This week is another exciting one on the homestead. As this post goes live, we’ll likely have a beehive filled with our first ever honey bees! While Victoria wants to take some time to post details on how we selected the bees, the hive, and more about equipment and care, today I wanted to just make a post from my perspective on preparing a beehive for new bees. So, let’s dive into what we are doing here at The Silly Couple homestead.
The Beehive Starter Kit
The first step to preparing a beehive for new bees is to actually have a hive. There are different beehive options out there, but for us being first-time owners we wanted to keep things simple. So, we went to our favorite outdoor retailer, Rural King. They sell a fully painted and assembled beehive, which includes everything you need to get started. Not only does it have the full brooder box ready to go, but it has a smoker, some pellets, and the tools you need to get started.
When Victoria posts a more detailed guide, I’ll make sure to add a link here. But, for now, just know this is our best recommendation for new bee owners. This way, all you have to do is a buy a beekeeping suit and pick out the right place to put your new hive.
Preparing A Beehive for New Bees
With your hive ready to go, the next piece of advice we give is to do your research. In our case, Victoria is taking the lead in honey-producing efforts. So, she is the one learning all the ins and outs of beekeeping. But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t done some homework of my own. Make sure you understand how bee colonies form, environmental risks and dangers that might exist, and if you can do so, contact local bee keepers and your local extension office.
Aside from that, you want to pick a good spot that will allow them to fly around and pollinate. If you’re a Florida beekeeper, you also need to mind any public areas, as you are required to keep them 150 feet away from any public zones. In other words, keeping bees is not feasible if your property is too small. Otherwise, we chose a spot in front of our house that gets some shade from trees but isn’t immediately under any dangerous trees (we don’t want big branches falling on the hive).
When selecting the spot, make sure to elevate the hive. In our research, there are different schools of thought on how high off the ground the hive needs to be. For us, we figure we’ll eventually add a couple honey supers to our first hive and then add a second hive with some supers. I’m not sure on the timeframe for this. But, with that plan in mind, we set down a pallet as the base elevation method for the hives. Some people would say this is enough, but just to be extra cautious we also had some scrap 4×4 pieces lying around, which we used to place under the hive. This way, it keeps the hive a good 6 inches off the ground.
Companion Plants for Your New Beehive
The truth about bees is that they fly quite far. In fact, it’s commonly understood that bees can travel up to 2 miles (or more in some cases) from the hive. If you think about this, it makes you wonder how legitimate some claims are when it comes to honey varieties. And, for a small farmer/homesteader, you have to understand there is no way to really ensure your bees just get access to wildflowers for instance. However, it can be beneficial to make sure you have plenty of pollinating plants around for your bees.
Fortunately for us, we like in an area that is ripe with wildflowers and a variety of pollinating vines and plants. Also, since we tried (and miserably failed) to use our companion planting method last year for vegetables, we have some other flowers and herbs planted that required pollination. If you followed along with some of our other progress this year, you’ll also recall we got some citrus trees on the property. In other words, we have done our part to make sure they have a variety to pollinate.
If you are preparing a beehive for new bees, make sure you have a good amount of nearby pollinating plants for them as well.
Are we Ready for Bees?
While we are preparing a beehive for new bees and we’ve done quite a lot of homework, I think the best answer to this is a resounding “no.” And, that’s OK. Honestly, we weren’t ready for chickens when we got them, the dog when we got her, or the goats when we got them. By now, we’ve learned not to lie to ourselves and assume just because we’ve done our homework we are fully prepared. Though we don’t know from personal experience, we imagine it’s like becoming a parent -you can’t really be prepared.
Despite this, we are hopeful we’ll do a good job. We’re as prepared as we possibly can be and hopefully be next summer we’ll have some honey to show all our time and effort was worthwhile. Until then, make sure to check back for posts from Victoria where she’ll share more of the ins and outs of beekeeping. And, don’t worry -we’ll make sure to post updates throughout the year to let you know how the hive progresses. For now, keep on working towards your dreams and we’ll see you around the homestead.