Welcome to the tremendous world of bee . If you ’ve been undecided in the past about becoming a beekeeper but are quick to get your own hive , nowis the perfect time to do it . For new beekeeper , winter is the time to take the first steps . While most of the hands - on work does n’t get until bounce , there is much preparation to do . Without the right timing in the winter , you might turn a loss a chance to get started for the twelvemonth , and the building of your apiary might be delayed . In the first of this two - part series , permit ’s reckon at some of the things you could do right now to get started .
1. Read Books
Before you go any further , steer to your library and check out a few books on keeping bee . While the internet is a vast and seemingly endless resource , it can be challenging for the fresh beekeeper to dissever solid advice from popular opinion . There are great books usable on practical apiculture , and you may always use the net as a backup resource to continue investigating a subject that piques your sake .
2. Go to Bee School
For six weeks during the wintertime before our first year with bees , my husband and I attended a weekly beekeeping grade hosted by our county extension office staff . To this twenty-four hour period , it remains the foundation of our work with bee . Local bee school or classes declare oneself Brobdingnagian value that a book simply ca n’t : personalised advice and recommendations based on your part . Beekeeping is so geographically specific that any opportunity to work with local beekeepers is a treasured one indeed .
3. Visit Your Allergist
read and explore bees and apiculture can be a slew of fun , but before you commit much more time or money , confirm that you are in serious wellness and consult an allergist . If you do have an allergy to honeybee spite ( which is unlike than that of other bees and wasps ) , there are ways you’re able to still be commit to beekeeping you’re able to discuss with your doc .
4. Join a Beekeeping Club
If you ’re looking up a local beekeeping class or school , chances are the same mass you meet belong to local cabaret . Beekeeping nightclub meeting usually run through the winter , and this slow time is an ideal chance to expect beginner questions , before professional apiarist are swamp with the busy season .
5. Find a Mentor
A good mentor is priceless . Ask to shadow a fellow apiarist early in the season . The slow pace of winter is a great clock time to involve the heady , cerebral question , pass time handling empty equipment ( it ’s less intimidating when there are n’t thousands of bee inside ) and develop a relationship with the person who will be available throughout your first year to answer questions and guide you through everything .
6. Order Bees and Supplies
If you ’ve read the books and taken the class , and you feel sure-footed in your health and power to keep bees , go ahead and order your bees and supplies . wintertime is the prison term to reserve your cell nucleus colonies and package of bees for spring startup . Often , beekeeping suppliers and catalogs will be in full stocked in the winter , but descend spring , they sell out quickly . architectural plan ahead so you ’re not left behind .
Are you still undecided ? Not sure what it means to be a beekeeper ? Check out the second part of this series next hebdomad .
Beekeeping is an vastly rewarding action , and its benefits affect the very fiber of our environment . But it must be done thoughtfully and with quite a minute of planning . In next week ’s column , we ’ll further research the item of becoming a responsible apiculturist and honeybee steward .
