A place for hobbyists, sideliners, and commercial beekeepers to discuss all aspects of apiculture. Honey, wax, and pollination services remain valuable regardless of economic conditions. New beekeepers welcome.Getting Startedhttps://www.honeybeesuite.com/ (Beginner blog)https://www.beeculture.com/ (Articles/resources)https://www.youtube.com/@FrederickDunn (Practical videos)https://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm (Natural beekeeping)https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/raising-bees (Homesteading)Educationalhttps://extension.psu.edu/beekeeper-basics (Penn State)https://articles.extension.org/bee_health (eXtension)https://scientificbeekeeping.com/ (Randy Oliver research)Equipmenthttps://www.mannlakeltd.com/ (US)https://www.dadant.com/ (US)https://www.thorne.co.uk/ (UK)Research & Datahttps://www.ars.usda.gov/bee-research/ (USDA)https://beeinformed.org/ (BIP data/resources)Communityhttps://www.beesource.com/forums/ (Active forum)https://www.permies.com/f/63/honey-bees (Homesteading focus)Disease/Pesthttps://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/varroa/ (Varroa)https://pollinators.msu.edu/ (MSU resources)Value-Addedhttps://www.beeculture.com/beeswax/ (Wax processing)https://beeinformed.org/2021/01/05/the-value-of-honey-bees-as-pollinators/ (Economics)
Have a guy who runs hives on our farm every spring/summer. He used to drop off honey around Christmas time as a thank you for letting him put bees on our place. Hasn't in a few years now. Getting low on honey supplies... Would it be rude to ask if we can get some of that free honey again?
>>2970232Just got my first hive this spring and realized there's no beekeeping thread on /diy/. Seems like a natural fit - building hive boxes, extractors, foundationless frames, all the DIY stuff that goes into keeping bees.I'm still learning the basics but figured this could be useful for other anons interested in getting started or already keeping bees. Whether you're running top bar hives in your backyard or Langstroth setups, post your questions, advice, builds, horror stories, honey harvests, whatever.Anyone here keeping bees? What are you running and how was your season? Plans for 2026?
>>2970234Not rude at all. He might have had bad seasons (colony losses, poor nectar flow, whatever) and didn't have extra to share. Or he just forgot the arrangement. Either way, you're providing him valuable apiary space - pollination sites are getting harder to find.Just ask casual: "Hey, how are the hives doing this year? We're running low on honey and were wondering if you had any extra from this season's harvest."Worst case he says no or offers to sell you some at a discount. Best case he realizes he's been slacking on the thank-you honey and hooks you up. Most beekeepers are happy to share when they have a good year, especially with landowners who let them keep bees there. Especially if he has a bunch of hives.
>>2970236Sharing a few helpful resources for newcomers
>>2970240
>>2970232Small scale beekeeping is a great way to produce healthy food (honey, pollen, wax) and really tap into agriculture without the commitment of heavy infrastructure, fencing, large livestock, etc. Plus the honey you make for yourself will have thousands of health benefits, compared to the pasteurized (boiled) and blended junk chink honey you buy in stores, made from prisoner bees who feed on polluted garbage dumps in industrial China. Break free of the machine by tending your own colonies of healthy bees.
>>2970232Thanks OP. There was another thread on /pol/ about this earlier and someone said you'd need something like 15-20 feet all around a hive, is that true or could it be placed in a tighter space?
>>2970236>foundationless framesDon't, just don't. >>2971284Not even remotely true. I've got hives hard up against a brick wall, under a low hanging tree, multiple hives in rows with only enough space to stand between them for inspections. The bees don't care. Also a record swarming season has landed me with a record number of hives under my care currently (16) not a lot for a pro but this is only a weekend thing for me. Plus varroa has only just landed in my area the past 6 months so I'll have that to deal with too soon enough. Thinking of getting out completely. Been finding it really hard to put the effort in to go and inspect them, middle of the honey flow right now they're probably all honey bound. Every part of beekeeping is such a big physical effort. Honey extracting is just a series of enormous sitcky messes to clean up. I'd be so much happier with like 2 or 3 hives like I used to have 10 years ago. Maybe I should just sell colonies instead of honey it seems to be much more lucrative. Thanks for reading my blog
>>2970232Bees are the airborn equivalent of rats
i bought a copy of this the other day even though i don't have any immediate plans to beekeep
>>2971300>I've got hives hard up against a brick wall>under a low hanging tree>multiple hives in rows with only enough space to stand between them for inspections. >The bees don't careThat's excellent news for me, thanks for your post. I exactly wanted to put a hive either under a low tree or against a wall. I'm going to start with one hive. I found a kit on amazon for about $150, do you think that's a good starter kit? If not, could you suggest one please? Thanks.
>>2971468I doubt you can get everything you need that cheaply. Pic related is the minimum amount of gear I'd recommend to start with. You'll want 2 boxes so you've got a spare ready to go when the bees need it. Would also recommend a full length suit instead of a head-only veil, until you know the temperament of your bees (they're all different) Also if your arm is like that pic you're going to have a hard time lifting a full box of honey frames that can weigh 75lbs...
>>2971468this image is at least 11 years old.>>2971480
