How to Become a Beekeeper

We all love honey, come on admit it! It’s natural, incredibly good for you, and tastes great. It’s also a fantastic alternative to sugar, which is a leading cause of obesity, type 2 diabetes, immune deficiency and a whole host of other health-related problems.

So how do you go about becoming a bee keeper and getting your hands on some free honey?

Well, to begin with, don’t simply rush out and buy a hive and some honeybees before you actually know what you’re doing! Instead, what I’d advise is that you speak to a professional beekeeper, who’s been there, done it, and been stung by a fair few bees in his time.

The best way to find a beekeeper is to purchase a pot of local honey at your nearest health food store or market and check the label. The beekeeper’s address will be on there. Another way of finding a beekeeper is to get in touch with your local Beekeeping Association.

Yep, you’ll find one in every county! And make sure you find a beekeeper in time for spring/summer, as this is the beekeeping season.
Another thing I’d recommend is to try your hand at a beekeeping course.

If you’re going to breed bees and make honey, it’s absolutely imperative that you know about things such as life cycle, common diseases, pest control, bee biology, how to deal with swarms, etc.
How much will it cost me?

The most important items that you absolutely must have are a suit (or veil), which will cost you anywhere between £30-£90, a "smoker" which can be bought for £20-£50 and a "hive tool" which you can purchase for as little as £10. After that, you just need to get your hands on a hive and some of those honey bees, and you’re away!

A hive will cost around £300 from new, and you’ll one of these for each colony of bees you have. I’d always advise that you buy from new, because "second hand" bee hives can often be plagued with disease.

A starter colony of bees will set you back about £200, and this will include a queen. But make sure you purchase the bees locally, rather than from abroad, as imported colonies and queens may not be suited to the UK, or may carry diseases.

Also, make sure you start off with 2 "nucleus" colonies, because some bees will fail to survive the winter months and you’ll be left with no bees in the spring/summer seasons otherwise – which won’t be very nice!

Go here for more advice and tips on beekeeping.