The S.C. Beekeepers Association recommends beginners budget $400 to $500 for the first year, most of which will buy supplies that will last for years to come. That money will pay for a beekeeping class, woodenware (that’s the hive), tools and clothing.
Most beekeeping supply houses sell beginner’s kits for around $200, not including the bees. Most of those kits include a veil and gloves rather than a full suit. And that works for many beekeepers, says Jennifer Tsuruda, Clemson University Cooperative Extension’s apiculture specialist for South Carolina, because bee suits get hot, making hive work tough in the summer. A long-sleeved shirt with a veil and a hive smoker “are probably the key things, because you don’t really want to get stung in the face,” she says.
Still, there’s something deeply reassuring about a full suit with a tie-on or zip-on veil plus gloves. That full outfit can range from about $80 to $180, depending on the supplier and the size needed. The bees themselves, which are ordered in advance and supplied in the spring, typically cost $90–$200, depending on the variety and amount.
The most basic tools for working with bees include a smoker, a brush for gently moving bees off frames and a hive tool, which is a curved metal bar used for prying open a stuck-on hive lid.
As for the hives themselves, think of their structure like a multi-level factory. At the bottom is the hive stand, which keeps the hive off the ground. Next is the bottom board, the hive’s floor. Then there’s the box where the bees live and raise young in waxfoundation-filled frames. That’s the brood box, or hive body. On top of that goes a board called a queen excluder, which allows worker bees to venture up into the next frame-filled box, the super, to make honey, but keeps the queen from entering to fill it with eggs. In a big honey year, a beekeeper may stack additional supers on top to accommodate the bounty. Capping the entire hive are inner and outer covers.
A key decision a new beekeeper must make is whether to get an eight- or 10-frame hive. Whatever size you start with will determine the components you get later. Typically, beekeepers make their choice based on how much weight they want to lift. Ten-frame hives are the most common style used in the U.S.
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Beekeeping supplies can be purchased from these vendors
- Johnson Farm & Garden, located in Williston. (803) 266-7333
- The Carolina Honey Bee Company, based in Travelers Rest, sells equipment and honey and offers personal beekeeping lessons. (864) 610-2337
- Bee Well Honey, based in Pickens, offers equipment and packages of bees. (864) 898-5122
- Dixie Bee Supply, based in Lancaster, sells bee-related gifts along with equipment and honey. (803) 285-2337
- Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, based in Moravian Falls, N.C., offers a “How to get started” video on the company website. (800) 233-7929
- Rossman Apiaries, based in Moultrie, Ga. (800) 333-7677
- Dadant, based in Hamilton, Ill. (888) 922-1293
- Mann Lake, based in Hackensack, Minn. (800) 880-7694
Other bee products can be purchased from suppliers affiliated with the S.C. Beekeepers Association
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