Most of us know that honey bees are really important and their survival is paramount to our own survival. Pollinators are responsible for enabling the crop harvests that end up on our dinner table or in our fruit basket. Backyard beekeepers might be one of the most important things to ensure the honey bee's survival. Keeping bees is encouraged by veteran beekeepers and most are more than happy to share their vast knowledge and help the new keeper to be successful, and create more beekeepers.

But don't expect to just set up a hive, get some bees, wipe your hands and be done. Even if you never plan harvest honey, there is a lot more to keeping bees than just having them. And irresponsible or neglectful beekeepers can actually do much more harm than good.

One of the most devastating dangers to honey bees is the American Foulbrood (AFB) bacteria. An infection will wipe out an entire colony. The AFB bacteria is probably present in most colonies, but a healthy colony can easily defend itself against it. A weak colony will soon be overrun and will certainly die. A colony kept by a neglectful beekeeper will eventually develop AFB and die,... but not before spreading the disease to other colonies, including wild colonies. And those colonies will spread it and also might die. And the AFB bacteria can survive in a dormant state for up to 35 years. An infected hive must be burned to ensure the bacteria is dead. AFB is only one of several diseases that your hive can develop, but it is the most devastating, for your bees AND your equipment.

This is why good beekeepers do regular hive inspections. It's the most important part of beekeeping. We're not just bothering the bees and looking at them because they're cool to watch. We're looking for signs of normal and abnormal behavior, any disease, or pest infestation. We're making sure that our beehive is healthy and if anything looks off, we jump in and fix the problem before it gets out of control. I'm still super new so I'm not anywhere near good at finding these things, but I am constantly learning and will get better.

Inspections aren't hard, and they don't take much time especially for the backyard beekeeper who has one or two hives. Even me and my inexperience, it only takes about 30 minutes to inspect from start to finish, and only once a week. But it does take a commitment to do it regularly and be prepared to act if you find a problem.

There are other things you need to be prepared for as well, such as preventing a swarm, particularly if you live in a residential area. You need to know when and why you should feed your bees, and when to NOT feed them. How should you prepare them for winter in your area? And you need to know what the local regulations are. For example, I can only have up to 3 hives on my property, and they have to be in a fenced area that isn't accessible to a passing pedestrian, and the location far enough away from the public school in my neighborhood.

Also you will likely have to have it professionally inspected annually and registered with your state agriculture department. My first appointment with my local inspector is tomorrow at 4:30, so long as it's not raining. Bees hate rain. More on how my inspection went, as soon as that happens.

So, if you too are thinking about starting a hive, I fully and whole heartedly encourage you to do it. It's fun and pretty much all kinds of awesome and I don't regret it one bit. You can certainly just jump right in and learn as you go, but have an idea of what you're getting into. Do some research, connect with your local beekeeping groups, meet your inspector.

Be a GOOD beekeeper. Do things for your bees. Watch them. Enjoy them. Learn from them. But most of all, protect them. 🐝