Beekeeping: How to Sweeten Up Your Backyard

Frank Mortimer 
Author of Bee People and the Bugs They Love 
frankthebeeman.com 

Day after day over the spring and summer of 2020, we found ourselves tethered to our homes, which for most people, meant a lot of time being confined to their property. Whether because they are looking for an escape from a couch-bound existence, or just to feel more centered, people are spending more time outside in local parks or their own backyards. As a result, it has sparked an interest in finding new ways to connect with nature and help heal Mother Earth. Thankfully, there is one hobby that will get you outside, is a great way to give back to our planet, and where distancing oneself from others has always been the socially preferred practice: Beekeeping.   

Backyard beekeeping has seen a huge resurgence as more people have become aware of the hardships facing our favorite honey-loving bug. What better way to adjust to social isolation than to care for the world’s most social insect? The great thing about keeping bees is that you can do it just about anywhere. There are beekeepers throughout New York City’s five boroughs and in Yerington, Nevada. Big or small, from North Dakota to Southern Florida, location is never a concern. A hive doesn’t take up much space, as it’s about the size of a filing cabinet and requires only a few feet in every direction for you to stand while opening it up to inspect the bees, or as beekeepers like to say, working the bees.  

Beekeeping brings you face-to-face with a species that has been declared the most important on Earth. Honeybees are responsible for one in every three bites of the food we eat, pollinating $20 billion worth of crops in the United States. Everything from apples, oranges, and blueberries—to avocados, cucumbers, and pumpkins—to coffee and the cotton for our clothes—are all thanks to the honeybee. By becoming a beekeeper you’re helping ensure that there are plenty of bees to pollinate the plants where you live, and since bees fly three miles from their hives, each hive is covering a lot of ground!  

Caring for bees is also quite peaceful, or as I like to say, Forced Zen, as the bees always keep you present and in the moment. Standing over an open hive will engage all your senses as you immerse yourself into their world, looking, listening, smelling, and feeling what the bees are doing. And if you’re lucky, you’ll even get the taste the pure, raw honey they’ve created from the nectar of all the flowers they’ve visited. You’ll be amazed to think that it takes twelve bees lifetime work to make one teaspoon of honey, and that each one pound of honey is the nectar from two million flowers, which required the bees to fly 56,000 collective flight miles or twice around the Earth to collect. It’s no wonder why humans have been keeping bees for thousands of years and why they’re one of the most studied creatures on the planet.   

It’s always best to start with two hives, as it makes your job as a beekeeper easier, and will increase the likelihood that your bees thrive in their new homes. When you’re thinking about where you could place your hives, keep in mind that bees love the sun and it’s best to place hives where they will get the most of it. Face your hives south, as bees come and go during the daylight hours and the sun will light up the entrance as it travels from east to west across the sky, maximizing your bees’ workday.  

It’s also a good idea to think about how non-beekeepers will be using your yard and what will be happening 10-15 feet in front of your hives. One way to visualize the bees’ flight path is to stand where you’re thinking of putting your hives and spray a garden hose 15 feet to 20 feet in front of you. What are the chances of someone, or something, getting wet?  What kind of foot traffic does that area of the yard get?  

If you think beekeeping might be right for you, join your local beekeeping club. A club is the best way to ensure success. You’ll find people who are willing to help you get started and answer your questions. Here in Ridgewood, the local club is the Northeast New Jersey Beekeepers Association, which serves Bergen County and the surrounding communities throughout Northern New Jersey. You can also check out the New Jersey State Beekeepers website, to find other clubs and events throughout the garden state. It’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with state beekeeping regulations, which can be found on the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s website.   

Your beekeeping club will be the best resource for information on local beekeeping regulations, supplies, and where to buy your bees. Additionally, to learn about introduction to beekeeping classes that are offered in our area, check out Ridgewood Parks and Recreation for a schedule of upcoming classes and beekeeping events.    

There are some great resources available to help you get started. The two best introductory how-to books on the market are:  

The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden 4^th Edition by Kim Flottum  

Beekeeping For Dummies 5^th Edition by Howland Blackiston 

Also, while you have to always be careful about who you’re getting information from online, there are some very reliable beekeeping sources.  The best ones are: 

• Pollinator Network @ Cornell University 

• University of Florida Honey Bee Lab 

• Scientific Beekeeping  

• University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre  

• Penn State Beekeeping 

Unless you’ve kept bees before, you’ve probably never thought about where to get beekeeping supplies.  Actually, most suppliers are online and have everything you’ll ever need.  Four of the biggest suppliers are: 

• https://www.mannlakeltd.com/  

• www.dadant.com  

• www.betterbee.com  

• www.blueskybeesupply.com  

All of these companies make great products.  Check out their websites and order from whichever one(s) you think looks best.  You can always rely on more than one supplier to get everything you need.  The only steadfast rule to remember is: Always order from a beekeeping supply company.  Never order from a website that along with endless amounts of unrelated products, also happens to carry bee supplies.  You will be disappointed in the quality.      

Beekeeping is such a wonderful way to fill your days and this is just a snapshot of some of its highlights. If you’re interested in learning more about sustainability and connecting with your environment, what better way to begin your journey then by igniting a new passion and stepping into one of the world’s oldest and sweetest pastimes?  If you think you have the beekeeping bug but want to know more, please check out Bee People and the Bugs They Love for a fascinating foray into the obsessions, friendships, scientific curiosity, misfortunes and rewards of suburban beekeeping—through the eyes of a Master Beekeeper. It’s a behind-the-hive look at the always-buzzing world of beekeeping.  Now, are you ready to catch the buzz?