But let’s get back to my favorite part, the honey. Why depend on the sugar beet and sugar cane industries for your sweets? With a beehive of your own, you can make honey at home!

Beekeeping isn’t just for folks with a ton of acreage out in the country, either. Us urban and suburban wanna-be beekepers are in luck, because this is a hobby that can go just about anywhere.

Backyard beekeeping has been increasing in popularity in recent years, and if you’ve got a yard of your own–even a small one–it may be something you can do too (check your local laws and ordinances to make sure it’s legal to keep bees–in most places it is). 

Let’s answer some common questions beginning beekeepers often have.

Backyard Beekeeping Considerations

Am I in the right climate for beekeeping?

Just about any place flowers grow, bees can and do live.  From desert to forest to plains to tropical rain forests, bees make their homes.

How much space do you need to keep a hive?

Less than you’d think! 

It’s a common misconception that bees are only kept in the country. If you don’t live in too dense of an urban area (keeping them on the window sill in your apartment is probably out), chances are you have enough space.  There are even cases of folks in the heart of Manhattan that keep hives on their rooftops or terraces.  Bees will travel an area up to 6,000 acres or so to gather pollen and nectar.  Essentially, if you have enough space for a hive, you have enough space for bees.

What will the neighbors say?

It’s true that neighbors with children or who have bee fears or bee allergies, may get uneasy at the idea of a hive next door.  Some beekeepers take the approach of putting up a fence and just not telling anyone about the bees!  Other strategies are:

• Restricting your beehives to two or less (big stacks can be intimidating to the uninitiated, and some areas have restrictions against large numbers of hives in urban areas)
• Letting folks know that bees go far and wide (6,000 acres) to forage, so it’s not likely they’ll be loitering in the yard next door all day.
• Inviting neighbors over to see your hive and see how gentle bees can be.
• Providing a water source in your yard (so the bees don’t use your neighbor’s bird bath…)
• Reminding neighbors that garden or have fruit trees that having bees in the ‘hood can increase their yields
• Bribery! Give gifts of honey (and if you’re into brewing, mead) to neighbors.

Also make sure you don’t locate your hive so that it points at your neighbor’s driveway, anyone’s doorway, or the public sidewalk in front of your house.

How much does it cost for a basic beekeeping setup?

It does take some money to get started with beekeeping, but it’s a fairly modest investment.  And you can actually make money down the line if you get into selling your honey!

It’ll run you $250-$500 for the hive, equipment, tools, and medication.  You’ll also need to spend about $75 on a package of bees and a queen.  Largely, these are one-time expenses, and down the road you can make hundreds of dollars by selling honey (a single hive can give you 100 to 200 pounds of honey a year, and you can make $4-$5 a pound for all-natural, raw honey).

How many hives do you need?

Just one, and one is probably enough until you get the hang of things.  You can always add more your second season (and many folks do).

How much time does beekeeping require?

Once you learn the ropes, you’ll only need to spend about 20-30 hours a year to maintain your hive. That includes harvesting honey, repairing equipment, and putting things away for the season.

Of course, if you decide to make a business and start selling your honey, that will add some hours.

Initially, you can get your first hive set up in a weekend or so.  The first year, you’ll probably visit your hive fairly often to check in and learn about what your bees are up to, but once you get past that you’ll find you only need to visit the hive five or six times a year.

These are answers to some common questions by folks considering getting into beekeeping, and we’ll answer more in future posts.  In the meantime, check out Beekeeping for Dummies for a lot more information.