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Beekeeping is a craft that has been around for a long time!
Early rock paintings on cave walls in Africa and eastern Spain show people gathering honey from trees or rock crevices. Cave drawings in Spain, near Valencia from around 7000 B.C. show figures climbing to out of reach places to gather honey. And modern beekeepers are still learning. Every beekeeper develops his own variations of the craft, to suit himself and his bees.
A new beekeeper has to make a few purchases to set himself (or herself) up. Obviously a bee suit is essential: it is important that the beekeeper feel comfortable and safe. There are a number of different types of bee suits available, ranging from the simple veil and overall, to two- piece suits with a veil attached to a top and a one piece suit which keeps the beekeeper completely contained! Look at the catalogues of the various bee suppliers.
Hive and bees are the next essentials, together with a few necessary pieces of equipment, - hive tool and smoker are the most important. Probably the most popular hive in the UK is the Modified National, although the WBC is still popular in second place.
Before you obtain a colony of bees (possibly a swarm) you would be wise to seek advice about siting your hive(s). If your garden is unsuitable, you may need to think about siting your hive(s) in a field or out-apiary. You need to think about security of the hive, but you also have to be aware of neighbours. Not everyone sees bees in the same light as the beekeeper!
Join a local association, seek advice.
Swarms
A swarm, in May or June, may be how you obtain your first bees. In a way this is an ideal way to start, as you begin with a manageable number of bees and grow in experience as the number of bees grows. There is the consolation of knowing that your new colony is unlikely to swarm again in that season. An early swarm can be very hard working, and, given good weather conditions, may give you a honey crop in your first year.
Handling the bees.
As you grow in confidence, you will want to find the queen (and possibly mark her), and you will be opening the hive to add new frames of foundation and to watch the rapidly expanding brood nest. Here the smoker and hive tool will be essential pieces of equipment. The new beekeeper will quickly learn the importance of patience and preparation: handle the bees with care, do not try to rush and always have necessary (and spare) equipment at hand.
The crop
Later in the season, if you are lucky, you will need to think about extracting honey, about dealing with beeswax. Perhaps you can borrow an association extractor and even a solar wax extractor.
You will need to think about cleaning and bottling the honey, cleaning and storing the wax. Again it is important to talk to those in the association, to learn from their experience and to make use of association equipment.
Enjoy your beekeeping
Very few of us will actually make a profit from beekeeping, and that is not really why we keep bees. We keep bees because of their fascination and because of the challenges they present, as well as the satisfaction of a successful season. As a fellow beekeeper observed recently, we are
beekeepers rather than keepers of bees.
Cost
This can vary tremendously depending on whether new or second hand items are bought. Many parts can be made cheaply if you have some DIY skills. To buy new equipment is expensive. However, it is often possible to buy hives and equipment more cheaply from members of the Association. These items are frequently advertised in the Association Newsletter.
Stings
Stings do hurt - some people find them more painful than others. By taking reasonable precautions and sensible operating procedures, stinging incidents can be mostly avoided. Over time, most beekeepers develop an immunity to stings. It is claimed that stings alleviate rheumatism and arthritis!
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