Project details
Skill
3 out of 5Moderate
Cost
$300
Estimated Time
1-2 days
Steps for Setting Up a Beehive
- Consider hiring a professional beekeeper if you feel you need help.
- Place cinderblocks on the ground to keep the hive dry and out of any rainwater.
- Place the baseboard on top of the blocks.
- Place the Langstroth bee box on the bottom board.
- Hang the new ‘frames’ by the rabbit ears.
- Hang the older, pre-started frames from another hive.
- Spray your 3-lb bee package with sugar water, coating the bees.
- Remove the Queen cage, take out the plug and hang the Queen box in the middle of the frames with the candy-side facing down.
- Don protective clothing and pour the bees into the box of frames.
- Use a Bee brush to gently brush the bees off the top of the frames and into the hive.
- Place the inner cover on top of the box.
- Add the internal feeder and fill with a mixture of a pound of sugar to one pint of water. You’ll need roughly a gallon.
- Place the internal cover and external cover on the hive to protect the bees.
- Put a rock on the top to make sure the cover stays on.
- Leave the bee package next to the hive so any remaining bees can find their way to the hive
- In a month, add another bee box layer with frames as the hive grows.
Tools and Materials
Tools & Materials
- Protective Beekeeping suit