Getting started in beekeeping?
Image by Salim Virji
Beekeeping in Alphabet City
Question by shareefa9876: Getting started in beekeeping?
What are all the supplies I need to get started in beekeeping? I keep seeing these starter kits for sale, but they don’t provide you with any way to extract the honry, right? So what do I need to do it right?
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2 Responses to Getting started in beekeeping?
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I would contact a local bee keeper to possibly get a tour or find out if there is a local organization I could join. Be open and tell them what you would like to do. Most of these keepers are very friendly and enjoy sharing what they know.
MT C
October 5, 2011 at 2:40 pm
A starter kit isn’t a bad idea for a beginner. No, there’s no extractor included with those kits but it’s a fair thing. You’ll likely not have any extra honey to keep the first year. The bees will not be able to produce any extra for you because they’ll be busy drawing out all the comb needed for their brood rearing purposes and for their own winter needs. Your local bee club might also have an extractor to share or rent.
It’s an expensive toy that you don’t use much.
There are beginner beeclasses all over the place, run by Beekeeping Clubs or County Extension agencies.
One good place to start is by reading “Beeking for Dummies” or the Beesource Forums.
I’m about a year into keeping three hives that I adopted from a friend (so I did get extra honey my first year). And found taking a class to be invaluable. It only cost me $ 10 for all classes.
Still, I made some novice mistakes. The bees are fairly forgiving.
Evan T
October 5, 2011 at 2:48 pm