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Examining the hive

During the 'off season', winter, inspecting your beehive once a month is enough, though during the warmer, busier seasons, once a week may become necessary. During the spring and summer you want to check that there is enough pollen and honey for the bees, that the queen is still laying eggs which indicates she is healthy. As long as there are eggs and brood visible, she is still healthy. You also want to check that there is enough room for the queen to continue laying and that there is enough room for workers to continue storing food. You must be very careful when moving parts of the hive as bees that have been crushed send a smell that makes the other bees want to sting. You must also be careful with how long you keep your hive open as bees from other colonies may fly in and begin stealing from your hive.

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Choosing a hive location

Choosing the right location for your hive can have an impact on how productive your bees are and, in turn, how much honey they produce for you. Bees can travel over a mile to find pollen and nectar, but are more productive with sources of both closer to the hive. Facing the hive entrance to the South is the best way to get the most work out of your bees as they usually fly from morning until early afternoon; if the bees see the sun earlier, the earlier they will start work.

It is also a good idea to have a water source near your hive as bees need water to cool the hive during hot weather and to dilute honey although they can drown in deep water. Also, bees are affected by temperature and do not work if it is too hot or too cold. Honeybees can not fly if it is too cold, yet they do not work if it is too hot out either.

Providing a small amount of shade for your bees is recommended, but they do not like too much shade. You must also remember your neighbours when deciding where to place your beehive; most people won't want bees flying across their back garden all day. A high wooden fence is recommended in the same direction as the hive opening, this way the bees will have to fly over the fence and above neighbors homes as well.

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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.