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How to Set Up a Honey Bee Hive

Beekeeping can be a profitable business provided you set up the honeybee hive in the correct manner. Before you decide to start this venture, it is important to check with your county officials if the place where you stay is part of a "No-buzz zone," where beekeeping is banned. Setting up a beehive is a tedious process that calls for careful, concentrated work from selecting the right spot to actually installing the bees.

Instructions

- 1
  Learn the basics of beekeeping. Contact your local agricultural extension office or a beekeeping association. Find out if they conduct beekeeping training courses. Taking this course will help you learn more about the process of beekeeping, and interacting with experienced beekeepers will help you learn more about the practical aspects of beekeeping.
- 2
  Obtain beekeeping supplies. Find a beekeeping supplier in your area. Procure all the materials you will need to set up the beehive. This typically will include the parts of the hive, a hive tool, smoker, protective suit, veil helmet, gloves and feeder.
- 3
  Choose the beehive location. Select a spot that has flowers, vegetables, fruits, trees, weeds and bushes within a distance of around 10 square miles to act as a pollen source for bees. If no natural water source is available, you will need to set out water in a pan. Select a location that has a wind break, like bushes or trees. This will keep your beehive away from view and shelter the apiary against the cold winter winds. Make sure the site has a mixture of sufficient sunlight and shade, as too much of either can cause underproduction of honey.
- 4
  Procure the bees. Pick up the bee packets from the beekeeping supplier. These packets will consist of a cage with a sugar syrup can. There will be separate cages for the queen and a few of her attendants. If the supplier is far away, arrange for him to send you the bees by mail.
- 5
  Install the bees. Wear the protective suit, veil helmet and gloves before you start installing the bees. Assemble the beehive as instructed by your supplier. Fill the feeder with sugar syrup. Open the cages using the hive tool and take off the sugar can. Remove the queen cage, which usually is allowed to dangle from the top of the bee package, and set it between two frames of the hive. Seal the cage with a sugar plug, which will be eaten out by the other bees to release the queen. This mechanism provides time for the bees to get familiar with the smell of the queen, ensuring they accept her. Once the queen is inside, open the package of bees and pour them onto the frames. Cover the outer cover of the beehive set.

Animals & Science