Beekeeping

A Beginners Guide To

Alex Abrahamian
Tre Knott
Kristin Lantz
Hannah Somerville

Contents
Table of

Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------- 3
Glossary --------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Preparing your hive -------------------------------------------------- 5
Planning your hives placement ---------------------------------- 5
Placing your hive -------------------------------------------------- 6
Introducing NUC bees to your hive ------------------------------ 6

Maintaining your hive ------------------------------------------------ 9

Checking your hive for crowding ----------------------------- 9
Splitting the hive to prevent swarming --------------------- 10
Adding supers to your hive ---------------------------------- 11
Harvesting honey ---------------------------------------------------- 12
Harvesting honey with an extractor ----------------------------- 12
Harvesting honey by hand --------------------------------------- 13

Preparing for fall and winter ---------------------------------------- 16

References ----------------------------------------------------------- 17

Beekeeping
A Beginners Guide To

hough people have been beekeeping

for centuries, there has been a recent resurgence
of bee culture
in the wake of mass honeybee
death around the world. Backyard beekeepers have responded
to the bee crisis by setting up their
own hives, giving bees a safe place to
live when theyre not pollinating flowering plants.
Beekeeping is a rewarding hobby, but also labor
intensive. There are many steps one must observe
in order to keep a successful hive and ultimately
harvest honey. The backyard beekeeper must
plan hive placement, introduce a colony, maintain
the colony, and in the colder months, take special
care to keep their colony alive. Through this
guide, you will gain the understanding you need
to get the most of your beekeeping experience and
maintain a successful hive.

Glossary
Bee NUC A container used to fill new hives
with bees. The bees within a NUC are already an
established colony with a queen.
Brood Bee eggs and larvae within the hive.
Frame A part of the hive. Frames lay horizontally within the hive and support honey storage
and act as nurseries where brood are laid.
Hive tool A knife with a plastic handle used to
pry apart frames and scrape away wax.
Honey Food stored by bees within the hive.
Often stored and consumed by humans, who love
it almost as much as bees do.
Honeycomb Structure made by bees within
frames to support honey and eggs. Honeycomb is
made out of wax.
Queen The only reproducer in the hive. If the
queen is absent, the colony will die.
Smoker Tool used to spray thick smoke onto
bees, lowering their defenses and making them
easier to handle.
Super A part of the hive. Frames are stored
within supers. Many supers connect to make a
hive
Wax caps Part of the honeycomb that covers
honey. Must be melted off prior to honey processing.

Preparing Your Hive

Materials Needed
- Light colored asphalt roll roofing
- Cinder blocks, bricks, or wood
blocks (height no more than 16
when stacked in two towers)
- Eight frame wooden beehive
- Light colored wood paint
- Bee NUC
- Hive tool
- Medium sized smoker
- Smoker fuel
- Protective head net
- Long sleeved shirt and long pants
- Bee feeder and feed

Caution: Before making plans for a hive, check

with your county clerks office. Some cities have
ordinances regarding bee keeping, and you will
have to adhere to their placement standards.

Planning your
hives placement

1)

Choose a spot on your property to place

the hive. The placement spot should meet
the following criteria:

Figure 1. A bee hive set atop an asphalt roll roofing platform. Notice
that there is no grass or weeds growing up into the hive. This hive also
features a wooden stand, though it is
very low. (Photo courtesy Glaston
Bees)

Level ground
The more sun, the better. Hives
should be exposed to the early
morning sun, at very least.
Easily accessible to the beekeeper

2)

Build a platform to place the hive on.

This will keep pests and insects out of the
hive while keeping weeds at bay.
To make a platform, simply lay asphalt
roll roofing directly on top of the ground
where you plan to place your hive.

3)

Build a hive stand to keep the hive out of

reach of skunks and other animals. Place
the hive stand atop the previously built
platform.
Hive stands should be no more than sixteen inches tall and can be made of
stacked cinder blocks, bricks, or wood.

Begin preparing your hive

in early February and introduce bees no later than
mid-March. This will give
bees time to prepare their
hive for the honey production that comes with booming pollen counts in the
early to mid-summer.

Placing your hive

1)

Paint the outside portions of your eight

frame wooden beehive with a light colored paint. This will protect the wood
from the elements and make finding the
hive easier for the bees.

2)
3)
Figure 2. Bees dont mind the
paint job of their hive so long
as its light; they perceive dark
colors as threatening ( Photo
courtesy Jacobite Apiaries)

Allow paint to dry fully and aerate outdoors for two days prior to handling
Place hive atop the brick, cinderblock, or
wooden hive stand in your selected hive
location

Introducing NUC
bees to the hive

1)

Put on protective gear, including a

2)

Fill bee feeder with bee feed liquid,

3)

Load smoker with fuel (eg. pine nee-

mesh full-head cover

set aside.

dles or grass) and ignite. Add more

fuel on top of the burning fuel to promote cool, dense smoke. Practice
puffing the smoker by putting pressure on the trigger.

4)

Puff the NUC entrance 2-3 times with

the smoker to lower the bees defenses. Place the NUC beside the
empty hive.

Figure 3. A nuclear bee hive (NUC)

stocked with an established colony. (Photo courtesy Hillbilly Bees)

Figure 4. A recently transported NUC

aside an empty bee hive with frames
removed. (Photo courtesy Lindas Bees)

8)

9)

Gently pry the top cover off the NUC

using a hive tool. Sweep the NUCs
frames with smoke, being sure to get
between frames. After this, use minimal smoke to prevent the queen from
fleeing and unnecessary stress to the
bees.
Using the hive tool, gently pry apart
the first frame within the NUC from the
other frames. Lift the frame directly up
and out of the NUC to avoid crushing
bees. Place the frame in the first empty space in the new hive.

10)

Repeat step 9 for the remaining

frames, being sure to keep them in
the same order you found them within
the NUC when placing them in the
empty hive.

5)

Remove the NUCs front entrance

screen. It should slide easily out of
place. Keep the smoker on hand and
puff the bees an additional 2-3 times if
they become agitated.

6)
7)

Open the empty hive and set the cover

aside
Remove from the empty hive the number of frames included in the NUC. For
example, if the NUC contained 4
frames, 4 frames should be removed
from the empty 8-frame hive, leaving
4 empty frames in the hive. The removed frames can be set aside for later use.

Why
begin your hive with a
NUC? A NUC (short for nucleus)
is ideal for beginning beekeepers.
Because it is already an established colony, there is no worry
about NUC bees rejecting their
queen. Also, bees from a NUC
begin to produce honey and
beeswax much more quickly than
package bees or bees caught in
the wild during a swarm.

11)

When all the frames are removed

from the NUC, turn it upside down
4-5 inches above the newly filled
hive. Firmly strike the bottom of
the NUC to dislodge most remaining
bees.

12)

Set down empty NUC outside of the

newly filled hive. Any bees within
the NUC or on any of the NUC

Figure 5. Removal of frames from the hive is

often the most nerve wracking part of beekeeping. To remove the frame safely pull it
directly up and out, as this beekeeper is.
(Photo courtesy Aris Seitanidis)

14)

Place filled bee feeder beside

15)

When bees have fully migrated

packaging will migrate to the new

hive within a day.

13)

Replace the cover on the newly

filled hive.

newly filled hive.

from NUC packaging, usually

about a day after introduction,
dispose of empty NUC.

Figure 6. NUC bees after being dislodged from

the NUC into their new hive with a sharp
strike. (Photo courtesy Lindas Bees)

Maintaining Your Hive

Maintaining the hive is the most laborious
part of beekeeping, but also one of the
most rewarding as you will observe your
hives growth and progress as you check
for crowding and ensure the hives overall
wellness. Maintenance can begin about
three weeks after initial colony introduction
and should be done biweekly thereafter to
keep the hives health in check.

Materials Needed
- Thing 1
- Thing 2
- Thing 3

Checking Your
Hive For Crowding

1)

Examine brood supers to see if frame cells

are crowded or full. If swarm cells are
found, the hive must be split (see section
Splitting to Prevent Swarming)

2)

If frame cells are full, relocate a full frame

into a new super (see Adding New Supers
to Hive), and replace it in the old super

with an empty frame

3)

Perform weekly checks for crowding during

the period starting in April and ending in
June.

Figure 7. A crowded frame (Photo

courtesy The Bees Knees Apiary)

10

Splitting the hive to

prevent swarming

1)
2)

If swarm cells are spotted, hive must be

split in order to prevent swarming
Either destroy all swarm cells or remove
frames holding them if interested in raising
a new queen

3)
4)
Figure 8. Swarm
cells (elongated cells
toward the bottom
of the hive, seen
here) are indicators
that a hive needs to
be split to avoid the
swarming of bees.
When bees swarm,
they will leave their
hive in search of a
new one that will
accommodate the
full size of the colony. (Photo courtesy
Suburban Rancher)

Move queen and all but one frame of open

brood into a new hive
Replace removed frames in original hive
with empty ones

11

Adding new supers

to your hive

12

Harvesting Honey
Honey can be extracted with the use of an extractor or
by hand. In this section, we will cover how to harvest
honey both with an extractor and by hand.

Materials Needed
- Smoker
- Extractor
- Hot knife
- Strainer
- 5 gallon bucket
- Glass measuring cup
- Honey jars

Harvesting Honey
With An Extractor
Preparing for extraction

1)

Smoke bee hive and remove frames from hive the

night before extraction

2) Place extractor in open area

3) Place bucket under spigot at bottom of extractor
4) Place strainer on top of bucket
hot knife to slice wax caps off top of honeycomb
5) Use
frame do not cut too deep (only top centimeter)
6) Cut off wax caps on opposite side
7) Repeat with remaining frames

Figure 10. A beekeeper using a hot knife to cut he

wax cap off the top of the
honeycomb. Notice that
the knife isnt penetrating
too deep. (Photo courtesy
Berks and Schuylkill Beekeepers)

13

Collecting Honey

Figure 11. Extractor set

up with bucket placed under spigot. (Photo courtesy
Adam Taggart)

1)

Place frames in sleeves inside extractor

2)
3)
4)

Using crankshaft, spin frames in extractor

for at least 1 minute

5)

Once all honey has been extracted from

frames, remove the frames and place back
in hive

7)

Repeat with remaining frames

Collect honey in bucket as it exits through

spigot
Remove one frame to ensure all honey has
been extracted, if not replace and continue
spinning

Storing Honey
for honey to ooze out of ex1) Wait
tractor into bucket usually
about 1-2 hours. Once all honey
is in bucket, begin storing process.

2)
3)
4)

Place bucket on clean counter or

table
Dip measuring cup into honey
and fill jars
Store jars at room temperature

Figure 12. Honey can be stored for years and

varies in color depending on the pollen your
bees have access to. (Photo courtesy WebMD)

14

Harvesting
Honey By Hand
Materials Needed

Figure 13. Cutting honeycombs into

small pieces for extraction by hand.
(Photo courtesy Durhams Bee Farm)

- Tin or plastic smoker

- Large bucket

- Bee brush

- Wide mouth jars

- Chef knife

- Cheese cloth

- Wooden pestle

- Rubber bands

- Strainer

- Sheet pan

Preparing for extraction

1)

Smoke hive and remove frames

2)
3)
4)

Shake bees and use bee brush to remove

bees from frames

5)
6)
7)

Break honeycombs in half and place on

sheet pan

Cut the honeycombs off frame with chef

knife
Remove one frame to ensure all honey has
been extracted, if not replace and continue
spinning

Place frames back into hive

Repeat with remaining frames

15

Removing Honey From Combs

Crush combs with wooden pestle to break
1) apart
the wax covering the combs

2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Figure 14. A jar prepared for honey

storage. Notice the cheese cloth
placed at least one inch into the jar
and secured with the metal ring.
(Photo courtesy BackYardBeehive)

Scoop mashed comb and honey into a

strainer placed over a bucket
Place cheese cloth over top of jars, pushing
at least 1 inch into the jar
Secure cheesecloth with rubber bands

Pour honey from bucket through cheesecloth into jars- do not overflow cheesecloth
When jar is filled remove cheesecloth and
secure with lid
Store jars at room temperature

16

Preparing for Fall & Winter

During the on season, or warm months,
the hive can regulate itself and keep itself
fed and in good health. During the off season, or cold months, the beginning beekeeper must take extra care to keep the
hive alive and well. This includes special
feeding and ventilation.

Materials Needed
- One full honey super
or 3:1 concentrated
sugar/water syrup

1)

Check your current honey storage. It

takes at least one full super (8 medium

frames) of honey to feed the bees for the

whole off-season. The colder the climate,
the more supers you will need.

2)

Check the bees current honey storage

within the hive. If the bees have a good

store of honey, they will be fine. If they

dont, feed the bees regularly beginning
one month before the lowest winter tem-

- Drill and 3/4 inch bit

perature to allow them to build their honey store. Bees can be fed syrup or honey,

though it is best to feed them honey.

3)

Check your hive to make sure you have a

laying queen. On inspection if you can see
eggs or very young larva within the super,
even just a day or two old, then you have
a queen. If you have a queen, you should
also notice some emerging brood.

Figure 15. Bees huddle together

near their food source to keep
warm during the cold season.
Having ample food available
prevents bees from leaving the
hive and freezing.
(Photo courtesy Randy Oliver)

If you find that your super is empty or

close to it, meaning no honey, eggs or
brood, just empty combs or nearly
empty combs, then you should take the
super away and condense the colony
into a smaller space. For example, condensing a colony from 5 boxes to just 3
boxes.

4)

Drill a inch hole into the top of your hive

to allow moist air to escape. Excess moisture build up kills more colonies than the
temperature does.

17

References
Collison, C. H. (2004). Beekeeping Basics. Retrieved from The Bee Yard:
http://www.thebeeyard.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/
Beekeeping.Basics.pdf
Durham, T. S. (2013, August 29). Cutting comb honey from the frames. Honeybee honey. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=DsXp9gWhLxg
Gary, N. (2010). Honeybee Hobbyist: The Care and Keeping of Bees. Hobby
Farm Press.
Kelley Beekeeping. (2016). How Do I Prevent Swarms? Retrieved from Kelley
Beekeeping: https://www.kelleybees.com/Blog/8/FAQs/38/How-Do-IPrevent-Swarms
Rene, G. (2016, September 20). How To Feed Bees In Winter. Retrieved from
Keeping Backyard Bees: http://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/watchhow-to-feed-bees-in-winter/
Taggart, A. (2014, July 15). How To Harvest Honey Using An Extractor. Retrieved from Peak Prosperity: https://www.peakprosperity.com/
wsidblog/86182/how-harvest-honey-using-extractor
Tillman, L. D. (2014). Retrieved from Linda's Bees: http://
beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/
University of Kentucky Agriculture. (n.d.). Basic Beekeeping Operations. Retrieved from https://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ythfacts/4h/
beekeep/basbeop.htm