Looking to get started in beekeeping, but don't know where to start? After years of helping beekeepers get started, we've built the simplest guide with the most popular selections to help you make the best decisions for your beekeeping journey! Read below to get started in five simple steps!
Get your hives and equipment ordered. Of course, before checking this first step off your list, you’ll need to determine what kind of hive you want to use. If you’re not sure yet, our Buying Your First Hive guide is the best place to start. It will help you think through your goals, space, strength, climate, and how much hands-on care you want to give.
BeeBuilt offers two types of hives for keeping honeybees: Top Bar hives and Warré hives. Both support natural comb and a more thoughtful approach to beekeeping. We also offer Mason hives for supporting solitary bees, which are gentle native pollinators and can help boost garden yields.
Once you know which hive style fits your goals, gather the equipment you’ll need before your bees arrive. Having your hive, tools, protective gear, and setup ready ahead of time makes your first season calmer for you and easier on your bees.
Our Warré hive is made by BeeBuilt in Oregon from sustainably harvested Western Red Cedar and includes two Warré boxes with viewing windows, a composite aluminum roof, quilt box with natural hemp insulation, screened base, feet, and 16 Western Red Cedar top bars.
The boxes are built with ⅞-inch cedar for insulation, rabbet joints to help control breezes and light, and Lexan viewing windows that let you observe your bees without opening the hive. The reversible roof helps retain heat in winter and reflect sun in summer, while the quilt box supports moisture control and a more natural hive environment.
Our Top Bar hive is made from 1-inch-thick Western Red Cedar for durability, insulation, and natural pest resistance. It includes 28 milled Douglas Fir top bars, a thick follower board, stainless steel hardware, a screened bottom board with solid-bottom inserts, and a reversible composite aluminum roof.
This hive is designed for lighter handling because you inspect one bar at a time instead of lifting heavy boxes. Choose the viewing-window option if you want to watch your bees build comb and move through the hive with less disturbance.
Order bees or get a lead on a swarm. Our favorite option is a feral swarm, which you can certainly lure into your hive with an attractant like lemongrass oil or partner with a beekeeper who catches swarms to get on their list.
Swarms are not guaranteed so it’s a good idea to order at least one package or nucleus colony from one of the following bee suppliers: Bee Weaver, Wolf Creek Bees, Honeybee Genetics, etc. Many of our customers start out with one package or nucleus colony, and fill their second hive with a swarm!
Read these books. If you ordered the hive starter kit we recommend above, you’ve already got The Idiot’s Guide to Beekeeping. (You’re not an idiot; this book is good!) Read that first. Then, read The Practical Beekeeper Volume I(or all three volumes!), and Swarm Traps and Bait Hives.
After this, you’re no expert, but you’re on your way to becoming a beekeeping addict with a functional base of knowledge.
Go to a beekeeping meeting if there’s one in your area. Bee meetings are interesting places full of passionate beekeepers. They love to argue, but at the end of the day they all love honey bees and are trying, in their own ways, to help them thrive. You can learn a lot at any beekeepers meeting, regardless of the management styles of others. Just be sure to make up your own mind about how you want to keep bees.
Once you’ve got your hive, equipment, and bees lined up, the next step is to keep learning. Beekeeping is not something you master all at once. Each season teaches you something new about your bees, your climate, your hive style, and your own rhythm as a beekeeper.
The best beekeepers stay curious. Read widely, watch your bees closely, and learn from people who have spent years working with colonies in different ways. These resources can help you build confidence, understand natural beekeeping practices, and make better decisions as your hives grow.
