Becoming a Beekeeper (II)

How to Start Raising Your Own Honey, Part 2
The Joy of Honeybees

Last time, I ran you through the reality check when it comes to beekeeping. Here are some positive considerations, now that we’ve gotten through all that depressing stuff:

Why do I want bees?

For my own honey?
To gain a little farm income?
For the joy of raising something totally unique, or strictly as a utility?

Your Very Own Honey!

There’s nothing like your first honey harvest. Even after several years, we still watch in wonder as the extractor spins out the first sweet drops of the season. And that’s after Dave has pulled the first fresh comb a month before and given everyone a taste.

One hive should usually be enough to feed a family – depends how many mouths we’re talking about. You may even end up with extra, depending on how much you use and what kind of year it is. You can easily take your extra honey and barter it with neighbours so that everyone ends up with a little of everything.

To raise your own honey from one or two hives, here’s what you’ll need:

bees, with queen
brood chamber box (1 or 2), with nine or ten frames each, preferably of dark wax
bottom board to set brood chamber on
lid
up to 6 “supers” (the honey boxes) and eight to ten frames of lighter wax for each box
hat and veil
plain-coloured coveralls (bees like bright colours a little too much, and a second-favourite is dark colours)
hive tool
scratcher for taking off wax cappings
4- or 6-frame extractor

You can get an old hand-crank extractor, if you want great arm muscles, or one with a small motor. Beekeeping supply outlets carry food-grade grease, if your equipment has any grease-hungry moving parts that cause you concern about contact with the honey.

You’ll want to make sure you have the containers you need, whether ice cream pails, plastic yogurt containers, or purchased honey containers. Remember that although a honey box can weigh up to 100 pounds, it’s not all honey. A strong hive puts out a lot of wax as well. The absolute best production record we’ve heard of in our area was 200 pounds of honey per hive, and that was rather legendary. We usually expect to get at least 100 pounds, give or take. That’s about ten ice cream pails in a bad year. 

Gaining a Bit of Income

You can keep anywhere from one to several hundred hives. It’s entirely up to you. We started off with ten, which Dave bartered for by working extra hours for his beekeeper employee. (Also, working for someone else for a year, even part-time, is a really good way to find out whether you’re suited to beekeeping.) If you’re like us, you’ll probably find that good honey, decently priced, pretty well sells itself. Just talking to friends, co-workers and neighbours has generated the bulk of our customers.

Something Totally Unique, or Strictly Utility?

Well, bees are certainly unique. I don’t think I’d find this a good enough reason to go into beekeeping, though. Bees are not like heritage-breed chickens. They take patience and perseverance, and the willingness to adjust to what they’re like. On the other hand, if you find you really like them for their own sake, your own uniqueness (like my husband’s) will become a thing of local renown!

As a utility, bees are great. They’ll pollinate your orchard, improve your garden output (again through pollination), and give you a wonderful natural crop of sweetness. I could probably do bees for the utility of them, whereas Dave has gotten into it because it’s the only job he’s ever truly enjoyed. Either way, honeybees are worthwhile. Give them a try!

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