Keep Bees, Naturally!
(Page 2 of 6)
February/March 2008
By M.E.A. McNeil
If you live in the city, also check to make sure local regulations do not prohibit beekeeping. In most areas, beekeeping falls under generalized nuisance laws, and two hives are highly unlikely to become a nuisance. Even so, Dallas-area beekeeper John Caldieri suggests that suburban beekeepers do two things: Install a 6-foot tall panel of privacy fencing near hives to raise the bees’ flight paths above head level as they come and go, and share jars of honey with your closest neighbors.
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On your side of the fence, locate hives where the bees will have an open flight path. Ideally, morning sun should warm the hives, which should be in a place where they will seldom be disturbed by human activities. If there is no pond or stream nearby, you will also need to provide a pool, birdbath or tub of water within 40 feet of the hives.
Gearing Up
- The basic equipment you’ll need to get started is listed below. In general, you’ll need:
- Boxes (the hives).
- Frames with wax foundation. The foundation usually has a pattern imprinted on it that matches the pattern of wax cells that bees create as they make the comb that they fill with honey, pollen and their brood, or larvae.
- A bee suit, or other protective clothing.
- A smoker and a few hand tools.
It’s best to pass up all-inclusive pre-built beginner kits that come with a plastic foundation. Bees build better on pure beeswax.
Most beekeepers order pre-cut hive and frame components, which are quick and easy to assemble with glue and nails. You can also build your own hive boxes. Vermont beekeeper Mike Palmer buys scrap wood and makes boxes, bottom boards and lids for about a dollar each. Building plans for boxes and frames are available here.
White is the traditional color to paint the outside of boxes; light colors help keep the hives from overheating in hot summer weather. Use any non-lead-based paint or a natural sealant, such as Auro.
12,000 Bees, Please
You can buy worker bees (and an egg-laying queen for each hive) by mail. The best time to start beekeeping is after the last hard freeze in the spring, so you’ll want to have them delivered then. As you shop, choose queen bees from regional sources that have been bred for “hygienic behavior” — a genetic trait that leads to workers with superior talents for cleaning out larvae with disease or mites. For each hive, you will need 3 pounds of bees with a queen — that’s about 12,000 bees! The post office will never be more eager to see you come in than on the day when your order arrives.
Once you have some experience, you can add new hives by taking in swarms, or groups of worker bees with an older queen that will leave a mature colony to start a new one. Many people don’t want large swarms of bees to find a new home on their property, so if you’re interested in picking up these “free bees,” just add your name to the local police and fire department lists of beekeepers willing to collect swarms, and before long the phone will ring for “the bee lady” or “the bee guy.” Because swarms have an old queen, most beekeepers replace her with a stronger queen soon after the colony is settled in its new hive.
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