Beginning Beekeeping: Becoming A NewBee

by Texas Homesteader ~
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RancherMan & I love raising cattle, and we added chickens to the mix because they’re so much fun and, you know, EGGS

But we were wondering what (if anything) we’d like to add to our current barnyard fun. We’d tried raising goats but that just wasn’t for us. But then RancherMan hit on an idea: How about BEES?

His thought is that bees will help keep the garden pollinated, and I’ll hopefully finally be able to obtain local honey that includes ragweed pollen to try to treat my allergies naturally.

Sounds like fun – let’s jump in! We’ve never kept bees before so we’re NewBees(groaaaann, bad pun…) There’s a lot to do before we actually receive any bees, come see how we prepared.

We've never kept bees before so we're NewBees to beekeeping! There's a lot to do before we actually receive any bees, come see how we prepared. #TexasHomesteader

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Gathering Beekeeping Knowledge

Of course RancherMan is the Research King. But even tireless internet researching does not take the place of actual hands-on experience. We started attending seminars, some that included a hands-on field day.

The field days were important learning tools for him. Not only did they allow him to see an active hive close up alongside the experts but he mentioned that being face-deep in an active hive is a whole different scenario and being that close to an active hive reassured him that he would be able to be calm in that situation without being nervous or edgy.

We also joined a local beekeepers association and attended their monthly meetings. They were tremendously helpful for the NewBee.

Protective beekeeping gear. We've never kept bees before so we're NewBees to beekeeping! There's a lot to do before we actually receive any bees, come see how we prepared. #TexasHomesteader

Buying Beekeeping Supplies

OK, so we’re sold. Let’s raise BEES! First we researched what equipment we’d need. Here are the supplies we purchased before ever receiving our bees:

Preparing the Hives

The insides of the boxes were left natural but the outsides were first coated with linseed oil, and then painted with several coats of a high-quality oil-based paint and allowed to thoroughly dry. 

The linseed oil is supposed to seal the wood before it’s painted. But we’re not sure it was absolutely necessary since we applied several coats of paint which would obviously seal the wood as well.

RancherMan used the hay forks on the front-end loader to paint all the way around them & allow them several hours to dry. LOL!

We decided on white, but many beekeepers like to paint their hives in fun colors and we may very well try a fun color next time just to mix things up.

Painting hive boxes. We've never kept bees before so we're NewBees to beekeeping! There's a lot to do before we actually receive any bees, come see how we prepared. #TexasHomesteader

Deciding On A Proper Hive Site

We’ve been told it’s good to put your hives in full sun to help protect from hive beetles & Varroa mites, two major pests in the beekeeping world. We decided to place the hives in a pen we have fenced off for the cows about 50 yards from the house.

We chose that location because there are already 2 sides of the fence existing from the cow pen to form the corner of the bee pen. Plus it’s only about 50 yards from a tank (aka: pond) for the bees’ water source. And it’s an open area situated in full sun.

To keep the cattle out when they’re brought into the pen we sectioned off the bee pen with 3 heavy temporary cattle panels. He drove steel pipe for support and installed the panels in a caddy-corner shape.

When he wants to work the bees he can release the middle panel and walk through – plenty of space in & out!

Setting Up Your Hive Boxes

We learned that you don’t want the hives directly on the ground. Not only does soil contact deteriorate the wood of the hive boxes but it also makes the hives too accessible to insects and animals.

Elevation as well as a screened bottom board will also offer ventilation of the hives during the heat of our typical Texas summers.

Many people set their hive boxes on a wooden pallet because they’re readily available, inexpensive and movable. But RancherMan wanted a higher frame for our hives for ease of handling.

So he built a hive stand approximately 16″ tall and wide enough to accommodate 3 hives using repurposed 2×6 boards, bolting them securely together.

We’ll be starting out with two hives but the hive stand has room for one more stack of boxes should we decide to expand in the future.  (…and we WILL!)

Beehive platform. We've never kept bees before so we're NewBees to beekeeping! There's a lot to do before we actually receive any bees, come see how we prepared. #TexasHomesteader

He prepared the ground by tilling the area where the bees would be kept to level the ground, then he purchased 8 flat 18″ pavestones for a solid 36×72 surface and added his hive stand.

(UPDATE: This did NOT keep the grass from growing out of control here. We’re still looking for a solution)

Then because spring can bring volatile weather here in NE Texas, it’s common to endure 60-70 mph winds during our spring storms. RancherMan wanted to find a way to secure the hives

So he purchased two *screw-in pet anchors and installed them on each end of the platform. Then he will use a *12-ft *quick-release strap with s-hooks on the ends.

He’ll hook the s-hooks of the strap into each anchor and tighten it over the hives. It’s easy to release the tension on the strap with a push of a lever when he wants to inspect the hives.

Obtaining Your Bees

Now it’s time to consider buying bees. It’s best to contract for your bees in the fall so they’ll be yours in the spring. And it’s best to start with at least 2 hives so you will be able to compare the activity of both hives. It’s hard to ascertain whether a hive is acting normal if there’s nothing to compare it to.

Most people buy nucs or packaged bees, which are like established mini hives. We decided instead to purchase two full hives complete with their hive boxes from a local beekeeper. The reasons for this are:

  • A local beekeeper makes it easier to get information and help when you’re starting out – you’ve got someone you can call.
  • We were able to personally inspect the hives and the bees before we purchased them.
  • An established hive is much more stable when you bring it home since we purchased the established hive complete with the 10-frame deep box that was already their home.
  • It eliminates the need to transfer the bees to a new box unfamiliar to them.
  • Because we purchased the bee’s home along with the bees, it reduces loss from flyoffs.
  • It shortens the time frame required before there’s honey production since the current frames are already filled with brood, eggs, larva and even comb.

Now that we’re ready to go, we’re excited to be finally getting our bees and start beekeeping.  Stay tuned for that post!

~TxH~

BEEKEEPING SERIES:

…And MUCH More!

See All Our Beekeeping Posts

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17 thoughts on “Beginning Beekeeping: Becoming A NewBee

  1. Danielle

    How exciting, congrats on your new additions! We’ve really been researching about bees for in the future (hopefully next year!). Pinning this so I’ll have it when we’re closer to time! Thanks for sharing with us at the homestead blog hop!

    Reply
  2. Lisa @ Fun Money Mom

    I’m pretty sure my HOA wouldn’t allow me to keep bees…LOL! However, I love honey and it would be cool if I could make my own! I always love reading your posts because it seems like there’s nothing you can’t do! Thanks so much for joining us at Share The Wealth Sunday!

    Reply
  3. Shirley Wood

    It’s such an exciting experience. My hubby and I attended a local class on bee keeping recently. We will order our hives this fall to begin in the spring. In the meantime, my hubby will be mentored with a local bee keeper and gain some knowledge and experience. We are both excited about all of the possibilities from all that pollination on our property too. So glad you shared with us at Merry Monday.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      OMGoodness Shirley, RancherMan & I have noticed the surge in interest in NewBEES. When we attended the Mother Earth News seminars it was standing room only, even if you got there early. At our beekeeper’s association meetings they keep underestimating the attendants and having to add chairs and more & more people arrive. What a wonderful problem to have! I’ll be writing about our beekeeping endeavors, hope you’ll follow along. ~TxH~

      Reply
      1. Kim

        We are in Whitehouse, TX. you mentioned you are in NE Texas, is that the meetings you go to? I’ve been to one long enough to sign up for Dick Count’s bee keeping class, but wasnt’ feeling well so just stayed for that part. Thank you for your blog, it is interesting to hear of someone else in this part of the country doning what we like to do also.

        Reply
        1. Texas Homesteader Post author

          We don’t attend any beekeepers associations in our own county Kim, we have to travel to our meetings but we really like them. We’ve been to various beekeepers associations and they’re all helpful. AND the Mother Earth News Fair (which will be held in Belton next month) always has beekeepers seminars too, plus county extension offices often have beekeeping classes. There are lots of opportunities for us to learn about beekeeping before we ever get our first bees. ~TxH~

          Reply
  4. Crystal

    Good luck with the bees! Excited to follow along and see how it goes 🙂 Hope to see you back at #HomeMattersParty again!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Crystal, it has been surprisingly fulfilling so far. RancherMan’s the one who’s all gung-ho to raise bees, I’ve always been so afraid of them. But I’ve found my fear has softened since I bought a veil and accompany him to the hives to take pictures for blog posts – there’s a new blog posts about actually obtaining bees that will be going live soon – be sure to come back & check that one out too. ~TxH~

      Reply
  5. ColleenB.~Texas

    Wishing you the very best on your bee keeping. adventure.
    On top of all you do, I don’t know how the both of you find the time. I’m exhausted just reading about your adventures..
    Do give us updates on the progress

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      LOL Colleen! We are pretty excited to have our bees and it seems like a natural extension of what we’re already doing. We’ll absolutely be doing updates (now that we actually have our bees I’m working on a NewBEE post right now) ~TxH~

      Reply
  6. Margy

    We are having fun with our mason bee hotel. Not quite like taking care of a hive, but lots of fun watching the action.. – Margy

    Reply
  7. Laurinda

    OOO- how exciting! I’ve always wanted to keep bees, so I’ll be watching this series closely! Thank you for sharing it with us <3

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      An update post is being written now Laurinda since we have our bees and are working with them. I hope to post it within a week. 🙂 ~TxH~

      Reply
  8. Lynn

    Congratulations and how wonderful! We took on bees not quite a year ago. We started small with just one hive. I hope you enjoy them.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      It’s been so much fun so far Lynn. I’ve learned many fascinating things that I never knew about bees. ~TxH~

      Reply

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