Keeping bees is one of the most rewarding ways to grow food at home. A single hive can pollinate a vegetable garden and fruit trees, and in a good year it can give you honey and beeswax to put by. This guide walks through the basics a beginner needs to understand before ordering bees: where a hive goes, how a Langstroth hive is put together, how bees arrive, and what the beekeeping year looks like.
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Is Beekeeping a Good Fit for Your Yard?
Bees do not need much space, but they do need a little planning. Before you buy anything, walk your property with these questions in mind:
- Rules first. Check your local ordinances and any HOA or lease rules. Some areas limit the number of hives or require a setback from property lines.
- Sun and shelter. A spot with morning sun and some protection from strong wind works well for most hives.
- A clear flight path. Face the entrance away from walkways, patios and your neighbor's yard. A fence or hedge in front of the hive sends bees up and over people.
- Water nearby. Bees collect water every day. A birdbath or shallow pan with stones for landing gives them a reliable source close to home.
- Level ground and easy access. You will lift boxes on and off the hive, so leave room to stand behind or beside it and set boxes down.
- Time. Plan on checking the hive every week or two through spring and summer, with lighter work in fall and very little in winter.
How a Langstroth Hive Works
The Langstroth hive is the most common hive design for backyard beekeepers. It is a stack of boxes with removable frames, so you can lift out one section at a time and see what the colony is doing. From the ground up, a standard hive includes:
- Hive stand. Lifts the hive off the ground for airflow and easier lifting.
- Bottom board. The floor of the hive. A solid board, like the NuBee solid bottom board, is simple and sturdy, while a screened board adds ventilation and has a removable insert.
- Entrance reducer. A notched strip that narrows the entrance for a new colony or for winter. See the entrance reducer.
- Deep brood boxes. The bottom one or two boxes, where the queen lays eggs and the colony raises young bees and stores its own food.
- Queen excluder. An optional grid, such as the plastic queen excluder, that keeps the queen in the brood boxes while workers pass up to store honey.
- Medium honey supers. Shorter boxes added on top when the colony is strong and bringing in nectar. Mediums are lighter to lift than deeps when full of honey.
- Frames and foundation. Each box holds a set of frames. Foundation inside each frame gives bees a guide for building straight comb. Beeswax-coated plastic foundation, like the Hoover Hives black deep foundations, is durable and easy for beginners to work with.
- Inner cover. Sits on the top box and leaves a small space under the roof. The center hole is a handy place for a feeder or a bee escape.
- Telescoping top cover. The roof. It overlaps the top box and is usually capped with metal to shed rain and snow, like the NuBee 10-frame telescoping top cover.
8-Frame or 10-Frame?
Langstroth hives come in two common widths. Both work well, so the choice is mostly about lifting and parts.
- 10-frame is the most widely used size, so extra boxes, frames and parts are easy to find. A full deep box is heavy, though.
- 8-frame boxes are narrower and lighter to lift, which many backyard beekeepers appreciate. The hive grows taller instead of wider.
Whichever you choose, stay consistent. Boxes, covers and bottom boards need to match the same width, and buying everything in one size keeps parts interchangeable.
Complete Kit or Build Your Own?
A complete hive kit is the simplest way to start, because every piece is matched in size. Kits usually include the covers, bottom board, entrance reducer, boxes, frames and foundation. Good beginner options include the NuBee 10-frame kit with 1 deep and 1 medium, its 8-frame version, and the fully assembled NuBee 10-frame kit.
Unassembled kits cost less and make a good winter project. Fully assembled or painted kits save time if your bees are arriving soon. Unpainted wood needs a coat of exterior paint or a wax finish before it goes outside; wax-dipped woodenware is ready to use as is.
How Bees Arrive: Nucs and Packages
Most beginners start with bees from a local or regional bee supplier, ordered in winter for spring pickup. The two common options are:
- Nucleus colony (nuc). A small working colony on about five frames, with a laying queen, comb, brood and food. You move the frames straight into your deep box. Nuc-ready kits, like the Busy Bees 'N' More nuc-ready starter kit, include five frames to fill the rest of the box.
- Package bees. A screened box of worker bees with a caged queen. Packages start from bare foundation, so they need to build comb first.
Either way, have your hive assembled, painted if needed, and set up on its stand before pickup day.
The Beekeeping Year at a Glance
- Late winter. Order bees, assemble and finish woodenware, and gather tools.
- Spring. Install bees, keep the entrance reducer in place while the colony is small, and feed syrup if natural forage is scarce. A frame feeder fits inside the hive.
- Early summer. As the brood boxes fill, add a medium honey super so the colony has room to store nectar.
- Late summer. Harvest surplus honey only, and leave the colony plenty of its own stores for winter.
- Fall. Reduce the entrance, add a mouse guard, and make sure the hive is heavy with stored food.
- Winter. Leave the hive closed. In cold areas, an insulated wrap such as the hive insulation wrap with reflective foil helps buffer wind and cold.
Tools You Will Use at Every Inspection
- Smoker: a few puffs of cool smoke help keep the colony calm while you work.
- Hive tool: pries apart boxes and frames that bees glue together with propolis.
- Jacket and veil and gloves: keep bees off your face, arms and hands so you can work steadily.
Keep Learning
Books and hands-on time are the best teachers. Many areas have a beekeeping club that welcomes new members and can connect you with an experienced mentor. When you are ready to gear up, use the Starter Hive Checklist and shop the Beekeeping collection.