Category: Bees

Today I’m sharing a step by step process to adding your bees to their new hive box.

For information on the supplies needed to get stared bee keeping, click here.

I was so anxious waiting for our bees to arrive, checking there shipment anytime I had a little free time. Once they arrived, Chad made me wait to add them to the hive until he got home. I’m glad I did because I was able to record the whole process for you. For information on the supplies needed to get stared bee keeping, click here

Spray the bees with a sugar water mixture to prevent them from flying away.

First you’ll want to pick a spot that gives the hive a little privacy and make sure that they’ll be uninterrupted. Place the hive box on top of the 2 cinder blocks or hive frame. Open the hive lid and remove 2-3 frames. Spray the bees with a sugar water mixture to prevent them from flying away.

During this time they will bond and except her as there new queen.

Remove the lid to the shipment of bees, but not completely. Bounce the bees down and remove the queen box, place the lid back on top of the bees. Brush any bees on the queen box down into the hive. Remove the plug on the queens box and add a gummy bear. The bees will eat at the gummy bear to get to the queen. During this time they will bond and except her as there new queen.

You will want to bounce or knock the bees into the hive, I wouldn’t shake them.

Attach the queens box to the top of one of the frames inside the hive. Spray and bounce the bees down again. Remove the lid from the bees and turn over, dumping all the bees inside of the hive box. You will want to bounce or knock the bees into the hive, I wouldn’t shake them.

The remaining bees will likely find their way into the hive.

Spray the bees as you do this to prevent them from flying away. After you’ve gotten majority of the bees out, you can place the box they came in, by the hive entrance. The remaining bees will likely find their way into the hive.

You’ll want to establish a water source for them.

Make sure you have the smaller entrance door on your hive, to prevent swarming. Fill the hive box with as many frames as you can, without squishing the bees. You can add the remaining frames in a few days. You’ll want to establish a water source for them. You don’t want them to search your neighborhood and choose a pool, where they can drowned or a house that uses strong pesticides.

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What you need to become a backyard bee keeper.

Last week I shared Our Journey To Becoming Backyard Bee Keepers, in case you missed it. This week I wanted to follow up with the supplies needed to become a backyard bee keeper.

This made all the difference for us when we dove into backyard bee keeping.

If you read last weeks post then you know we worked with a local bee keeper who helped us get started. This made all the difference for us when we dove into backyard bee keeping. Its easy to get overwhelmed with all that you need to get started. You may even talk yourself out of supplies because of the costs. I don’t want you to do that. I want you to think of me as your local bee keeper, coming over and explaining all the steps.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I know this is a no brainer but make sure you purchase your hive box first and allow yourself to unbox the hive.

Before purchasing any live bees you should have a hive box. Live bees ship when they are ready. They don’t wait on your hive box to come in first. I know this is a no brainer but make sure you purchase your hive box first and allow yourself to unbox the hive. Go over all the supplies, Youtube anything you are unsure of. If you are working on a tight budget, I recommend purchasing your hive box around summer. Then purchase your bee suits in the fall or winter and purchase you live bees in the spring.

Keep in mind where your hive will live.

The hive will need to be off the ground to help protect it from insects like ants or rodents that want to get in. We used four cinder blocks but you only need two to keep the hive off the ground. You could also purchase a hive stand. Keep in mind where your hive will live. You’ll want to make sure it’s protected and a little hidden. Ours is nested in a little spot just behind a fallen Joshua tree. You’ll also want to make sure there isn’t a lot of traffic around them. This will only agitate the bees, making them defensive.

The supplies needed to become a backyard bee keeper

• Live Italian Honey Bees, 3 lb. Package
• Harvest Lane Honey Small Backyard Beekeeping Kit with Accessories
• Harvest Lane Honey Unisex Beekeeping Suit
• Harvest Lane Unisex Beekeeping Protective Gloves
• 2 cinder blocks or Harvest Lane Honey Hive Stand
• Harvest Lane Honey Beehive Entrance Feeder

I am so excited that you are curious about becoming a backyard bee keeper! I hope you have found this series helpful and I can’t wait for you to get started!

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How we got started with our first backyard hive and what we’ve learned along the way.

I thought all they wanted to do was sting me.

Never in a million years did I think our family would own a hive! I was scared of them! I thought all they wanted to do was sting me. Not to mention the thought of a whole hive swarming.

One taste of local honey.

As we started paying more attention to where our food comes from, we shopped more locally at farmers markets. I wasn’t much of a honey person at the time, but one taste of local honey and I was sold. I came home and made Chad try the honey. He actually was grossed out by honey after learning as a kid that its bee throw up! Finally after trying it he was hooked too.

We were still worried about being stung.

We started watching documentaries and endless youtube videos to learn more about how bee’s make honey. It wasn’t long before we decided we wanted a hive of our own. We were still worried about being stung, but knew we could buy bee suits to protect us. So we purchased a local rescue hive and all the gear.

There’s something so peaceful about opening a hive.

Chad freaked out a lot more than I did when it came to opening the hive and still does. There’s something so peaceful about opening a hive and watching them work together to make this magical food, we all love and call honey. I think that’s what makes it less scary to me.

The lifespan of a bee and how much honey they make in their lifetime.

We learned how to start a smoker, how to open the hive, look for ants or other invading insects, how to feed the hive during the winter, spot the queen, the difference between a worker and drone, the lifespan of a bee and how much honey they make in their lifetime. We also learned how to collect honey from a rescue hive and how to separate the wax.

This has been our sweetest and calmest hive yet.

Working with rescue hives was a little tricky because they would one day swarm and leave us with an empty hive box. Probably because a lot of the rescue hives where found an hour or two away from us, with much more flowers to feed on. Later we decided to purchase a hive through tractor supply and this has been our sweetest and calmest hive yet.

Our bee keeping journey has been filled with a lot more learning experiences, then honey.

We have enjoyed a spoonful or two of honey from each of the hives we’ve owned, but a happy and healthy hive has always been most important. It takes time to build a strong hive. Our bee keeping journey has been filled with a lot more learning experiences, then honey.

I couldn’t imagine not having our hive.

If you are considering backyard bee keeping, I want to encourage you! Start watching as many documentaries and youtube videos as you can, until you are ready to dive in. I find myself getting more and more comfortable with our hive, each time I open it. As with anything it’s a learning curve, but so worth it. I couldn’t imagine not having our hive.

If you’d like to learn more about the supplies needed to become a backyard bee keeper.. I have another post with all the supplies we use, coming next week.

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Hive update: How to feed your hive during the winter months.

Feeding your hive

During the winter when there is little to no nectar sources, it’s important to make sure your hive has enough food and water to make it through to spring.

I picked up this bee feeder at tractor supply, you could also make one with a little help from Pinterest.

Using organic raw sugar or organic raw honey, mix with water and place in the bee feeder. These honey jars had crystalized honey at the bottom of each jar that was almost impossible to get out. I poured hot water and mixed them until the crystalized honey dissolved and added them to the bee feeder.

After you have added your sugar water or honey water mixture to the feeder, top off with more water and secure the lid.

The only issue I ran into when adding the bee feeder to the hive entrance is that I had to remove the entrance door. This can be easily fixed with a little DIY on your part. Simply find a piece of wood that would fit in the entrance of your hive and make a new door/opening for the bees.

We aren’t expecting anymore snowfall and living in the Southern California desert our weather is warm enough that I can get away with placing the hive entrance over (as seen above) to block out some of the wind. You could always cut the hive entrance door in half and remove it when the feeder is attached.

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