The following is just a few of the basics to get into beekeeping this coming year. There
are thousands of gadgets and pieces of beekeeping equipment to consider. But we
offer the minimum in streamlining what you need to get started.
***Things you need to have:
Jacket and veil
Hive tool
Smoker
Gloves
***You need to decide on a hive and what actual bee equipment you want to use.
Most beekeepers use standard Langstroth equipment. But other interesting hives
such as Top Bar Hives (TBH's), Warre hives, 8 frame equipment, and a host of other equipment is now available.
***You will need to buy bees. Packages are readily available. Local bees from
nuc suppliers are also an option. As you get into bees, bee strains such as Italians,
Russians, and Carnolian bees are options.
***Learn as much as you can about bees. Read a couple bee books. And meet
a beekeeper or two.
***We invite all who are going to start beekeeping, to join the Pennsylvania Backyard
Beekeepers Association. The PBBA has a voluntary mentors program, socials
throughout the year, and a workshop series dedicated to helping new beekeepers.
As a PBBA member, you will also be supported by the many membership benefits
that our association provides.
Keep in mind: *95% of all beekeepers are what we call "backyard beekeepers", with
less than 20 hives.
*You do not need to be a farmer or own 10 acres to keep bees. Any place where you
have a few feet of ground, you can place a hive. There are beeekeepers in almost
every town and city across the country.
*There are child beekeepers, to 95 year olds keeping bees. If they can, so can you.
*The rewards of beekeeping include benefits to the environment, honey and other hive products, to the pure enjoyment of sitting back and relaxing while watching your bees.
*Honey bees have been kept for thousands of years. Properly managed, they are not agressive.
There are thousands of topics, questions, and many more answers in beekeeping.
The old phrase "Ask 10 beekeepers a question, and you will get 11 answers", is very
true. We will not write a book attempting to answer all the questions on this page.
What we do want to express, is our commitment to you, the beginner beekeeper, that
we will do our best to support, answer questions, and guide you into one of the most
rewarding and enjoyable things you can ever do.....beekeeping!
Please do not hesitate to contact us. That is why we are here. If you have questions
or would like to attend our spring workshop series, please click here.