Welcome

This page is intended to give you some of the basic information you will need to know if you are interested in becoming a beekeeper.

The Utah County Beekeepers Association strongly encourages you to read all you can and to speak with several beekeepers in your area BEFORE you commit to becoming a beekeeper so that you fully understand the commitments you will need to make to bee successful. The Utah County Beekeepers Association offers a beginners beekeeper course in the early spring each year. Watch our Upcoming Classes page for more information. The association also offers the opportunity to latch onto a mentor for your first year; this is a free service. For more information, email the association.

The information below assumes you are starting with 2 hives in Utah County. You will need to adjust accordingly if you are beginning with more or fewer hives or if you are living somewhere other than North/Central Utah.

Time

To begin, you will need to set aside a day early in the year to assemble and paint your hives and frames. Typically, a day in mid to late March is good although you can order and assemble your equipment any time of the year.

Next, you are looking at about an hour or two a month for checking your hives and performing basic maintenance between April and September.

Finally, you will need to set aside a day or two to harvest and bottle any surplus honey the bees may have produced; typically this is done in Early to Mid September. Once your hive is established, you may have the opportunity to harvest several times a year.

Temperament

You must have a temperament that includes patience. You will need to be patient and let the bees do the work at their pace - you will NOT have honey overnight. It is a process that can take several months.

Also, once it is discovered that you are a beekeeper, you will be flooded with questions, some that will border on the idiotic. You must learn to take the time to answer these questions as the person you are talking to could very well become a customer or a fellow beekeeper.

Non-Bee Related Materials

There are some basic tools and materials that you should have before getting into beekeeping. Most of these are fairly common in every household, however, it is better to know upfront so you have everything you need to be successful.

Hammer, wood glue, wood square, ratcheting straps, paint (outdoor), painting tools (rollers, brushes, trays, etc.), spray bottles, notebook, pencil, pen and markers, means or method for moving hives, bees, and supplies.

Money

It's no secret, beekeeping costs money to get into. Currently (2006), you can figure about $150-$200 per hive for your first year. Add another $50-$150 for protective gear, tools, and other needs. These costs can vary depending on the supplier and the amount and kind of tools/supplies you choose to purchase.

Covers

There are two main types of covers: telescoping (shown) or migratory. Migratory covers seem to be popular among the association members. Consult some beekeepers for their opinions as either cover is fine.

Inner Cover

Sits on top of the hive under the main cover and helps provide ventilation and spacing. Honey Supers - come in three sizes: deep, medium, and shallow. All are great and the difference is in weight. Medium and shallow supers are much lighter when full than a deep so if the heaviness of a honey super is a concern go with medium or shallow. There are also comb honey supers used to produce comb honey - you should wait until after your first year before attempting to produce comb honey.

Queen Excluders

These are used between the brood boxes and the honey supers to prevent the queen from laying eggs. Some beekeepers also call these honey excluders as they report smaller honey crops. Opinion varies about the need, but a first-year beekeeper will probably want to use one until you learn management techniques that allow you to produce honey without an excluder.

Brood Boxes

These are the boxes in which the queen lays eggs and the brood (young) is raised. Typically, you will have two brood boxes per hive.

Bottom Board

This piece is what the rest of the hive sits upon; it also serves as a landing board for returning bees.

Entrance Reducers

These are used to make the opening of the hive smaller for various reasons. You will use one in the winter/spring to help maintain colony temperature.

Hive Stands

There are many types of prefabricated hive stands such as the one shown. You can also stand your hive on pallets, cinder blocks, bricks, etc. The point is to raise your hive off of the ground to avoid pests.

Frames

These are the parts that go into the brood boxes or honey supers and they hold the foundation that the bees build their wax upon to house brood, pollen, and honey.

Foundations

Many types of foundation can be utilized in your hive. Start with either permadent or duragilt for your first year; experiment after that.

Nails

You will need to acquaint yourself with frame nails (staples can be used as well) and the types of nails used to build the supers/ brood boxes. Nails for boxes are fairly standard while frame nails are best purchased from the beekeeping supplies supplier.

Feeders

Feeders are used to supply the colony with honey, sugar water, or high fructose corn syrup. You will need to feed a new colony as they have no honey stores to consume. Some feeders are used internally, some at the entrance, some atop the hive, and others outside in an accessible spot; consult some beekeepers for their preferences or do some online research.

When selecting a spot to place your hive(s) you should consider the following:

Sunlight- full sun or dappled sun works best. Remember, bees need sunlight to warm up and get going in the morning. If you keep a hive in a shaded area, they may not get started working as early in the morning and in the winter, they may not have the opportunity for cleansing flights.

Water- bees need water. They need water for basic biological processes and to make honey. Bees will go to the easiest source of water - this is where you may run into problems with neighbors. Your bees may go to their swimming pool, dog water, or leaky faucet; ensure that you have a ready source of water near your hive that is clean and available for the warm months of the year.

Wind- you want to protect your hive from exposure to winds that will blow INTO the hive. Therefore, most hives face south/southeast in Utah County. Keep this in mind when selecting your site.

Protection- you need to protect your hive from several key items: flood, fire, snowdrifts, predators, and vandalism.

Most hives are raised off of the ground at least 6" to prevent overexposure to water due to rain or irrigation. Keeping your hive off of the ground will also help keep some predators such as mice and ants out of your hive (more on these later).

You may not be able to fully protect your hive from fire, but you can minimize the chances by not putting your hive around stacks of old wood or in dry grass fields where a fire could spread quickly. Raising your hive off of the ground will help minimize the build-up of snow in the winter; the bees need to be able to exit the hive on warm days in the winter for cleansing flights.

Predators such as skunks and birds are to be considered and some steps can be taken to combat them if you live in an area where they are present; there are many methods and most can be found in beekeeping books or by talking with other local beekeepers.

Ants can be kept at bay using ground cinnamon, ashes, diatomaceous earth or some other means - consult books, journals, and beekeepers.

Vandalism, although rare, must be considered; are you considering placing your hive where the general public may have access to it? Try to put your hive somewhere out of the way or out of sight to reduce or remove the temptation. Make sure your hive is on private property that you either own or have permission to utilize.

There are laws and licensure requirements for the state of Utah if you want to keep bees. Below is a SUMMARY of these laws/rules. If you want to read the laws/rules, you can follow the links in this section.

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food License - Utah Rule R68-1 requires that each person keeping bees register and obtain a license from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. This same requirement is repeated in Utah Title 4 Regulations. The license required costs $10.00 per year.

Utah Title 4 Regulation - this title gives the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food the right to make and enforce rules as they deem necessary. Some of the items covered under this rule are:

Registration of beekeeper

Appointment of a County Inspector

Requirement of hives to have removable frames

Duties of the appointed County Inspector

Requirement of the Inspector to completely disinfect tools and equipment before leaving any apiary (to prevent the possible transmission of diseases)

Queen raising specific information

Authorization of County Inspectors to visit properties where hives are kept and provision for obtaining warrants should an inspection be refused

Importation requirements - bees and equipment are required to be inspected before being allowed entry to the state

Authorization for quarantine against infectious disease

Unlawful acts are specified

Maintenance of abandoned apiary equipment to prevent nuisance

Wax salvage operations and county inspector supervisor for compliance

Utah Rule 68-1- this is the rule that is known as the bee inspection act.

It governs the following key items:

Reinforcement of the need for registration as specified in title 4.

Requirement of beekeepers to identify their hives which must include the owner's license number on at least one of the hives in the apiary and must be in letters no less than 1 inch high.

Assistance to County Inspector in locating hives.

Salvage of diseased equipment and wax - procedures identified.

Food Handlers Permits - it is recommended that if you intend to process your honey for sale, that you obtain a food handlers permit from your local county health department (or a similar government body having jurisdiction).

Pesticide Control - Utah rule 68-7 contains the following information which will be useful to you as a beekeeper should someone near your hives apply pesticides. From Utah rule 68-7-11 "Unlawful Acts". Any person who commits the following is in violation of the act.

"(16) Applied pesticides known to be harmful to honeybees on crops which bees are foraging during the period between two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset; except, on property owned or operated by the applicator."

There are three ways to get started with bees. Each is detailed below.

New Packages - bees are sold in packages which are sold in sizes indicated by pounds. Typical sizes are 2lb, 2-1/2lb & 3lb. There may be other sizes in other areas; 3lb is the most common in Utah County. The advantage of a new package is that you start with all new hive equipment (bodies, frames, and foundation) which greatly reduces the incident rate of disease and parasites. The disadvantage is that the bees have to work to draw out the foundation and this will consume large amounts of honey (bees excrete the wax from special glands on their abdomen when their stomach is full of honey, hence the need to eat to produce wax).

Pros Cons

Young queen of known genetics Lower honey yield due to new foundation and wax requirements

The lower incident of parasitism and disease (specifically for the first year) Hive is not installed until mid to late April, missing early spring pollen and honey flows

New beekeepers can learn easier from new packages/hives versus established hives (fewer problems) Hive needs to be fed for the first month or so (to produce wax)

Swarms - many beekeepers begin by capturing a swarm of bees. This process is quite simple, provided the swarm lands in a convenient spot, and if you have the equipment (new or used)

Pros Cons

Potentially, a swarm will be larger than a new package (number of bees) Queen of unknown age or genetics

Swarms create/draw out wax very quickly. Unknown parasite or disease history

Depending on the equipment used (new or old), you will either have to feed the bees (new equipment) or you may have residual pesticides or disease loads such as foulbrood (old equipment).

Complete hive purchase

Pros Cons

Fully established hive with drawn foundation and typically strong colony Queen of unknown age or genetics (the selling beekeeper can know for sure)

Larger potential honey harvest Unknown medication, parasite, or disease history unless the beekeeper has kept records

Equipment - this is a pro and a con: a new beekeeper should assemble equipment to fully understand how to prepare and repair all hive parts. Older equipment used on an existing hive may need maintenance sooner (at a minimum a paint job); conversely, you may get some great equipment.

In the United States, beekeepers work primarily with the Western Honey bee, otherwise known as Apis mellifera (there are four species of honeybees in the world). There are many BREEDS (or subspecies if you prefer) within the A. mellifera family to choose from and work with. Each better-known type is listed below with some brief notes about their characteristics. We recommend you research each to find the type you are interested in BEFORE you purchase. The breeds below are presented with the most commonly used first. (The following information was compiled from many sources but primarily from Wikipedia.com)

Golden Italian - Apis Mellifera Ligustica

The Italian honeybee is the default bee that beekeepers use. The Italian is generally considered the best general-purpose bee and thereby is what is most often recommended to the beginner. Italian bees are also the most common stock bee, and likely are the race to be found in packages.

Pros

Good beginner bee

Readily builds comb

Light color worker, with the dark queen, makes queen locating easier

Wonderful foragers

Only a moderate tendency to swarm

Relatively easy and calm to work with

Resistant to European Foul Brood

Strong cleaning behavior

Lower-range propolis producer

Cons

Brood rearing continues after honey flow ceases

Builds a great deal of brace and burr comb

Highly prone to drifting

Head buts beekeeper as a defensive action

Short-distance foragers, causing a tendency to rob

Slow spring buildup

Susceptible to Disease

Carnolian - Apis Mellifera Carnica

The Carniolan honeybee (Apis mellifera carnica) is a subspecies of the Western honeybee. It originates from Slovenia, but can now be found also in Austria, part of Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Serbia.

Pros

Earlier morning forager

Forages on colder and wetter days than most other bees

Overwinters well on small stores, as queen stops laying in the fall

The rapid build-up in early spring

Exceptionally gentle and easy to work

Brood production is dependent on the availability of supplies, hence more food more forages, less food smaller population

Less susceptible to brood disease

Creates less brace and burr comb

Cons

Swarms easily when no expansion room is available

If pollen is scarce brood rearing greatly diminishes

Caucasian - Apis Mellifera Caucasica

The Caucasian honeybee originates from the high valleys of the Central Caucasus.

Pros

Large and Strong population

Calm when on the comb

Overwinters well by stopping brood production in the fall

Forages earlier and on cooler days

Has a longer tongue than most races and can thereby take advantage of more nectar sources than most.

Cons

Slow spring startup

Produces an abundance of propolis, which may be beneficial to propolis collectors, but makes the overall hive more difficult to work.

Makes wet capped comb, which is poor for honeycomb sale

Once brought to a level of alarm they are difficult to calm and easily sting.

Susceptible to nosema

Prone to rob

New Minnesota Hygienics - Apis Mellifera Ligustica Hybrid

Developed by Dr. Marla Spivak at the University of Minnesota Bee Lab. These bees show a strong tendency to be resistant to American Foulbrood and Chalkbrood.

Russians - Apis Mellifera

The Russian honeybee has evolved traits of natural mite resistance due to heavy selection pressures. They have lived for more than 150 years in a region that is home to the varroa mite and the tracheal mites (Acarapis woodi).

Pros

Thought to be naturally resistant to Varroa Mites

Resistant Tracheal Mite

Quick Spring buildup

Winter tolerant

Cons

Expensive

More prone to swarming (likely every year)

SMRs - Apis Mellifera Hybrid

SMR stands for "Suppression of Mite Reproduction" and this trait was discovered by John Harbo and Jeffery Harris. Bees with this trait seek out brood cells that contain mites and open them up and then remove the developing brood and mites. The trait, which may be controlled by only two genes, can be bred into any population of bees.

Buckfast - Apis Mellifera: hybrid

The Buckfast hybrid was produced by Brother Adam of the Buckfast Abbey. Brother Adam crossed many races of bees (mainly Anatolians with Italians and Carniolans) in hopes of creating a superior breed. The results are what is now known as the Buckfast Bee. While the European variety of Buckfast are considered very gentle, the American variety is far more defensive. There is a debate among beekeepers if this defensiveness is due to breeding for varroa resistance or partial hybridization with the AHB (Africanized Honey Bee) of the Buckfast line in America. The issues are further clouded in that the two leading American queen breeders are breeding for varroa resistance and are also located in AHB territory. AHB are usually considered by most experts to be more resistant to varroa than the European Honey Bee.

Pros

Highly Tracheal Mite Tolerant

Extremely gentle, with a low sting instinct

Resistant to Chalkbrood

Low swarm instinct

Overwinters well

Cons

Builds up slowly in spring

Poor early spring pollinators

Starline- Apis Mellifera: hybrid

The Starline is an Italian hybrid known for its vigor and strong honey production.

Pros

Good brood producers

Creates large honey crop under correct conditions

Minimal propolis buildup

Fast spring build-up

Cons

Poor at overwintering due to a large population

Offspring queens often do not have the same traits as the mother queen and may require common requeening

Yugo Honey Bee - Apis mellifera

Pros

Low swarm instinct

Overwinters well

Cons

Not highly tested as it is a newer breed

Long-term keeping effects unknown

Cordovan Honey Bee - Apis Mellifera

Closely related to the Italian race, cordovans are used mainly for tracking the genetic makeup due to the wide variance in color.

Pros

Overwinter Well

Cons

Aggressive

Slow Spring build-up

Difficult if not impossible to buy in the US

Feral Honey Bees - Apis Mellifera

While not technically a race of its own, feral honey bees are more likely to be acclimated to the area in which they are found.

Pros

Likely acclimated to the area they are present in

Often free to acquire

Cons

Must be captured (or allow for known species to breed with feral drones)

Unknown background may be Africanized

Not bred to be disease or mite resistant, but may hold some resistance to local conditions

German Black Honey Bee - Apis Mellifera Mellifera

The German Black bee, also known as the European dark bee, was the first honeybee imported to the Americas. This distinctly marked bee is brown and black in color and overwinters well.

Midnight Honey Bee - Apis Mellifera: Hybrid

The Midnight hybrid is a combination of both the Caucasian and Carniolan races.

Books

There are many excellent books on beekeeping, bees, and honey. As a beginner, we strongly recommend that you read at least one of the top two before you begin keeping bees; the others are for further or more detailed information. More books and articles can be found on the Suggested Reading page.

Beekeeping for Dummies - Howland Blakiston - Hungry Minds

One of the best books for beginners

First Lessons in Beekeeping - C. P. Dadant - Dadant Publishing 

A very good and detailed book for beginners.

The Beekeepers Handbook - Diana Sammataro - Peach Mountain Press 

Magazines 

There are two main beekeeping-themed magazines available: American Bee Journal and Bee Culture. Neither of these magazines has a primary focus on beginners; instead, they cover a broad spectrum of topics of interest to beekeepers of all sizes and levels of knowledge. If you join the Utah County Beekeepers Association, we can help you get a reduced subscription rate for either or both of these magazines.

Classes

A beginner’s class is strongly recommended. The Utah County Beekeepers Association offers a beginners class early in each spring; typically it is 6 hours long and covers all of the information presented here in detail as well as further information with hands-on manipulation of hive parts and tools.

Associations

There are other associations of beekeepers out there! If you don't live in Utah County, you can find a listing of beekeeping groups by using a search engine for your area. Keep in mind that there may not be a group right in your area, if that is the case, join the nearest association. If there isn't an association in your area/county, consider starting one! They are very helpful and can be a lot of fun. You can also visit the Who's Who of Beekeeping In America page sponsored by Bee Culture Magazine to find associations in other states.

Finding a Mentor

For beginners in Utah County, the Utah County Beekeepers Association offers a mentoring program that allows you to work with one specific beekeeper as your mentor. They can give you lots of practical information on keeping bees that you may never get out of a book or may not fully comprehend from just reading. There are times when learning is doing. If you are interested in latching on to a mentor, please email the association.

f you are going to be a beekeeper, you are going to get stung; it is not a matter of if but when. You can greatly reduce your chances of getting stung by working smart and wearing the protective gear mentioned above. In time, you will learn the triggers that set off YOUR bees; not all triggers affect all bees in the same way and those triggers may only cause defensive behavior at certain times of the year. Keep note of when the bees seem to be reacting defensively and what you are doing, the weather, honey flows currently happening, etc., and learn from these notes (mental or written).

So, when the inevitable happens, what do you do and what are the normal symptoms of a sting versus the symptoms of an allergic reaction? Read on!

Removing the Stinger - recent research indicates that you should remove the stinger from your skin as soon as possible; in the past, it has been recommended that you use an edged object to avoid pinching the venom sack and thereby force more venom into your system. Either way, get the stinger out of your skin ASAP! This will reduce the amount of venom injected into your system and will help speed your recovery.

Types of Reactions to Stings - read and understand these symptoms BEFORE working your bees; memorize them so you know when you might be in trouble.

Normal - localized pain, minor swelling, a weal (raised red area with a white center), and itching all of which should diminish and generally go away within hours or at most a few days.

Large Local - this starts similar to a normal reaction but after 24-48 hours the swelling can spread over an extensive area, sometimes the entire extremity (whole arm, leg, face, etc.). This type of reaction can be quite painful due to the swelling and the itching can become unbearable; usually, this type of reaction can take anywhere from 4-7 days to resolve itself. Treat with antihistamines and ice packs.

Systemic Allergic - this is the bad one. Hives, angioedema (massive facial swelling), a metallic taste in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, light-headedness, dizziness, fainting, and tremors. If you or someone you know experiences these symptoms, IMMEDIATELY call for an ambulance. Fortunately, a truly severe reaction occurs in less than 1% of the population.

Treatments for Stings - everyone has heard of at least one way to help reduce the swelling and pain of a bee sting. Some of the best are antihistamines (such as Benadryl) and ice. Others are vinegar, meat tenderizer paste, and calamine lotions.

Epi Pens - are prescription items that contain a dose of adrenaline to overcome the allergic reaction to a sting so that the "victim" can seek medical attention. Some sources will recommend that as a beekeeper, you carry an epi-pen. However, they are expensive, require a prescription (more expense), and expire quickly (typically only good for a year) so the carrying of one "just in case" can be quite expensive if you are not allergic.

What Kind of Beekeeper do YOU want to Bee?

We challenge you to research all the methodologies involved in beekeeping, treatment methods for disease and parasites, the extraction process, and selling techniques to that you can determine what kind of beekeeper you want to be. We cannot tell you which is the right way - you must decide for yourself. Each individual must determine their own path and others in the beekeeping community can only act as guides sharing experiences and information so that you, the novice, can make informed intelligent decisions.

Never hesitate to question; remember there is no SINGLE RIGHT WAY to keep bees successfully - anyone that tells you otherwise is misinformed. Read, research, and question and you will be able to determine what kind of beekeeper YOU want to BEE!