How to Keep Bees: A Guide to Bee Keeping for Honey

Learning how to keep bees is becoming increasingly popular motivated by the opportunity to be a part of the miraculous process of producing honey. It may seem a little daunting at first taking up being a beekeeper, but with a little planning a regular routine, you too can join the many people around the world who have taken up this hobby. Not only that, there is a good chance that you will produce more honey that you can consume yourself, so you make some money by selling your produce to family, friends and neighbors.

Find out how you too can keep bees and produce your own delicious honey

This may seem a strange question to ask, but actually depending upon where you live there may be some legal restrictions upon keeping bees. Therefore, before you even start thinking about learning how to keep bees you should check the local legislation. In most parts of the world (for example the UK and most of Europe) there are no particular restrictions, provided that you take sensible steps to ensure that your bees do not cause a nuisance to your neighbors. In much of the United States you will need to apply for a license. A few communities however, have taken the decision to ban domestic beekeeping altogether.

You will need to make sure that you check your local position and ensure that you take relevant steps to comply with legislation.

A common question for people learning how to keep bees is where do I actually get my bees from? It is not, unfortunately, simply a case of setting up your bee hive and waiting for bees to arrive. What you actually need to do is obtain a starter colony which you can buy from a specialist supplier, or you could contact your local beekeeping association to see if one of the members would be willing to supply you with a starter colony.

The main piece of beekeeping equipment you need is a bee hive. There are several different types available, with different types favored in different parts of the world. The most important thing is to choose one type and stick to it. That way, if you have more than one hive you can interchange the various parts.

One of the most recognizable piece of beekeeping equipment is the beekeeping suit. But what sort of bee suit should you buy? The purpose of the beekeeping suit is to prevent you being stung; the safer and more secure you feel with your bees, the more enjoyable your beekeeping will be. You will need to get a suit and a veil - you should avoid the older style veils that have netting all around the back as these can cause problems when the netting folds inwards letting the occasional bee sting the back of your neck. The better veil is the type that has a fabric back looking a bit like a fencing helmet.

Smokers are an essential piece of beekeeping equipment. Generally, you can buy large or small smokers. There are basically three different types. The cheapest is the tin plated steel type, but after a couple of seasons it will be past its best. The copper type is more resistant to corrosion but can get dented rather easily. The stainless steel type is the best, but a little more expensive.

The larger smokers will run longer without refuelling, but new beekeepers with only one or two hives a small smoker is sufficient.

Other beekeeping equipment that you will need:

• Suitable boots
• Bee gloves
• Hive tool
• Queen marking cage and pen
• A feeder to feed your bee's sugar syrup
• A Porter bee escape (a one way valve for bees)
• A good guide to how to keep bees