Start your own hive
Enjoy a taste of homegrown honey from your own hive.
For about $300, you can get started as a beekeeper. That’s the standard rate for a beginner kit that includes a hive and supplies—plus a package of 3 pounds of honeybees, or roughly 10,000 individuals including a queen.
“I taught myself how to keep bees by reading books,” says Tina Newfield, a nature lover and gardener who’s been tending bees in her New Jersey backyard for five years. She also found a mentor who showed her the ropes. “There is no one way to keep bees,” Tina notes, “so I suggest asking only one person for advice—someone local.” To find experienced folks, join a beekeeping group in your area. Many groups are on Facebook. Just search “beekeeping [your state]” to get connected.
Helping vital pollinators whose population has declined due to mites, viruses and pesticides is a fine reason to keep bees. But there’s a more personal payoff, too. Beekeepers quickly become emotionally attached to the colony under their care. To many, the bees become almost like beloved pets. A stroll around the yard includes keeping an eye on the doings of
the bees that are out and about. You can’t help but notice which flowers “the girls” are visiting most often and what color pollen they are bringing home to nourish the colony. You may also worry whether they’re making enough honey to get through winter, and if there will be extra to harvest and put in honey bear bottles.
“Only beekeepers understand the connection another beekeeper has with their bees,” says Tina. “The average person just thinks we are crazy!”
The honey harvest is the end of season payoff. But “a frame full of honey is heavy,” cautions Tina, “and some physical strength is required.” Another tip she’s learned by doing: “When harvesting honey, try to find a processing area other than your household kitchen. It’s sticky, sticky, sticky!”
“My bees are such a part of my life,” she says. “On a sunny day, I love to just sit by my hives, listening, watching and smelling.”