Getting started with beekeeping
Welcome. Keeping bees is one of the most rewarding things you can do with a small corner of a garden, a rooftop or an allotment. It connects you to the seasons, rewards patience, and (in a good year) fills a few jars with honey you grew yourself.
The honey bee colony
A honey bee colony is not really a collection of individuals. It behaves more like a single living thing — a superorganism — in which thousands of bees co-operate so closely that the colony, not the bee, is the unit that survives, reproduces and overwinters. A lone worker dies within days; the colony can persist for years.
Equipment & hive types
Beekeeping does not demand a great deal of kit, but a few good tools make every visit calmer, safer and quicker. This page covers the essentials, then gives an overview of the main hive systems so you can choose the one that suits you and record it correctly in Openbeehive.
The beekeeping year
Beekeeping follows the seasons. The colony grows, peaks, contracts and rests in a yearly rhythm driven by daylight, temperature and the flowers in bloom. Learning that rhythm is the heart of the craft: your job is mostly to read what the bees are doing and stay one step ahead.
Inspecting a colony
A hive inspection is the heart of practical beekeeping. Opening a colony lets you check that it is healthy, well fed and queenright, and gives you the chance to act before small problems become big ones. Done well, an inspection is calm, quick and purposeful. Done badly, it stresses the bees, chills the brood and teaches you very little.
Swarming & swarm control
Swarming is how a honeybee colony reproduces. A healthy colony divides itself:
Queens & rearing
The queen is the heart of a colony. A healthy, well-mated queen lays a steady
Varroa & colony health
For most beekeepers, the single most important factor in keeping colonies alive
Feeding
Feeding is a normal, important part of beekeeping. Bees gather their own nectar and pollen, but there are times when their natural stores fall short and a colony needs help to thrive or simply to survive. This page explains when and why to feed, what to feed, and how to do it without harming your honey crop or triggering robbing.
Harvesting honey
The harvest is the moment many beekeepers look forward to all year. Done well, it