So, you want to be a beekeeper? Brock Harpur, a Purdue University entomologist, and Gary Keesling, owner of Pappaw’s Hunny Farm, Hagerstown, Ind., offer the following advice:

1. Learn. It’s important to learn about bees. Get a beginner beekeeping book, watch YouTube videos and familiarize yourself with the equipment. “If you plan to start beekeeping in the spring, then spend the winter learning as much as you can,” Keesling says.

Harpur gained a lot of his knowledge about honeybees as an apprentice beekeeper. He helped manage colonies with a family friend, which allowed him to be confident in starting his own honeybee venture.

2. Find an area beekeeping club. Indiana has 30 beekeeping clubs. Beekeepers of Indiana has a curated list of each club and how to get in contact with them.

3. Order honeybees early. Harpur says there are various ways to buy honeybees. One option is ordering a package of roughly 10,000 bees. The queen is packaged separately. A tricky part is introducing the queen to the rest of the bees. Your research and local club connection can come in handy.

You can also purchase a “nuc,” which is a nucleus colony with an established group of a few thousand honeybees and a queen. Keesling explains that nucs are sometimes an easier way to manage a new business since the smaller colony is established with an accepted queen. Place your bee orders in January or February, because they sell out quickly. 

The third way is to obtain a colony split from another beekeeper. The original beekeeper would keep the half that is queen-less but that has eggs, so the new hive can create another queen.

4. Buy quality equipment. There are several online businesses where you can purchase beekeeping clothing, equipment and woodenware. The costs of hives differ depending on what you choose. Your connection with your club can help you learn what woodenware is best for you. Keesling stresses that you will want to invest in the equipment that will keep you safe and reduce the amount of times you get stung.

5. Prepare so bees will survive winter. Once goldenrod is gone, there’s no more nectar source for honeybees during winter. Keesling says many bees die in March because they run out of food. One way to prevent this is to provide sugar water that consists of two parts sugar, one part water.

“Monitoring varroa mite levels is probably the most important thing you can do,” Harpur says. Treat for these parasites when they reach the threshold level of your area.

Another key component is creating ventilation. Honeybees breathe just like humans, so in the winter they create condensation. This drops water back down on the bees, and they can freeze to death. Add an entrance reducer to create some air circulation.

Consider installing mouse guards. Mice will try to find a warm place for winter. Since honeybees cluster together to stay warm by moving their wing muscles, there is room for mice to make a home in your hives. Mice can destroy the inside of a hive.

Read more about what it takes to start beekeeping in this related story.

Combs is a senior in agricultural communication and agribusiness management at Purdue University.