Odds are if you are visiting this website there is a level of intrigue about keeping bees.  Whether you are someone who owns a garden and wants more produce or you are a teacher and you are looking for a way to engage students in a hands-on, discovery based way, beekeeping is great!

The first question you will hear from any of the Beepods team about keeping bees is, “Why do you want to begin keeping bees?”

There is no right or wrong answer, but it is a great place to start thinking about beekeeping in general.  There are various reasons for wanting to keep bees.  Check out some of the Beepods current customers and read why they started keeping bees and what they are doing that is different from when they started.  Each case study has started in one place and evolved to fill a variety of growing needs for each customer.

At Beepods, we put together custom solutions and systems for all of our customers if they ask for it.  It is part of our process to get to know you and support you during each step along the path of beekeeping.   Beekeeping is as much about the support community around the beekeepers as it is about helping the bees and reaping the benefits of maintaining a hive.

The rest of this page will answer some frequent questions we hear often.  Feel free to click the links below to leap ahead or to see how others have implemented the Beepods Beekeeping System to fit their needs.

Getting Started in Beekeeping

Questions to ask yourself about your personal vision for keeping bees.

1. Why do I want to keep bees?
2. What am I looking to do with the bees?
3. Am I looking to

The most important thing to understand when considering keeping bees is that it is a wonderful thing, but it takes time, effort and resources.  Maintaining a healthy honeybee colony is similar to having pet.  Many will refer to the care required somewhere between having a goldfish and having a dog, closer to goldfish than dog, but you get the idea.

At Beepods we are here to help you with a variety of support mechanisms to make this as easy as possible, even full maintenance and support plans, but there is still a commitment on the part of the customer.  Our mission is to do beekeeping for the bees and we are always on the lookout for great stewards of nature to help us with this.

Beekeeping requires time to do thorough inspections and maintenance on the hive during the warmer months and varies based on the hive or system in use.  During the colder months, the time commitment is significantly less maintenance on the hive, but should be used to learn and grow a beekeeper’s knowledge base and skill set.

With a Beepods Beekeeping System the time commitment typically floats right around 45 minutes to an hour and a half every two weeks for maintenance during the warmer months, but can vary depending on the climate your honeybee colony resides in.  For other beehives, time commitments vary significantly.  There are a variety of reasons why this is the case, but this is a factor we like to illustrate for any individual considering beekeeping as something they may like to begin practicing.

Will I Get Stung?

Odds are at some point on your journey, you will get stung.  Although honeybees are very similar to domestic livestock (aka, trainable and usually friendly), a bee may end up in the fold of your clothes, go unnoticed and be able to get out.  This happens sometimes, just BEE aware of it.  Generally, honeybees are not aggressive, unless provoked, and will not sting.  If a honeybee stings you, they die and no living creature wants to rush that.

What are honeybees and where should I start learning about them?

Honeybees are amazing insects that reside as one of the most advanced species of organisms in the world today based on the interaction of the entire honeybee colony (a superorganism). There are tons of resources available to read up on about honeybees and the impact they have on the world around us.  We have a couple recommended books that we like to refer to, but we also have classes, both online and in person that we welcome people to attend and learn more.

Otherwise, check out the blog and take a look at some of the different posts that Beepods Expert Beekeepers are writing about.  Or better yet, check out what some of our partners doing research on the honeybee are writing about.

How should I keep bees?

Now that you have learned a little more about bees and have decided to understand “HOW,” it is a good place to refer to “Why do you want to do beekeeping?”  There are a variety of beehives available to anyone that wants them, is just a question of purpose.

We are a little biased and like our Beepods Beekeeping System, but that does not mean that our solution fits exactly what you need.  This is where we like to recommend speaking with one of our Beepods System Experts so that they can ask you some good questions to make sure we can help.  If not, that’s ok.  We work closely with a variety of other Hive manufacturers and can direct you if need be.  Just BEE THE CHANGE.  That’s all we ask.

To read more about what is included in the Beepods Beekeeping System, Click here.

Also, thanks to one of our Beekeeping Experts, here is a great blog post on the difference between beehives and what each one is best utilized for.

How do I get Bees?

Bees are like batteries.  Without them that present you unwrapped with the cool toy will not work without them.

There are a variety of ways to get bees.  At Beepods we help you buy bees with a Box of Bees or a Nucleus Hive.  Otherwise, contacting a local beekeeper is a good way to find out how to get bees in the area.