Getting Bees

Where to start?

One of the best ways to start beekeeping is to join a local association, most of which will run theory and practical courses. There is no substitute to getting hands on with bee before getting your own

We are going to offer an online course for beginnners.

There a few ways to get your first bees:

Buy a Nucleus.
Collect a Swarm.
Set up a Bait Hive.

The Honey Bee Academy: Honey Bees on Brood comb including capped brood and stores.

Buying a Nucleus

A nucleus (nuc) is a fully functioning mini-colony. It will have 5 or 6 frames that contain a mated queen, brood in all stages and stores.

Pros

Predictable and fast growth into the season.
It should come from known stock so your unlikely to get an aggressive colony that could put you off for life.
It should be disease free.

Cons

Cost. Unless you have a friendly beekeeper who will give you a nuc it will cost you several hundred pounds.

Collecting a swarm

Bees swarm naturally so they can be collected. It is not always straightforward to

Pros

Can be difficult to do
Collecting swarms is an interesting aspect of beekeeping
Low cost

Cons

Unknown temperament or disease status.
Maybe bees with a high propensity to swarm.

The Honey Bee Academy: A Honey Bee Swarm

The Honey Bee Academy. A swarm trap built to Tom Seeley's specification

A Bait Box

Make up your own bait box and you may well be able to attract a swarm directly. Tom Seeley has written an excellent guide to making a bait box attractive to bees.

Pros

The bees come to you.
It is fascinating to see them arrive!
Low cost - just a bit of plywood

Cons

A Swarm may not arrive. Our bait box seems to attract a swarm every other year.
Unknown temperament or disease status.