As a backyard beekeeper, one key decision I faced when first establishing my apiary was how far the beehives should be positioned from my house and high-traffic living areas. While it’s tempting to site hives in the most convenient locations, proximity to human spaces brings some risk of defensive bees interacting with people. So after …
As an avid beekeeper for over 20 years, I’m often asked by beginners what is the one most important fundamental rule of beekeeping that serves as the foundation for everything else. What is that “first rule” that all other guidance builds upon? After two decades of experience nurturing hundreds of hives, I believe the singular …
What Is the First Rule of Beekeeping? Don’t Be Afraid Read More »
When I first contemplated getting into beekeeping, one key question was how large of a bee population I needed to start with. Beginners are often tempted to save money and effort by going small – get the bees established, then let them build up over time. But undersized starter colonies pose risks. After seeing both …
As a beekeeper, requeening colonies is a regular task required to maintain healthy and productive hives. While allowing the bees to raise a new queen from existing brood is common, sometimes I’ll introduce a mated queen purchased from a breeder. But queen cells can take weeks to mature and mated queens are expensive, so occasionally …
As a hobby beekeeper, I’m always looking for ways to keep costs down while building my apiary. So I often get asked by newbies if it’s possible to start a beehive without purchasing bees from a supplier. The packages of bees for sale aren’t cheap, so some seek alternatives to avoid that upfront cost. While …
As an avid beekeeper for over 15 years, I’m often asked by aspiring apiarists if there are any significant drawbacks to raising bees they should consider. While I’m extremely passionate about beekeeping and focus mostly on the many rewards, I also try to give an honest assessment of the not-so-fun aspects as well. Beekeeping is …
As an avid beekeeper, I’m often asked how many times honey can be harvested in a single season from a beehive. Many people assume you only get one honey yield per year. But the truth is, in many areas, bees produce harvestable honey multiple times annually from different nectar flows. That said, honey production isn’t …
There’s often a perception that beekeepers must get stung all the time since they work closely with swarms of buzzing bees. Movies and TV shows frequently depict beekeepers covered in bees and being stung repeatedly. In reality though, experienced beekeepers understand how to carefully handle hives and avoid getting excessive stings. While an occasional sting …
Do Beekeepers Get Stung? The Reality of Working With Bees Read More »
As a backyard beekeeper with a limited amount of land, one of the most common questions I research is “How many beehives can I keep per acre of property?” The often quoted guideline is 2-5 hives per acre on average. However, I’ve learned that this “rule” serves only as a rough starting point. The number …
How Many Beehives Can You Keep on 1 Acre of Land? Read More »
In recent years I’ve seen a huge surge of interest in backyard beekeeping. People are fascinated by the vital role honeybees play in nature, and want to do their part in sustaining populations. The idea of having a personal apiary and harvesting pure honey seems to hold romantic appeal as well. However, many soon realize …