Helpful Bee Information
Bee Facts
How to Get Started
How to Get Started
- Approximately one third of the food we eat is the result of honey bee pollination.
- In their 6-8 week lifespan, a worker bee will fly the equivalent distance of 1 ½ times the circumference of the Earth
- The practice of beekeeping dates back at least 4,500 years.
- A single bee will produce only about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
How to Get Started
How to Get Started
How to Get Started
- Attend a Charleston Community Bee Garden seminar by clicking on the "calendar of events" tab to find an educational event near you to become South Carolina certified.
- Order a hive in January with the delivery set for early Spring.
- Set aside about $500 for the purchase of equipment, educational classes, and protective gear.
- Find a location to store your hive, close to water, nectar and pollen to produce honey. The Charleston Community Bee Garden is a great starting place.
Tools and Equipment Needed to Start Beekeeping
Tools and Equipment Needed to Start Beekeeping
Tools and Equipment Needed to Start Beekeeping
- Two, eight frame medium hive bodies
- Two, eight frame medium supers
- Wooden or screened bottom board
- Wooden inner cover
- Wooden telescoping cover
- Smoker
- Beetle blasters
- Hive tool
- Entrance feeder
- Protective clothing
- Epi-Pen
Foreign Insects to Bee-ware of in the Hive
Tools and Equipment Needed to Start Beekeeping
Tools and Equipment Needed to Start Beekeeping
Many animals love the taste and smell of honey, just like humans. Beware of various insect infestation risks such as:
- Varroa mites
- Small hive beetles
- Greater wax moths
- Others
Honey Bee Diseases Include:
- American Foulbrood
- Nosema
- Chalkbrood