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Beekeeping is experiencing a resurgence. More and more, beehives are popping up in backyards, community gardens and even on rooftops. New beekeepers have many motivations to start this hobby of rearing tiny livestock. Some beekeepers are interested in harvesting the honey, propolis, pollen and beeswax that honeybees produce. Others simply want to do their part to help declining honeybee populations.
Getting Started
Grace Chapman Elton has been keeping bees for eight years. She and her husband, Alexander, maintain a hive in their Bellevue backyard.
When I started beekeeping eight years ago, I wanted to help these important pollinators, but I didn’t know where to start. I found that joining a beekeeping society, taking a beginner beekeeping class and finding a mentor was a recipe for success. The more I learned about honeybees, the more these creatures fascinated me. The support network of the beekeeping society and the personal attention and training that I gained from my mentor, a Philadelphia-area beekeeper, were essential in starting a hobby with a steep learning curve.
Ken Walker started keeping bees six years ago because he respected the pollination benefits for his perennial, vegetable and herb gardens. He also believes in the health benefits of local honey and currently uses one teaspoon in his morning coffee to help ease arthritis pain. (It is also said to prevent infections, provide natural allergy relief and boost overall immunity.)
His wife’s uncle kept hundreds of hives, so he had observed that it was hard work and he knew he would need to educate himself before starting. Walker now playfully relates beekeeping to his internal medicine practice. He says that beekeeping comprises “a lot of diagnostic work to identify signs of problems in the hive, such as having a weak queen, a potential swarm, or sickness.” Walker says beekeeping is, “a great hobby, but not an easy hobby. Even though it can be frustrating, it is very rewarding in the long term.”
Richmond has a robust beekeeping community, with a number of beekeeping clubs in the city and surrounding counties. These clubs are a great resource for new beekeepers to learn about the equipment required, the seasonal tasks, and troubleshooting problems. Walker says joining a beekeeping society is a “must” because of the ongoing mentoring opportunities that you gain from veteran beekeepers and other new hobbyists at the monthly society meetings. It is also important for beekeepers to research the legal requirements of keeping bees in their area before choosing a location for their hives.
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Elton’s bees live in a Langstroth-style beehive, the most common type used by hobbyists.
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A smoker is used to calm honeybees when harvesting honey.
What You Need
Walker recommends that new beekeepers start with at least two hives so they can be compared to each other. When you are starting out, it is hard to know if your hive is strong and if you are doing the right tasks to maintain a healthy hive. Langstroth-style beehives are most commonly used by hobbyist beekeepers, though other styles are gaining popularity. The Langstroth consists of hive bodies which are boxes that are stacked upon each other, filled with hanging frames that hold plastic or wax foundation from which the bees build their honeycomb.
You will need to purchase a “hive tool” to use during inspections and honey extractions. It looks like a mini crowbar with a flat side used to scrape excess beeswax from frames and a curved end that is used to pry boxes and frames apart. You should also consider investing in protective clothing, such as a hat and veil to protect your face and eyes; an inspection jacket made of heavy fabric; and leather gloves.
A starter set of bees with a laying queen is available in the form of a “nucleus hive,” which is a small-sized complete beehive, or a smaller “package,” which is about 3,000 bees with a fertile laying queen. In all, the initial investment for hives, tools, clothing and bees can run upwards of $500 to $1,000 for two hives.
Aspiring beekeepers can observe an outdoor apiary in action at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Bees in Action
In the Richmond region, the Science Museum of Virginia and Rockwood Nature Center in Chesterfield County both have indoor observation hives where visitors can view the activities of bees inside of their hive through glass. They can watch the bees performing the “waggle dance” to direct each other to good sources of nectar and pollen. They can also see capped honey, pollen and brood within the honeycombs.
In addition to keeping bees himself, Walker and his wife, Shirley, in 2016 donated funds for an outdoor apiary at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. (Elton is outgoing director of horticulture at the garden.) He named it in honor of his beekeeping mentors, Bob Stapleton, a local beekeeping expert, and Keith Tignor, Virginia’s State Apiarist, whom Walker calls the “go-to guys” of beekeeping.
On June 17, Maymont will host a “Bumblebee Jamboree” to celebrate National Pollinator Week with family-friendly activities and demonstrations.
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Speedwell (Veronica spicata) and other blooms provide food for bees in a backyard garden.
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White Wood Aster (Aster divaricatus)
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Peony (Paeonia“Krinkled White”)
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Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii “Wild Thing”)
Gardening for Honeybees
Honeybees pollinate a variety of plants from fruits and vegetables to perennials and trees. When designing for bees, make sure to include plants that bloom in every season to provide food; a shallow water source; and a layered landscape to provide shelter and protection from predators. A combination of spring blooming crocus (Crocus spp.), summer blooming cone flowers (Echinacea purpurea), and fall blooming asters (Symphyotrichum spp.) are easy plants to work into existing landscapes to make them more pollinator-friendly.
Curious About Beekeeping?
What: Beekeeping seminar
When: Tuesday, April 25, at 6 p.m.
Where: Chester Library, 11800 Centre St., Chester
Space is limited; call the Chesterfield County Extension Office at 751-4401 or email vce@chesterfield.gov to register.
