Beekeeping Talk

Well, you’ve got your chickens, you’re loving your fresh eggs every day and you’re wondering what is the next step to the "Good Life".

The answer is Bees. Beekeeping is a fascinating hobby in itself and like chickens there is a tasty, and profitable by- product.

To view our list of stocked beekeeping products, please visit our Beekeeping Tools page.

Beekeeping > Beekeeping Guide

What do I need to keep Bees?

  1. Bee Hive – basically a box with enough space for the bees to build their comb so that they can rear their young and store the honey. To make it easier to observe what is going on in the hive and to be able to extract the honey easier we control them slightly by providing wax foundation for them to build on and a separate area for honey storage.
  2. Somewhere to put the hive. The hive is only 18” square so doesn’t take up a lot of room but siting is important so that they don’t annoy people as they enter and leave the hive, facing it a few meters from a wall or hedge helps as it lifts the flying bees above peoples head.
  3. Protection – bees have been known to sting and so it helps with your confidence if you are happy in their presence. A veil and a pair of gloves are usually sufficient, with your trousers tucked into your wellies!
  4. Tools – a good smoker to calm the bees and a hive tool to help remove the frames are the minimum requirements to get yourself started. Equipment to extract the honey can usually be borrowed or hired to start with. Warning – beekeeping is very addictive and the equipment that can be obtained is extensive!
  5. Training – beekeeping is not difficult and you do not need years of tutelage under a grand master but a basic understanding of what goes on in the hive is needed to make the hobby work and for you to be able to expect a return on your effort. There are lots of good books to help the initial understanding and it’s always a good idea to join your local beekeeping association who should offer courses for beginners. You’ll never know all there is to know because nobody does, but it’s good to start off with a basic grounding.
  6. Bees – perhaps the hardest part of the equation to obtain. There are two basic ways, buy a nuclease which is usually four or five frames of bees with a queen which will build up in strength or collect a swarm. If you are a member of a beekeeping association you can put your name down for a swarm and if one is found you can collect it and introduce to your hive. Due to the well publicised reduction in bee numbers swarms aren’t as easy to come by as they were and there are disease implications but still the easiest and cheapest option.