Getting Started in Beekeeping Videos
Congratulations on your interest in the hobby of beekeeping! We are certain you will find beekeeping an enjoyable and rewarding hobby that can be shared by young and old alike. Not only will you receive the obvious reward of a naturally sweet honey crop, but also the little known benefits to the backyard garden.
Educational Videos
More Information
Common garden plants such as melons, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, blueberries, raspberries and most fruit trees including apple and pear require insect pollination to set fruit. The honeybee is the most efficient insect pollinator. Bees visit these flowers to obtain pollen, the sole source of protein in the honeybee diet. Multiple visits to a flower increase the size of the fruit, the number of seeds, and the consistency in the shape of the fruit. The seeds inside a fruit produce the sugar that makes the fruit sweet; therefore, the greater the number of pollinated seeds, the sweeter the fruit.
It is best to order your equipment in the fall for use in the following spring. This will give you time to paint the woodenware and familiarize yourself with each piece and its purpose. Order your bees early to ensure availability. We offer shipped bees or bees for pickup at our store locations seasonally.
Advice for Beginners
For the beginning beekeeper, we suggest taking a class on beekeeping. These can generally be found by contacting a local bee club, the entomology (study of insects) department at your local university, or you can also check with your local department of agriculture. These classes will teach you all the basics of beekeeping in your area and help you get familiar with the terms and equipment used in keeping bees. Join a local beekeeping club or organization. Click here for a list of some regional clubs and ways to contact them. Generally, these clubs will hold meetings once a month to discuss beekeeping and they are usually very eager to have new members. While you are at the meetings find a mentor, a person who has some experience keeping bees who is willing to help you get started. You will find beekeepers eager to share their knowledge of this great hobby! Subscribing to an industry magazine will help as well, we recommend the Bee Culture magazine published by AI Root Co. This magazine is informative and easy to read. Subscription information can be obtained by clicking here. Don’t forget to curl up with a good book! We offer several educational reads here.