Would you make a good beekeeper?
Beekeeping has become a very popular, but paralleling its popularity has been a corresponding rate of failure and despair. More beekeepers experiencing long term success would be good for our honeybees. Numerous failed hives that have been abandoned in people’s backyards is not a good thing for our honeybees. Some of those hives are dead because they were diseased and when left abandoned, the disease can quickly be spread via bees that come to rob the honey bring the disease home with them. Others abandoned due to bad beekeeping practice or lack of knowledge.
Some Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Begin Keeping Bees
1. Have you taken a class or registered for one?
2. Have you found a mentor that is successful with his/her own bees.
3. What is your goal? Pollination of your garden and sharing in a little honey?
4. Have you figured your start up costs?
5. Are you allowed to keep bees? What about your neighbors?
6. How much time are you willing to commit to your new hobby?
7. How much will this cost?
The Rules of Beekeeping
Rule No. 1. There are Absolutely No Absolutes when it comes to beekeeping. You will find divergent viewpoints on every single aspect of beekeeping. If you ask 10 beekeepers their opinion on any beekeeping subject you will receive 10 different answers. Decide for yourself what is right for you and your bees and then diligently pursue your chosen course.
Rule No. 2: Maintain some perspective. You are going to experience failures along with your success. It's not the end of the world unless you throw up your hands and refuse to learn from them. An easy going attitude brings a calm, relaxed manner to your beekeeping that will be appreciated by your Bees.
The information below assumes you are starting with 2 hives. You will need to adjust accordingly if you are beginning with more or fewer hives.
Time:
To begin, you will need to purchase your wooden ware and set aside a day early in the year to assemble and paint your hives and frames. Typically, a day in mid to late March is good although you can order and assemble your equipment any time of the year.
Next you are looking at about an hour or two a month for checking your hives and performing basic maintenance between April and September.
Finally, you will need to set aside a day or two to harvest and bottle any surplus honey the bees may have produced. In South Carolina typically this is done in Early to mid June. Once your hive is established, you may have the opportunity to harvest several times a year.
Temperament:
You must have a temperament that includes patience. You will need to be patient and let the bees do the work at their pace - you will NOT have honey overnight. Normally when you establish a new hive it will be the next year (summer).
Also, once it is discovered that you are a beekeeper, you will be flooded with questions, some that will good and some that will be nonsense. It is important that you learn to take the time to answer these questions as the person you are talking to could very well become a customer or a fellow beekeeper.
Non-Bee Related Materials:
There are some basic tools and materials that you should have before getting into beekeeping. Most of these are fairly common in every household, however, it is better to know up front so you have everything you need to be successful.
Hammer, wood glue, wood square, ratcheting straps, paint (outdoor), painting tools (rollers, brushes, trays etc.), NEW spray bottles, notebook, pencil, pen and markers, means or method for moving hives, bees and supplies.
Money:
It's no secret, beekeeping costs money to get into. Currently, you can figure on about $350 per hive for your first year. These costs can vary depending on the supplier and the amount and kind of tools/supplies you choose to purchase.