LEWIS COUNTY BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION                                                          

Scroll down this column for a basic list of equipment that new beekeepers need to acquire (click here for a PDF version of the information below).  For places where you can buy equipment, click on our Beekeeping Supplies link. 

FYI, for more support with equipment decisions, it's wise to take a beekeeping class &/or read up on beginning beekeeping.  Some good sources include:

BEEKEEPING BASICS:  Click here to download a free PDF file of MAAREC's excellent handbook.

Howland Blackiston, Beekeeping for Dummies, 3rd edition.  New Jersey:  Wiley Publishers, Inc., 2015.  Like other "Dummies" books, Blackiston's is clearly written, easy to follow, & has helpful diagrams & illustrations.

Dr. Dewey Caron, Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping. With Larry Connor.  Wicwas Press: revised 2013 with color photographs.

Keith S. Delaplane, First Lessons in Beekeeping.  Dadant & Sons, 2007. Dr. Delaplane, University of Georgia entomologist, has also produced a series of helpful videos with the same title.

Making Your Own Screened Bottom Board:

Here are directions on how to do it yourself from LCBA Mentor & Journeyman Beekeeper Steve Howard:

Beginning Beekeeping Equipment List

Assume $400-500 to start.

You can save $$ by capturing a swarm of free bees or joining LCBA & getting bees by participating at a carve-out (see our Swarm Capture & Colony Removals page); you can also buy used equipment, but be careful - find out why the beekeeper is selling gear.  Disease spores can linger in equipment for many years. If buying used woodenware, it's wise to flame it with a propane torch or to scrub it in bleach solution.

5-Langstroth 10 Frame Medium Boxes-Commercial, Unassembled

& 50- Med frames +Wax Foundation-Unassembled

[Alternative:  2 Langstroth 10 frame Deep Boxes & 20 deep frames, plus 2 Langstroth 10 frame Medium Deep Boxes & 20 medium frames – commercial, unassembled.  Some beekeepers prefer the efficiency of using 2 deeps instead of 3 mediums for brood boxes; others prefer lighter weight of medium brood boxes. Unassembled boxes should be primed & painted with non-latex paint.]

Screened bottom board with slider board

Entrance reducer

Inner cover for 10 Frame Hive

Telescoping cover/sheet metal covered for 10 Frame hive

Queen Excluder (disputed; many beekeepers do not use these)

Boardman Feeder [or other feeder type]

Hive tool

Stainless Steel Frame Holder

Smoker &/OR sugar/water spray bottle

Bee brush

Bee Jacket

1-Pr gloves

Pure Cane Sugar for fall & winter feeding

Beekeeping for Dummies (Blackiston) or comparable beginner’s book

And…..Bees [3 lb. package or nuc; if you are lucky, though, you may be able to catch a swarm for free.  Visit our Swarm and Colony Removal page.]

LCBA holds hive assembly workshops each year in addition to our Apprentice classes.  For a photo gallery of our 2014 assembly workshops that shows members putting together assorted hive parts, click here.

Newly built hive boxes waiting for package bees.  It's a good idea to elevate hive boxes about a foot off the ground - that way, less chance of moisture from rain/dew entering the hive, fewer ants, etc., strolling in, & best of all, your back will thank you for not having to bend over quite so far!

Choose your apiary location carefully:

* Bees need nearby forage. 

* Bees benefit from early sunlight - so face the hives east or southeast. However--

* Bees need shelter from wind, so don't put them on top of a hill, or face hives into prevailing winds that can blow rain into the hive.  It's better to violate the "directional rule" than to risk regularly exposing your colony entrance to rough weather.

* Excessive moisture can promote fungus growing inside hives, so avoid putting bees in a hollow where cold air and water pool up. 

* Many beekeepers choose to put roofing over their hives to keep driving rain from directly pelting them & to give bees the chance to do cleansing flights during rainy weather; others put corrugated plastic over hives in winter to help:

 Providing a clean, reliable water source right by your hive will help bees save time & energy - they don't have to hunt out water, & you don't have to worry about their getting into contaminated water.  Bees need water  to help regulate temperature in the hive.  Below, a poultry waterer covered with bees: