For the novice, the thought of starting a hive can feel overwhelming due to the huge range of varying advice available online, different steps and processes to consider, seasonal variabilities, the enormous number of questions you have, etc. A simple overarching beginner question that may help soothe this could be, ’where do I start?
Below is a list of steps in a suggested chronological order that I’ve made and I’d like to invite other beekeepers to add their tips and preferences to support our beginners.
1. Feed your curiosity with books and websites
Start your learning journey by diving into some valuable beginner beekeeping books, Youtube channels, informative websites, Flow Forum (yay!), Flow Support page etc. As you dive deeper you may begin to notice the numerous varying opinions, approaches and methods for how to take care of honey bees. Certain practices are critically important for particular climate/locations whereby in other locations the same practice may be irrelevant (e.g. wintering is super important for cold climates but irrelevant for many warmer climate locations). The information you absorb will also ripen you with quality questions for the next step.
2. Local beekeeping workshop/course
Doing a local course/workshop or attending a local beekeeping club Field Day/monthly meeting, will enable you to meet and connect with local and experienced beekeepers who will be able to answer your evolving questions derived from the above step, streamlining your ability to understand what is most important for you.
More benefits include:
- They will also expand your knowledge on certain important floral sources, important season phases, broadening your spectrum and inspiration for learning, so you can head back to the books and internet with more clarity.
- There’s nothing more effective than face-to-face and practical learning
- The connections you make here will likely be your best help for sourcing your first bee colony, and/or a personal mentor (my top recommendation for beginners)
By this stage you will certainly understand what to expect as a beekeeper and if this new hobby is for you.
3. Acquire your ready-to-go hive
Get your hive ready for bees which includes assembling and painting/oiling. Assembling and painting a complete Flow Hive can take me a couple of days, which includes a good 3 hours of assembling and a day for the first layer of paint to dry.
Note that some Flow Hives are available as pre-sale only and it’s important to consider the pressure Covid has put on courier delivery times, worldwide.
4. Lock in your bees
If you’re setting up late in the season with minimal time available, you may risk your bees arriving before your Flow Hive. Note that there is no major issue with your bees staying in the nuc for a little while (a few weeks), just protect the hive from the direct sun if it’s plastic (e.g. put a temporary roof over it) and watch overcrowding (they may swarm).
For an early arriving package of bees, you could locally source an 8 or 10 frame brood box, base and roof that matches the size of your Flow Hive (e.g. 6 frame Flow Hive is equivalent to an 8 frame Langstroth and 7 Flow to 10 frame Lang). You will certainly reach a point where you will reuse this gear in the future.
Refer to your local beekeeping networks for support in these early stages of hive installation and inspections, which will go perfectly hand-in-hand with the online support available too (search ‘brood inspection’ and ‘installing colony of bees’).