Starting February 15, 2022, we will no longer purchase or eat any food from the grocery store (except salt & baking powder). Instead, we are choosing to experience what it is like to raise and forage for all of our food. This means EVERYTHING: flour, oil, honey, spices, cheese, fruits, nuts - Follow our journey and learn about feeding yourselves
We started our homesteading adventure 25 years ago with garden plants in containers. The very last thing we added to our homestead, after growing wheat, rendering lard, making cheese, planting fruit trees, root cellaring, canning, freezing, dehydrating, etc. (you get the picture) was bee keeping. This is such an overwhelming enterprise that we put it off for dead last.
We are novice beekeepers. While a couple of years of experience is sufficient for some things, raising bees is not one of them. In fact, joining a local beekeeping association is your best bet to learn from others near you. There are also classes, such as beginner bootcamps. These cost but may well be worth the money.
There are different types of bees, different types of hives, feeding, pests, diseases, overwintering, honey harvesting, and a lot more.
This is an overwhelming topic to even write about. So much so, that I'm not going to. Rather, I'm going to point you to some good resources. The first 8 were recommended by the folks at Bee Keeping for Dummies, which is a great resource for newbies. The last came from a local bee keeper.
This European site, Apiservices, is a useful gateway to scores of other beekeeping sites: forums, organizations, journals, vendors, conferences, images, articles, catalogs, apitherapy, beekeeping software, plus much more. It can be accessed in English, French, Spanish, and German and is nicely organized.
At the Barefoot Beekeeper, Phil Chandler offers lots of information on natural beekeeping and Top Bar hives, including a full set of plans and instructions on how to build your own Kenyan Top Bar hive.
BeeHoo is a comprehensive international beekeeping directory has many helpful articles, information sheets, instructional guides, resources, photos, and links of interest for the backyard beekeeper. The site is viewable in English or in French and is definitely worthy of a bookmark.
A popular international beekeeping forum designed to entertain and educate anyone with an interest in bees or beekeeping. Here you can share images, send messages, and participate in live forums. This secure site is moderated and is completely family friendly. It was created and is maintained by hobbyist beekeeper John Clayton.
Bee-Source includes a nicely organized collection of bee-related articles, resources, and links, and it features sections on bees in the news, editorials, an online bookstore, a listing of beekeeping suppliers, plans for building your own equipment, discussion groups, bulletin boards, and much more.
Top Bar Beekeeping is a closed group on Facebook that has more than 3,200 members with more joining all the time. There are some lively discussions that can provide you with basic information and help you start thinking more about a subject. As with all Facebook pages, the information is mostly anecdotal, so checking things out is a must before you adapt any techniques being promoted.
MAARAC is a research and extension consortium is packed with meaningful information for beekeepers worldwide. Download extension publications; find out more about videos, slide shows, software, and courses that are available from the organization; and read about honey-bee research currently underway. You can also discover important local beekeeping events planned in the Mid-Atlantic region and other national and international meetings of importance to beekeepers.
This nonprofit government agency supports the commercial beekeeping industry. The folks at NHB are enormously helpful and accommodating. The well-designed site is a great source for all kinds of information about honey. You'll find articles, facts, honey recipes, and plenty of beautiful images.
is a master beekeeper who has a lot of videos on Youtube and on his website. He also sells beekeeping products. The blog has over 150 lessons, but the site is not secure. Lessons are listed on the right side of the pages.
There are also several articles through the Florida extension website: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/entity/topic/beekeeping
Again, check your state's extension office as well: Cooperative Extension Services by U.S. State | The Old Farmer's Almanac
A friend's swarm box caught a hive!
Moving the swarm into a horizontal hive:
Starting February 15, 2022, we will no longer purchase or eat any food from the grocery store (except salt & baking powder). Instead, we are choosing to experience what it is like to raise and forage for all of our food. This means EVERYTHING: flour, oil, honey, spices, cheese, fruits, nuts - Follow our journey and learn about feeding yourselves