Lately, it seems like everyone I meet wants to get into backyard beekeeping. Maybe it’s the popularity of the Flow Hive that enticed this new wave of would-be beekeepers or maybe it’s the headlines about bee die-offs. If you’ve been thinking about getting bees, but haven’t taken the plunge yet, read on to find out exactly what you’re in for!
1. Beekeeping is more complicated than you think.
Despite what you might have heard, seen or even read, beekeeping is not easy. A lot of potential beekeepers have the notion that setting up a beehive is akin to setting up a birdhouse. I’d say it’s more like having a vegetable garden… a vegetable garden that can attack you when you make it unhappy. It takes a tremendous amount of research to be a successful beekeeper and no matter how many books you read or classes you take, you will probably still fail and make mistakes in your first few years. The problem is losing an entire colony of bees is much more demoralizing than when you lose your tomato crop. Beekeeping takes patience and a thick skin (in more ways than one)!
2. It’s an expensive hobby.
You might be surprised to find out how costly beekeeping is. When you total up all the woodenware, bee suit, tools and bees, you are looking at a big initial investment. Expect to spend over $500 to get started and that’s with just one hive. I recommend you start with two hives! (See number 9 on my list of 10 Mistakes New Beekeepers Make for why.) Not to mention the ongoing costs: you will at some point need more supers, honey harvesting equipment and likely a queen bee here and there. If you want to get into beekeeping to save money on honey, you are in for a rude surprise.
3. It’s not always fun.
I love beekeeping. I get to spend my days in the sun, playing with insects and covered in dirt. When I am working my hives, I often fall into a peaceful trance. I think standing in the center of a swirling swarm is one of my favorite things in life—but I have also lost the use of my hand for three days because of the swelling from a sting. I have angered my hive and legitimately feared for a neighbor’s life. I have cried over dead bees. I have wrestled with guilt and sorrow after accidentally squishing a queen. My point is: beekeeping is full of highs and lows.
4. It’s physically demanding.
There is hard physical labor involved in working your hives. Bees and especially honey are HEAVY. You will be lifting boxes, soaked in sweat and baking in the sun. I have been told, though my youthful ears regret to listen, that back problems are inevitable for life-long beekeepers. Of course, there are some workarounds for this. Using smaller boxes (mediums) or 8-frame boxes or both can help. Top Bar Hives are an even better way to evade heavy lifting, but you will still get sweaty.
5. It will change your perspective.
Beekeeping transformed my world view. I am so much more aware of my environment now. I know what flowers are blooming and when. I pay much more attention to weather patterns. I’m hyper-conscious of what chemicals my neighbors are using. I think more about where my food came from and wonder about the bees that pollinated it. I have learned so much about native bees when before I indifferent to them. I believe beekeeping connects people to the world they live in and inspires them to make positive change to improve that world.
27 Comments
You reference a No. 9 on this list (in your No. 2 comment), but the list only has 5 comments.
Karen, maybe you need to buy some reading glasses. It says “(See number 9 on this list for why.)”, and the words “this list” are highlighted. If you click on “this list” it will take you to another article with 10 things – here’s the link http://beekeepinglikeagirl.com/10-mistakes-new-beekeepers-make/.
Perhaps Karen, like me, was taught to read without having to use a pointer finger (the cursor) under the words. Without the cursor highlighting the link, “this list” wasn’t so apparent to folks who are more comfortable reading words on “paper”.
Or maybe it was just a simple oversight that doesn’t really deserve your snarky comment.
… That was rude. I didn’t find anything in her comment that justified that snarky response.
Each year I train and mentor a number of new beekeepers, and this article covers the results quite well. Maybe one of a dozen or so newbies stays with it. Sadly, part of the problem is claims and products like “the flowhive”. After spending a ridiculous amount of money and hearing the simplistic claims, many newbies have a rude awakening when their bees die out or swarm and leave. The hardest thing to get newbie beeks to understand is that their hives/bees need to be attended to on a regular basis.
Hmmm, I have a bit of a different take on this topic. Yes, there is a great deal you can learn about bees, and a good deal of money you can spend on bees, and a lot of work involved—if you choose this. If you are only looking to have a couple of hives, you can build top bar hives with scrap lumber for near-nothing. This will save you all the heavy lifting and physical work of having bees. And if you get adventurous and catch swarms, you don’t even need to pay for bees. Now, about the information you need to know. Well, you can study for a lifetime and not know all there is to learn about this enchanting creature. OR, you can set up a couple of hives in your backyard, giving them a safe, dry, pesticide-free home, and start there. Some people call this “having bees” as opposed to “keeping bees,” as you don’t interfere with them at all. Looking at all the ways we’ve managed to mess up the world of the honey bee so far, I believe that in many cases, it is better to be a person with a couple of hives you never go into, then to be a person who is in and out of his/her hives all the time, messing things up in ignorance. And it is easy to “mess up” in ignorance. Ask me how I know this.
So, what I’m saying is that you can have success investing a lot, and you can have success investing very little. but I will admit that no success can be had with bees unless you invest your heart—and that’s so very, very easy!
Susan if you take the “I believe that in many cases, it is better to be a person with a couple of hives you never go into” approach your colonies have an extremely high chance of being killed off by varroa mites which causing the die offs that are so common now.
David, so sad and true, but really, even those who know a GREAT deal about bees are losing them just as fast as those who know little. We are all losing hives to varroa—those who treat, and those who are treatment and management free. This is the way of beekeeping in the 21st Century. I tell all my students, “Expect to lose colonies.” We all do, especially in the beginning until we find the right genetics for our yards and our “keeping” style.
Yes, varroa are causing huge die-offs—no matter if you treat or not.
Hi Susan,
Author here. I agree TBHs are a great option and if you build them yourself they can save you money. In fact, this is what I did when I first got started. I mentioned your point about this style hive alleviating lifting challenges in the article, maybe you missed it.
While I agree that us humans tend to muck things up and the bees probably know better than us. I’m not a fan of “bee havers”. In my area there is an additional level of irresponsibility to this practice, they are called Africanized bees. They can become extremely defensive. “Bee havers” get bees, don’t spend any time learning about what they are doing and then end up with a nightmare that endangers themselves, their neighbors and the reputation of beekeepers.
I agree completely. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have “hippy bees”: laid back and mellow. In areas where africanized bees have taken hold, bee management is a whole different issue, where you really ARE putting neighbors at risk because of the aggression level of the bees. I agree that “bee having” is a difficult proposition in Africanized bee regions.
Very honest overview. We are now I 1/2 years in $25,000.00 out of money, but happy as Bee’s! We are keeping our girls in the A-Z hives from Slovenia. Call us 601 795 2611. Happy Bee Keeping!
Thank you. Now I know I’m not ready and may never bee.
On the note of “bee havers”- let’s be frank, here. The honey bee is not native to the US. It has been naturalized, yes, but just because they can survive without intervention, and in many other wildlife cases that is ideal, does not make it the ideal scenario in the case of the honeybee.
There are many animals that have been domesticated and now need us- angora rabbits, sheep, dogs, cats, silkworms etc. The honeybee may not be domesticated, per se, buy it still fits into this category.
“Bee having” not only is bad for the reasons you list, Hillary, but also (as I am sure you didn’t add just for the sake of not piling on) because hives in the area will also inevitably be infected by varroa mites, too, therefore requiring more treatments to stay healthy. The best bet, is to let beekeeping to bee keepers if you don’t have the time, money, or patience to do it properly.
There are tons of great things about having bees, but I am glad that someone out there is being honest so you don’t waste your money on something that you won’t stick with.
I am sorry if that sounds rude. I just really, really do not like this practice of “bee having”.
On a lighter note, I would actually be more devestated over the loss of my tomato crop, Hillary. We have many bee keepers in my area, but man! I love tomatoes! Store bought tomatoes are disgusting, so I look forward to my tomato harvest all year.
Varroa are in ALL hives. I would challenge the idea that the mite counts are so much lower in treated hives, that untreated hives pose a threat to them. Feral hives are now rebounding all over the country (see Thomas Seeley’s studies), and they are full of mites and the bees are living beside them just fine. I am of the belief that in the long run, mite treatment just keeps weak bees hanging on, and it creates stronger, more treatment-resistment mites. Bees need to evolve, and a hands-off approach will help them to do that.
I welcome all the new bee lovers, and bee havers! We need you! Don’t be afraid to put your toe into bee life!
Great info. And so true , thanks for keeping it real.
Agree 100% with McElroy.
I’m new to beekeeping… less than 2 yrs. I spent way less than $500, have all the proper gear, 3 beautiful top bar hives with viewing windows and screened bottoms (for mites), and I caught my own swarms. My bees thrive because I am a smart common sense “bee-haver” as some of you call it. So please know, not all bee-havers are slugs so to speak.
PS Local TEXAS bee-keepers are thrilled with the larger honey harvest produced by the Africanized. 😛
Nice intro to the world of beekeeper. So where are the negatives?
Seek for a local bee club, or two, to open your eyes to the world of bees. Every beekeeper I know is more than eager to help in every aspect.
Yeah the link on ‘this list’ isn’t obvious. When reading this blog on my phone the txt is only highlighted. It would be worth if the content was clear that there in fact another list being referred to. Thanks
Thanks for your feedback. I went back and edited this to try to make it more clear that I am referencing another list.
After reading this article, I now realize that I probably wouldn’t be able to have bees because I have a bad back. I still want to learn all I can about being a beek, because as a youth (I’m now 64) I helped my Grandfather with his bees and loved doing it. They have always been a strong interest of mine ever since that time. If I learn well, maybe I can help someone else with their bees from time to time. I’m not afraid of bees and am not allergic to their stings.
You might also add that adding millions of bees on your property can be a nuisance for your neighbors. Be considerate so your hives don’t become a harm to the neighboring people and pets!
You might want to add that consideration should be made if you plan to place millions of bees in your yard that might become a nuisance to your neighbors. Bees cause many problems for people and pets including extreme allergic reactions. Know your area before and limit the colonies!
Nice info.its very helpful.
WOW its fantastic.