With USU Extension Director for County Operations and Agriculture and Natural Resources faculty Andree' Walker Bravo.
Beginning beekeeping can be an intimidating task.
Andree' is here to teach us how to start off right by providing the rundown on the gear you'll need, showing us how to choose a hive type, and offering tips for strategically planning where to put your hive.
Wynter Varner
Thank you for joining us today, Andree'.
Andree' Walker Bravo
Happy to be here. Thank you.
Wynter Varner
What essential gear do you need to start beekeeping?
Andree' Walker Bravo
You definitely want to make sure that you have the protective equipment that you need.
When we work with new beekeepers, we recommend getting a full suit, so that means your whole body is covered.
That's just so that you're comfortable when you're out working the bees, and you're not worried about getting stung (though, as a beekeeper, you will get stung by bees).
So, making sure that you have the protective equipment to feel comfortable when you're out working with the hives is first.
You also need beehives and equipment, so you need the white beehive boxes.
They have frames inside of them and they sit on a stand.
You also need a tool called a hive tool, that's basically like a mini crowbar that you use to open up the hives.
Bees make a substance called propolis that is a very sticky, resin-based substance that they use to pretty much glue everything together.
So, you'll need a hive tool to be able to manipulate the components of the hives.
You also need a smoker, basically just a little can that you put some fuel in and light on fire.
That will produce a cool smoke that you puff into your hive and disrupt the communication of the bees.
That way when you go into work the hive, if the bees give out an alarm signal, the smoke helps mask those pheromone communications.
That keeps all of the bees much calmer, and you can also kind of manipulate the bees and move them around with the smoke a little bit.
Wynter Varner
As you mentioned, one of the tools that you'll need is a hive. There are a few different hive types to choose from. What are some of them and their unique advantages?
Andree' Walker Bravo
There are actually quite a few different types of hives.
Some get pretty creative, people can make homemade type hives.
What we recommend is that beginning beekeepers start with a Langstroth hive.
Langstroth hives are the traditional hive box that, again, you likely have seen.
It's just a white box that has 10 frames, and all of those frames, by Utah State law, are manipulatable. We can remove the frames in a hive so they can be checked for disease and pests.
We recommend that people start with a Langstroth hive. There are many other types of hives, though.
There are top bar hives that are long hives that don't have frames in them, they just have boards on top.
There's horizontal hives, flow hives, and so many, many more.
They all work, they'll all have different advantages and disadvantages.
Some may encourage the bees to produce more wax.
The Flow hive, for example, has a different technique for honey extraction than the Langstroth hive.
The Langstroth hive is really the traditional way that the majority of bees are kept. That's typically our recommendation, because that's where most of the best practices that you'll see are done.
Wynter Varner
What considerations should you make when choosing where to place your hive?
Andree' Walker Bravo
It is important to think about where you'll put your hives on your property, and it really depends on how much space you have and how comfortable you are with the bees.
If you are standing in front of a beehive, and if you're about 10 feet out from the front entrance to the beehives, at that point the bees should be coming out of the hive and flying up above your head (that's how far they're comfortable traveling).
You wouldn't want to put your hives right in front of a picnic table, or your fire pit, or your family playground.
However, when they're about 10-15 feet away from an area that you might be in — your garden, or an orchard, or out into a flower bed — they're probably not going to be a bother to you.
Consider whether or not your family is comfortable with the bees.
Are people in your family allergic to bees? In that case, you may want to consider putting them further away from where the activity is in your home or your yard.
Most pets are pretty fine with bees. Dogs can be allergic to bees as well, though. Keeping a curious pup that might be trying to catch the bees separated is a good idea.
We recommend that as you place hives, you ensure they can catch the morning sun.
Facing them southeast is best so that as that morning sun rises, it can hit those hives and warm them up on cool mornings.
There's really a lot of flexibility to where you put it, and it's all about thinking through how much space you have, what the activity levels look like in your yard, and how you can make it work.
Wynter Varner
Thank you again for joining us today, Andree'.
Andree' Walker Bravo
You're welcome. Thanks for having me.
Wynter Varner
This has been Wynter Varner with the USU Extension Education Highlights. Thank you for tuning in.
Visit beekeeping.usu.edu for classes, fact sheets, and other additional beekeeping information. If you're interested in seeing an apiary in action, USU has an apiary at the Wheeler Historic Farm in Murray, Utah that is open to visitors.
