A Beginner’s Guide to Beekeeping: Getting Started with Your First Hive
Have you fallen in love with bees? Do you want to produce your own honey? Are you looking for beekeeping for beginners courses? Let’s take a look at everything you need to know, from beehives, to bee equipment to beekeeping suits. I call it “The 4 Bs”:
Basics
Let’s start at the beginning. Honey bees are amazing creatures, but before you take on the responsibility of managing a colony (or more!), it’s essential to be sure it’s right for you and learn about their care needs.
As a first step, book yourself onto a beekeeping for beginners course - ideally, one that includes hands-on experience with a beehive. The first time you look inside a hive, you’ll quickly know whether beekeeping is for you. At Gwenyn Gruffydd, we offer courses like this between April and June, providing a solid introduction to beekeeping along with the skills and knowledge to start successfully. You’ll also have access to an experienced beekeeper who can answer any questions you may have.
YouTube is another excellent resource for learning more about beekeeping. It provides visual insights that books can’t always offer. We post weekly videos that give a comprehensive overview of beekeeping and cover what happens at different times of the beekeeping year.
Boxes
Boxes might sound like a boring topic, but choosing the wrong one when you buy a beehive in the UK can cause more than a little sting!
In the UK, there are 2 main systems of beehive boxes: National and Langstroth. These names denote the size and shape and can’t be mixed and matched. Think of it like VHS vs Betamax or Blu-ray vs its competitors.
The National hive is the most common here and is square and compact. Its frames don’t hold as much honey or space for bees as Langstroth, but it’s an ideal option if you find lifting difficult.
Langstroth hives are less common in the UK but are widely used around the world. They’re rectangular and larger, allowing them to hold more honey and accommodate more bees. However, lifting a full Langstroth box during harvest can be challenging. Being internationally popular, Langstroth hives often offer better value for money. The Anel range of Langstroth beehives, for example, is durable like traditional wooden hives but lighter.
Once you've decided which system best suits you, it’s time to buy a beehive. A complete beehive consists of several parts: a roof, crown board, supers (where honey is stored), a queen excluder, a brood box (where the queen lays eggs), and a floor. Inside, the honey is stored, and eggs are laid in frames that slot into the boxes, with separate frames for supers and brood boxes.
For new beekeepers, understanding these parts is essential, and pairing your hive with quality bee equipment like beekeeping suits can make a world of difference as you get started. If you’re interested in learning more, our beekeeping for beginners courses are a great way to gain hands-on experience and learn about the equipment and hive systems that will work best for you.
Bees
Now, it’s time to buy a beehive in the UK and acquire bees for your new hive. Typically, bees are sold by professional bee farmers, like us at Gwenyn Gruffydd, and are available for purchase in autumn and winter, with delivery in late spring or early summer. Bees are typically sold as nucleus colonies, or “nucs” for short. A nuc includes a queen, worker bees, eggs, larvae, capped brood (young bees still in the pupal stage), and enough feed to get them settled in your beehive.
Just like any other species, bees come in various breeds. For your first hive, it’s best to opt for bees that are gentle and productive. Buckfast honeybees are ideal for this, as they’re known for being calm and capable of producing a good honey harvest.
When you buy bees, they will be delivered on frames in a special transport box. Be sure to order bees that match the system of hive you’ve chosen. National nucleus colonies won’t fit into a Langstroth beehive, and Langstroth nucleus colonies won’t fit into a National beehive. There are few things more disappointing than receiving your first bees only to realise they don’t fit in your hive!
Bits & Bobs
Bee equipment, beekeeping suits, and more! There’s a wide range of bee equipment available, but don’t worry - there are just a few essential items you need to get started with beekeeping.
Beekeeping suits act as a suit of armour for beekeepers - though not completely impenetrable, they significantly reduce the risk of being stung. There are two main types: traditional cotton beekeeping suits and modern vented beekeeping suits. The traditional cotton suits are baggy and designed to reduce the likelihood of stings, offering durability and protection. However, they can be quite hot, and when you raise your arm, the fabric may tighten, leaving you more exposed. Modern vented suits, on the other hand, have a mesh construction that is deeper than the average bee stinger, reducing the chances of a sting. They also help keep you cooler while working in an apiary, especially on warm days.
Beekeeping gloves are another important piece of bee equipment. These gloves protect your hands from stings if you happen to brush against any bees. Many gloves come with long cuffs that overlap the cuff of your beekeeping suit, preventing bees from getting accidentally trapped inside your sleeves.
Bee smokers create smoke which you can use when opening a hive to calm the bees, should you need. Smoke temporarily disguises the pheromones which bees use to communicate and triggers their natural instinct to deal with forest fires by eating their honey. This fills their stomachs and calms them down. To use a smoker, you start a small fire in the cylinder and use the bellows to pump smoke from the chimney.
The last essential piece of bee equipment you’ll need is a hive tool. Hive tools are small, purpose-designed levers that help you separate and move boxes and frames. Bees are very industrious and can seal the hive together with a glue-like substance called propolis, making it difficult to access the hive for inspections or maintenance. A hive tool makes it much easier to pry open the hive and assist the bees when necessary.
If you're new to beekeeping, you may want to consider enrolling in our beekeeping for beginners courses to get hands-on experience with both the equipment and your new colony.
