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Choosing a hive

Honeybees can build hives in nearly any protected area such as hollow tree trunks or gaps between walls in buildings. Today honeybees are kept in hives with removable frames allowing the honeycomb to be removed easily with no damage to the bees themselves.

Contemporary hives have very specific parts which include: the hive stand which keeps the beehive off the ground so it is less likely to be attacked by termites, flood, or rot if water gets under the hive. The hive stand can be anything under the hive to keep it off the ground and level, such as a wooden stand or a layer of bricks. The hive rests on three side panels on top of the bottom board with the fourth panel forming the entrance.

The main area of a standard hive, called a brood chamber, usually holds ten frames for which the bees can build their comb and houses the bees. Above the brood chamber are areas called supers where excess honey is stored.

The inner cover of the hive is a flat piece of wood with a hole in the centre for ventilation. The top cover must be waterproof to protect the hive.

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Feeding bees

Another, safer, option is to place the sugar syrup inside the top cover near the hole in the inner cover. This way only your bees will be able to access the syrup. Bees can consume large amounts of syrup during this initial stage, so check the syrup level regularly. Once your hive begins to produce honey, it is a good idea to keep some honey for feeding the bees during the winter and early spring as honey is the best food for bees. Only feed bees when and if they need it, for example, if there will not be enough honey in the bees' stores to get them through the winter with the brood they have and keep the adults alive too, they will need to be fed.

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Buying bees

Bees can be purchased in different ways, as a complete colony with ten to twelve combs, a queen that is fertile, workers, brood, food stores, and possibly drones, depending on the time of year. Smaller options are also available in the form of a 'nucleus' which includes five to seven combs, a fertile queen, workers, stores, brood, and again, possibly drones. With anucleus, the number of bees is smaller and is more ideal for a first-time beekeeper. Natural swarms may be found in the wild, but it is often difficult to keep them as there is no way of knowing if they are disease-free and whether the queen with the swarm is new and has not been mated yet.

It is also possible to purchase bees from a beekeeper who is selling them. Bees are sold by the pound and are usually sold in two or three pound boxes; there are between 3,000-4,000 bees per pound, so be prepared. It is possible to send bees via mail, but it is safer for the bees and fewer will die if you are able to pick them up from the beekeeper yourself. Bee magazines contain information on beekeepers selling bees, or searches via the internet can also bring results.

New bees will need to be fed while they are getting used to their new surroundings. A Boardman feeder is included with most new hives and is placed in the entrance to the hive, but you must be careful that other bees do not steal the syrup your bees are being fed.