Introduction
The PerfectBee 3-Step plan to your first beehive walks you from your initial curiosity, through the purchase and installation of your beehive (and bees!) all the way to success as a beekeeper, with a healthy beehive.
One of the joys of beekeeping is that the learning never stops. Beekeepers with 40 years of experience will tell you that they learn something new from their bees every year. This is, of course, much of the attraction of beekeeping, amongst many other benefits.
But it’s important to have a plan and PerfectBee is happy to present the following high-level checklist, easing you through each step. We link to important content and guides throughout and the intent is to provide an initial “roadmap” as you start down the path towards becoming a successful beekeeper.
Part 1: Preparing to Be a Beekeeper
Is beekeeping right for you?
- Budget
- Spare time
- Safety
- Relations with neighbors
- Location
How the hive works
- The lifecycle of bees
- Roles of workers, drones and the queen
- How bees communicate
- Surviving the seasons
- When and why bees leave the hive
- Hive materials
The science of bees
- Interaction with the environment
- Bee anatomy and functions
- Bee senses and their purpose
- Pheromones and their purposes
- Breeding and genetics
Part 2: Getting Set Up As a Beekeeper
Equipment and clothing
- Smokers and fuel
- Beeswax collector
- Cap scratcher
- Uncapping knife
- Hive tool
- Frame perch
- Bee brush
- Honey harvester
- Follower board
- Mite collector
- Beekeeping suit
- Veil
- Gloves
- Ankle protector
Planning and purchasing
- Beehive location
- Timing
- Locals laws
- Finding a mentor
- Number of hives
- Kits or components
Installing your hive
- Finding an appropriate location
- Assembling your beehive
- Painting
- Stacking
Obtaining and installing your bees
- Package of bees
- Nucs
- Swarms
- Troubleshooting
Part 3: Keeping Your Beehive Healthy
Understanding threats to bees
- What bees need and don’t need
- Colony Collapse Disorder
- Diseases
- Pests
- Pesticides
See Threats to Bees
Maintaining the integrity of your hive
- Swarms
- Queenslessness
- Requeening
- Robbers
- Overwintering
- Feeding