How do I begin?

[Lisa B]

Hello All,

I live in New England with my husband, 2 girls, 2 cats and 8 chickens.  I have a large vegtable garden and would love to start beekeeping I'm just not sure how to begin.  I live in a neighborhood on 3/4 of an acre.

Where and how do I begin?

[vermmy35]

Hey Lisa B welcome, I was in your position a couple of years ago and this is what I did.  First I bought a book and did research to make sure their wasn't any local ordinance against it.  Then I join a local beekeeping club which has helped me in so many different ways.  Then the following year I bought the equipment from http://www.dadant.com/ and I searched online to find my package of bees.  If you plan to start this year, I would hurry and find the bees since the beekeepers that sell them tend to run out early.

[Lisa B]

Thank you so much!!  I would love to start this year if possible....I will check out that website and contact a local group....I will keep you posted, I'm sure I will be back with many questions.

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnewbees.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesoptions.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesbasics.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesterms.htm

[indypartridge]

Hello and Welcome!

I'm sure you'll find this forum a great source of information about bees & beekeeping. Be sure to check out the tutorials on the main Beemaster page - I started out there about six years ago. Also, I use the 'search' function frequently - just pick a topic and you can find several threads discussing it.

Please update your profile with your location. Much of beekeeping "location specific", and we'll be able answer your questions much better knowing where you are.

Depending on where you are in New England, check out these of local clubs:
http://www.ctbees.com/
http://www.backyardbeekeepers.com
http://www.massbee.org/links.shtml
http://www.nhbeekeepers.org/LocalClubs.htm
http://www.mainebeekeepers.org/MSBA_Chapters.shtml
http://www.vtbeekeepers.org/vermont%20clubs.html
http://www.ribeekeeper.org/

[Scadsobees]

Hi!
I'm on a 1/2 acre in a neighborhood, have a garden but also had cherry trees that were being woefully badly pollinated.

I decided to stop by a house that had a "honey for sale" sign in a nearby town, and started talking to the old fellow there.  He had some hives, and he agreed to sell me an extra, and the rest is history.  Now I've got 8 hives in the backyard.

Depending on the type of person you are, a local person to help out is invaluable, both to get started and for some guidance.  My old guy was pretty old school, and while fairly open to trying stuff, had his own way.  I respected that and once I started understanding things then I did it my own way.

And take a moment to fill out your location on your profile, beekeeping is different depending on the climate (and only a 100 miles can make a difference!) and that helps us tailor advice to your situation if you have questions.

Rick

[Cindi]

Lisa, welcome to our forum, so wonderful you found us.  We can be a great part of your learning how to keep bees.  Ask your questions, you will have answers.  Stick around, we love new members, we love to listen and we love to help.  Have that most awesomely great and beautiful day, health.  Cindi

[Pillpeddler]

Lisa,

First study up with books and the internet, it will take a long time to digest even a small part of all the info out there but you'll get some of the "basics".  Second, check into local beekeeping organizations, local vendors and if possible even your state apiarist (or their website), again you will probably end up with information overload.  People in the "bee culture" tend to be very knolwedgable and very giving of their time in my experience.  Third, if and when you decide on getting some bees start stocking up on some basic supplies and get some good bees from a good source and enjoy.  As an aside, I was able to get free bees from a local beekeeper who had a hive swarm.  He said he had 30 hives and didn't need 31, seem to be good bees, we'll see.

Pill

[Bee Happy]

Hi Lisa, I bought books, researched online, got my beginner beekeeping kit, and bought 2 nucleus hives last year. I'm only sorry I didn't start 10, 15, 20 years ago.