Beekeeping, as with caring for any living creature, is not a hobby that should be taken on lightly. Hives can have anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 bees in them, and each can pose their own host of challenges. Here are tips and tricks for getting your own backyard bees started from Howard Scott, a member of the Clark County Beekeepers Association.
• Connect with the Clark County Beekeepers Association.
Yes, Scott is a member of the club, so he might be a bit biased. But beekeepers Lanny Hammett and Rob Sculley both lauded the association, where both are members. Both said they were able to connect with mentors who walked them through the process. Scott agreed that can be important for new apiarists.
“Look for a mentor, someone who has been doing it and knows a few answers,” Scott said.
The new year for the club begins on Sept. 8, with meetings running through June. Dues are $20 per family, and $25 for new members attending introductory beekeeping classes. Visit ccbees.net for more information.
• Bees will swarm. Do not panic.
When beehives get too crowded, a swarm of them will take off to find a home elsewhere. Hammett, whose hive has swarmed, described it as a large, black tornado moving slowly away from her house. Know the signs. As the queen gets older, worker bees will begin to build multiple queen cups — essentially a cradle for a future queen bee — in preparation for a new queen. The hive’s population may also seem too crowded. If your bees do swarm, the beekeepers have dispatchers responsible to collect and re-home the bees. You can call 360-518-0787, 360-573-8330 or 360-573-0985 to contact the dispatchers. Scott notes that if you call 911 to inform them of a swarm, they will contact the association to contact a dispatcher.
• Getting started isn’t cheap.
Scott estimates it costs at least $300 to get started as a beekeeper. That will get you hives, boxes of bees, frames, lids, a bee suit — “No matter how brave you are, you don’t want to do this without a veil,” Scott said — and a smoker. Beginning beekeepers should start with two hives to observe the different behaviors of their hives, he said.
“You never know if it’s successful,” he said. “If you’ve got two, you can compare them.”
There are some private vendors of supplies, but Scott recommended visiting Ruhl Bee Supply in Wilsonville, Ore., the nearest beekeeping supply store in the area.
• Inform your neighbors.
Don’t surprise your neighborhood with your new hobby. Let your neighbors know you’re starting to keep bees, and make sure no one nearby is allergic.
“You don’t want to surprise people,” Scott said. “You want to be friendly.”
Scott said don’t put bees right on your property line, and trying to create natural barriers in the spaces you don’t want your bees to fly. Sculley, for example, added a thin bamboo screen to his yard to give the bees some direction.
• Be flexible.
Beekeeping is both an art and a science. Everyone’s got different ideas on what to do, and different ideas on what’s best for their bees. Be ready to talk to many different beekeepers for advice, and figure out what works best for your needs and your hive.
“You can ask two beekeepers a question and you’ll get three answers,” Scott said.
