Interested in getting bee's

[Honeybeesknees]

An important note: some states won't allow bees from other states to ship to them. Mine (WA) just so happens to be one of those states, so I found local resources for nucs.
Two of the least aggressive and best novice bee types are Italians and Carniolan Bees. Some nucs offer Italian stock with a Carniolan queen which will give Carniolan traits to the offspring and vice versa. It's important for beginners to research both of them and compare them to decide which ones are most suitable for them and their climate and production needs.

On another note it's best to get your bees preordered in March because a lot of bees are sold out when April comes around. I highly recommend starting them in Spring so they have ample time to prepare their colony for winter!

Another thing is I wouldn't recommend buying old hives and used equipment unless you are absolutely positive that they are disease and parasite free. You could accidentally contaminate your other hives with an unhealthy colony and suffer total losses. Buy your bees from owners/companies that have disease and pest free bees. Definitely do your research on varoa mites and other common and devastating illnesses so you know what to look for when you do your hive inspections.

My two original hives are Italian/Carni hybrids, and my two newest are Italian. I agree that researching what you're looking for in a hive is really important.

I went to classes at my local club, and watched endless YouTube videos on all aspects of beekeeping-it's amazing how many beekeepers video themselves doing hive maintenance!

 

[Weeg]

I am a beekeeper! I began my first hive years ago, and yesterday got my latest shipment of two new colonies of girls, to increase my hive number. I ordered from a source that came recommended, but for the first time got stung about 15 times. my mistake, ladies, thought you'd like a new home. lol.
If you buy new or used equipment, the drill is the same-I lightly torch all of the woodenware to make sure I'm starting with a nice clean hive. New hives are not that expensive if you're a little handy (and you should be to have bees or chickens!) and order them at amazon and put them together yourself! It only involves knocking in some nails, and painting the hive, to protect the wood, and setting it up in a nice sunny area that doesn't get a whole lot of traffic. Each of my hives cost about 200-that includes two deeps and a medium super, bottom board, queen excluder, entrance reducer, top board-and a cover.(and frames too!) There's the cost of the suit-(highly recommended, so you have confidence when installing your bees, and hive maintenance) which depends on how fancy you want to go.
I agree with the suggestions of joining a bee community, and local bee group that can give you hands on lessons. They're not required, but they do help. Even seasoned beekeepers go to brush up and shake off the rust.
Make sure that your neighbors do not use any kind of pesticide or weed spray-I bribe mine with honey. lol.
Having fruit trees and flowers is great, but remember that hybrid flowers are not optimal for bees. I plant a new native wildflower garden every year around my yard, and near the hives to provide the girls with choices as far as pollen goes. You'll find yourself excited to see dandelions..they are the bees first food of the season, and my fiancé has learned to live with them, even though he'd be out there plucking those dandelions if it weren't for the bees...

Winters are rough, but insulating the hives (I use roofing paper with a hole cut for a little ventilation) really helps. Leaving them enough honey is very important, and feeding them enough is also vital to their survival.

I love keeping bees, it is so rewarding and I find myself watching them fly and return with their "pollen pants", and watching the newly hatched girls taking their orientation flights is relaxing and mesmerizing. I highly recommend the whole experience.
If you have any specific questions-please ask! I would be happy to help!View attachment 3057158

Bumbles sharing a sunflowerView attachment 3057159
Little honey girl on my finger

Wow! This is very helpful, thank you!
I have a ton of questions. Basically, how do you keep bees? How do you setup a hive? What supplies do I need other than the box? How does everything work? I don't know very much, and haven't known where to look for sources.
I did find a bee keeping class, but the hours don't work for us.

 

[Honeybeesknees]

Wow! This is very helpful, thank you!
I have a ton of questions. Basically, how do you keep bees? How do you setup a hive? What supplies do I need other than the box? How does everything work? I don't know very much, and haven't known where to look for sources.
I did find a bee keeping class, but the hours don't work for us.

Hives are easy. Bottom board on the bottom, large super with frames on top of that. You might have drawn comb on the frames, empty frames, or frames that have a comb base-I don't like those-I go with empty or drawn if I happen to have any.
You'll need a queen excluder to prevent the queen from laying eggs in honey and basically...from escaping. Then a top board, which is where you put a feeder or other food supply, then the top. That's how you start! As the bees make progress, you add more supers with frames.
You will need a bee suit, with a head cover and good quality, well fitting gloves. (Some places sell these s a set or you can purchase them separately. You'll need a smoker with fuel (wood chips or similar) and a hive tool. This is really how to get started. I also carry a pocket knife to pry things that a hive tool is too thick to fit into.
Once you install the bees into the new hive, you feed them, close up the hive, then let them be. After a few days they should be showing some progress in creating comb, and making their home theirs.
I watched YouTube videos, went to beekeeping classes and talked to folks who were knowledgeable-ALOT. It is important that you feel comfortable with the process before the bees arrive-confidence will make it a rewarding experience for both you can your new buzzy girls.
I also bought a few books-Beekeeping for Dummies, and the Beekeepers Bible are both excellent and break the whole process down for you!

 

[Weeg]

Hives are easy. Bottom board on the bottom, large super with frames on top of that. You might have drawn comb on the frames, empty frames, or frames that have a comb base-I don't like those-I go with empty or drawn if I happen to have any.
You'll need a queen excluder to prevent the queen from laying eggs in honey and basically...from escaping. Then a top board, which is where you put a feeder or other food supply, then the top. That's how you start! As the bees make progress, you add more supers with frames.
You will need a bee suit, with a head cover and good quality, well fitting gloves. (Some places sell these s a set or you can purchase them separately. You'll need a smoker with fuel (wood chips or similar) and a hive tool. This is really how to get started. I also carry a pocket knife to pry things that a hive tool is too thick to fit into.
Once you install the bees into the new hive, you feed them, close up the hive, then let them be. After a few days they should be showing some progress in creating comb, and making their home theirs.
I watched YouTube videos, went to beekeeping classes and talked to folks who were knowledgeable-ALOT. It is important that you feel comfortable with the process before the bees arrive-confidence will make it a rewarding experience for both you can your new buzzy girls.
I also bought a few books-Beekeeping for Dummies, and the Beekeepers Bible are both excellent and break the whole process down for you!

Awesome! Thank you!
This does help me get a better idea as to what I'm doing. I also want to talk to a couple neighbors who have bee's in my area, so I'll reach out to them as well.
I'll have to check out those books too, thank you!

 

[Alpacalypse]

I'm sorry for blowing up your post but I also wanted to add that as far as expenses go you can expect to pay $500 for your hive (sometimes you can find a deal on hives you build yourself and they come with other bee keeping equipment- that's what I did), around $30 for gloves and a smoker, around $90 for the suit and I can't remember what the hat was priced at. Also nucs around here cost between $150 and $200 for a 3 lb package and they sell out quickly.

If you harvest too much honey too close to winter and you don't supplement them through the winter the hives can starve and die off. It would be best to let them establish themselves the first year, check on their progress, and maybe think about harvesting the following late spring or summer so they have plenty of time to build up their honey store before winter.

 

[Weeg]

I'm sorry for blowing up your post but I also wanted to add that as far as expenses go you can expect to pay $500 for your hive (sometimes you can find a deal on hives you build yourself and they come with other bee keeping equipment- that's what I did), around $30 for gloves and a smoker, around $90 for the suit and I can't remember what the hat was priced at. Also nucs around here cost between $150 and $200 for a 3 lb package and they sell out quickly.

If you harvest too much honey too close to winter and you don't supplement them through the winter the hives can starve and die off. It would be best to let them establish themselves the first year, check on their progress, and maybe think about harvesting the following late spring or summer so they have plenty of time to build up their honey store before winter.

Hi! I just wanted to add that I'm getting into bees this year and I have my hive all set up and a deposit on an Italian nuc. It would be fun to start my journey with others who are also starting out on theirs so we can share what we've learned together.
I know a lot of bee keepers who take their hives inside of their barn when the weather gets cold in the winter. I've also been advised to stack hay bales behind and on the sides of the hive to insulate them during the cold winter months. I have a very mild winter here so I'll probably insulate them in December/January.
They are excellent foragers so not having an orchard going shouldn't be a problem. As far as permits, you can find the information you'll need in your county's ag department requirements for beekeeping. Beekeeping groups are also wonderful sources of information and will often times direct you to your department of ag with questions about where, how many, and if permits are required.

Thank you for posting! This is so much good info! I did sign up for an online "forum" type thing in my area. I also plan on reaching out to some friends who have bee's to see what their strategy's are. Theres also a bee keeping class here, though the current hours don't work for us, I might see about getting it on that if they change in the future.
I'll keep this thread updated on our progress! Maybe some one else like me might be able to use it someday.
Good to know about the hay bales. We have moderate winters, it can get chilly. -3 in the early morning was as cold as it got last year, and last year was colder than usual. Not as bad as some climates, but probably tough on bee's.