Beekeeping is the keeping of bee colonies for honey, other products and pollination. This page outlines what it involves.

What makes it possible

• The colony overwinters as a group; it continues from year to year
• It stores a surplus; the beekeeper takes what it does not need
• It chooses an enclosed cavity; a hive matches that preference
• Movable frames make inspection, harvest and disease control possible

The colony is a whole

A beekeeper deals with the colony, not with individual bees. What is assessed at an inspection is the state of the colony.

What the work involves

• Spring: Assessing, adjusting space, measuring Varroa
• Swarming season: Inspecting at intervals shorter than eight days
• Summer: Giving space, harvesting
• Late summer: Treating Varroa, feeding, reducing
• Winter: Observing from outside; maintaining equipment

What it demands

• Time in the right weeks. Not much time, but at the right moment
• Physical effort; full supers are heavy
• Willingness to learn — most of it from other beekeepers
• Keeping records

Starting

The sensible order: contact an association, work alongside an experienced beekeeper, take a course, arrange the site — and only then get bees.

Begin with two colonies, not one. With one you have no comparison and no frame of eggs if the queen is lost.

The first year

Usually no honey. The aim is to bring a colony through the winter healthy.

Your own health

A severe allergic reaction is possible and can develop without prior warning. Anyone with a history of severe reaction should consult a doctor before starting.

Obligations

Registration, notifiable disease requirements and labelling rules differ by country. Check with your association before you begin.