Learn the bees by watching them.
Calm, sourced beekeeping for beginners, paced like the season itself. Honest about the cost, the patience, and the mite that decides it all.
Most people come expecting a few hundred dollars and a jar of honey by August. The truth sits heavier than that, and we would rather tell you now.
Where to start, and where it leads
Every part of a backyard colony, grounded in university extension, and never oversold to you.
3 guidesStart & cost
What it really costs and how to begin
3 guidesHive types
Langstroth, top-bar, Warre and Flow compared
4 guidesGear & reviews
Starter kits, suits and tools by budget
2 guidesGetting bees
Package, nuc or caught swarm
1 guidesInstalling bees
Step-by-step from box to hive
4 guidesInspections
Reading frames, eggs and brood
4 guidesVarroa & pests
Test, treat and keep your colony alive
2 guidesSwarms & queens
Splits, requeening and swarm control
2 guidesHarvest & wax
When and how to extract honey and beeswax
2 guidesFeeding
Syrup, pollen patties and when to stop
3 guidesSeasons & winter
Month-by-month and winterizing
See all topics
Browse the full guide library
We would rather lose the sale than oversell the honey.
The guides that save first-year keepers the most grief
In the rough order a first year throws them at you, not the order you will be tempted to buy in.
The mite test kit: what you actually need (and what you can skip)
Varroa mite test kits are the cheapest insurance in beekeeping. Compare the alcohol wash and sugar roll, see…
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How to read a frame: eggs, larvae, capped brood, and everything else you'll find in the box
Learn exactly what eggs, larvae, capped brood, pollen, nectar, and capped honey look like on a beehive frame,…
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How to requeen a hive: finding the old queen, introducing the new one, and checking that it worked
Step-by-step guide to requeening a hive: when to do it, locating and removing the old queen, safe candy-cage…
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How to render beeswax: double boiler, solar melter, filtering, and casting clean blocks
Clean beeswax from cappings or old comb using a double boiler or solar melter. Step-by-step rendering, filtering, and…
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8-frame vs 10-frame Langstroth: weight, capacity, and which one fits your backyard
Side-by-side comparison of 8-frame and 10-frame Langstroth hives for backyard beekeepers: weights, capacity, standardization, and how to decide.…
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What is a Langstroth hive? Parts, dimensions, and why it dominates US beekeeping
The Langstroth is the standard US beehive. Learn every part, exact box and frame dimensions, bee space, foundation…
Read the guideYour honest first-year cost
The latest from the hive
The mite test kit: what you actually need (and what you can skip)
How to read a frame: eggs, larvae, capped brood, and everything else you'll find in the box
How to requeen a hive: finding the old queen, introducing the new one, and checking that it worked