hive.

Get to the library and see if they have any beekeeping books.  That is a good place to start.

Rick

[Moonshae]

You'll need some basic equipment...a hive and all its components (bottom board, hive bodies [2 deep or 3 medium, 10 or 8 frames each], wax or plastic foundation, an inner cover, and an outer cover [usually a telescoping cover]. Eventually: shallow supers for honey. Optional but useful: slatted rack, ventilated inner cover), a smoker, a hive tool, a veil, bees, and a beginner's book, Beekeeping for Dummies and The Backyard Beekeeper are both excellent and complement each other well, if you want to get both. If you're nervous about working the bees, you could get a beesuit and gloves. Starting the hive is easy...assemble the hive, and install the bees. You can see the Beemaster's video about installing a hive on his main page. The equipment will cost a couple hundred dollars, but it lasts for quite a while.

Most people recommend at least two hives to start, because having two to compare helps you spot problems, and if you accidentally kill a queen, or one hive gets weak, you can borrow from the other hive, rather than panic.

Ants are manageable. You can put your hive on a stand with legs, and keep each leg in a can filled with oil.

Managing the size of the hive is more difficult. If you don't give the bees the space they need, they'll swarm, which could affect its ability to survive. Also, if you keep it too small, they might not have the resources to survive winter.

Your honey harvest the first year will likely be nothing, because the bees will need everything they make to bring their hive up to strength and then get through the winter. Ultimately, harvest depends on a few factors...the strength of the hive, the forage available, and the weather. It could range from 0-100 lbs.

Hope that helps.

[Ross]

The best newbee advice on the net....
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm

[Bee-Bop]

I notice I believe from a couple of your previous posts;

You do not like honey !
You do not particulary want to take care of the bees or hive !
Your lot size is 100 ft.X 100 ft.

I may be wrong but I don't think these add up to a lot of sucess !

Bee-Bop

[hankdog1]

You need to talk to the nearest beek about what's the best route to go i use 1 deep for my bees and shallow supers.  Many people use 2 deeps elsewhere.  More a question of how the flows are and such in your area as to what you need to buy.  Plus one question you need to ask yourself before you get into it is are you prepared to care for these bees?  Many people get into it thinking they can just put the bees out there and they will do thier thing.  Just remember bees can become like the puppy that grew up and is now chained up in the backyard that nobody wants to play with.  Talk to a local beek help him or her some to get your feet wet and see if it is something your going to like before you make a commitment to the bees you can't keep.

[Moonshae]

I notice I believe from a couple of your previous posts;

You do not like honey !
You do not particulary want to take care of the bees or hive !
Your lot size is 100 ft.X 100 ft.

I may be wrong but I don't think these add up to a lot of sucess !

Bee-Bop

I don't think lot size has anything to do with it...my lot is 60 x 100 in the suburbs...I'm going to pull 100 lbs off my strong hive in 2 weeks. People keep hives on balconies in Manhattan. Dislike of honey isn't a big deal, either, if you're interested in pollination...there are other goals to achieve with bees. Besides, the less you like it, the less you keep for yourself, thus the more there is available for sale! Not wanting to take care of bees or a hive is definitely an issue, though...they do need to be managed properly.

[SgtMaj]

Oh I like honey well enough... it's just not my motivation... and to be honest, it's easier to just buy honey from the store... my real motivation is the polination that just isn't occurring in my veggie garden anymore (plus I've got 3 fruit trees now).  That being said... 6 gallons of honey in a year is a lot!  I don't think I would even want to harvest that much.  I'd be more than happy with 1 gallon a year.  I'm not looking to sell honey or anything... but since I would have the option for personal use I would definately get my fill. 

That brings up another question... if the bees produce so much, what happens if I don't take so much?

If I do get more than I can use, I guess I could always just mix the rest with the scratch feed for the chickens... they'd like that.

You are right in that I don't want to spend a whole lot of time on the bees though... I could probably solidly commit to at least 15-30 minutes per week, with the occasional hour or two on seldom occasions.  But I wouldn't want to put much more into it than that.

PS - I'm not sure, but I think the lot size is measured in meters instead of feet.  It definately seems like a lot more than 100 feet anyway.  But as long as I can find or make space for the hive, it won't really matter since the bees aren't going to respect property boundaries when they go out looking for nectar.

[SgtMaj]

The best newbee advice on the net....
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm

This was a great site, but most of the time, I could not follow the jargon.  I will definately re-read it again though.

[eri]

Learning the lingo of any new venture is part of the process, and a fun one, I think. I've been reading for about a year and found I had to often refer to resources like the sticky post here 'terminology' and 'acronyms' at beesource. I looked at catalogs with pictures.  I took some of the 'quizzes' found on some sites. It took a while, but you're right, after you know what the heck a SBB and a TBH are and the difference between a hive body and a super (remember: a box is a box is a box) the reading makes much more sense. Thank goodness there are seasoned folks who thoughtfully provide guides to the vocabulary of beekeeping!

[qa33010]

    If you're in town check local ordinace on managed honey bee.

    Honey is a great gift to family, neighbors and friends.  After my wife and kids ate our raw honey they refused to eat store bought junk.

    If you have the space you could freeze some frames to feed back to your bees in the spring or late winter if they get low on stores.

    Get with a local beekeeping club and there may be someone who builds equipment at a better cost than ordering.  Also a great source of opinions and maybe find someone who can answer questions for where you live.  Another option would be a beekeeping course near by.

     I bought my starter kit from Betterbee a few years ago, figured it was the best deal.

   beesource.com has a partial list of suppliers you can order catalogs from (free) or download a catalog from their website.

[SgtMaj]

If you're in town check local ordinace on managed honey bee.

No worries there, I'm in the county in a no HOA neighborhood.

I should add... the one authority I DO have to get approval from is... my wife.  But thanks in large part to marliah's pictures of her hive setup, the wife signed off on it... for next year though.  But that gives me time to study up and figure out how to best get started.

[sean]

As a lot of people and myself have found out beekeeping is addictive, and thus somewhat expensive. You will soon find ot that 6 gallons of honey isnt enough(when friends/neighbours get into the picture) and then you may find yourself selling honey to feed your expensive habit. As yet there is no known cure for that addiction :evil: 

[qa33010]

    Oh yeah one very important FACT!!!   Bees don't read the same books we do... :?

[johnnybigfish]

Hey Sarge,
Just do like I did....Jump in feet first!!!
I'm in my second year and the biggest thing i've learned is that I havent learned much about bees at all!
All I knew at first was that they were really nicer than most people thought.
I had a wirespool at work that had bees in it for over 2 years. I would peek down in it and come back up with my sight still in both eyes! Then, while having to move them to get a shpment of junk out of my lot, they tipped over a honey poured out. I tried to fix them but they flew away.
A few months(ok, about 7 months as there was a wait involved before my bees came)I had my first 2 hives...At first i just wanted to watch them.....Then I thought to myself,.." I dont even like honey"....Then, while messing around with the hives I had to clean up some burr comb.
(Comb that doesnt look straight like in a regular bee box) Thats when i got my first taste of my bees honey!!!...Its just a by product of bees, but now i want it!! Its like getting free food!!...GOOD free food, not just outdated stuff from the store that I sometimes get now(you know, "sources"....)
Dont even worry about the jargon you'll hear here...I still ask about what certain things mean, even after i've been hearing them for over a year. It just takes me awhile to get up the nerve to show my ignorance! :-D..For instance, I dont know squat about "Small cell"..I dont read about it because it doesnt seem to pertain to me ....yet!
I guess some people are cut out for bees and some arent, but you wont know till you try. :)
Well, thats about all I know about what i should tell you.
If you decide you dont want to mess with bees you can always sell your stuff here.

Oh yeh,...I spend about 30 minutes at the most a week with the bees actually doing things in or around the hive, and this is usually feeding them...The honey getting is sometimes time consuming but i have a friend down the road who helps me. The worse part of that is cleaning up!
You'll have most of your answers to you above mentioned questions in just a little while I bet...Good luck!

your friend,
john

[SgtMaj]

Hey John, I know exactly what you mean about the free food bit.  I feel the same way about my veggie gardens... in fact, for years I pretty much didn't plant ANYTHING in the yard that couldn't be consumed somehow, with the one exception of the willow shade tree out back.  Everything else can be consumed somehow, and that bothered my wife a bit because she wants a nicer flower garden out front... now, already just knowing what I now know, I feel much better about putting in just flowers.

I recently put in a rain barel out back, and now I feel the same way about it, too.  Every time it rains I get free water to water my veggie garden with... I even figured out how much based upon our rates and the tank capacity... every time it fills up to the top, it's like it's giving me $5, and as dry as it is around here in summer, I have to water the garden somehow...

[SgtMaj]

As a lot of people and myself have found out beekeeping is addictive

You know, the more I learn about it, the more I'm inclined to believe that...  ;)