Beginning Beekeeping Mentoring
Thank you for considering beginning beekeeping mentoring. Blossom Bees currently mentors two other people on a monthly basis as well as Westside Elementary School's students who have four hives on campus. The way it works is we visit the hive on your property and help you learn how to manage your bees one on one in a hands on way. Once you learn how to manage your first colony of bees, you will only need minimal assistance, and you can grow your apiary to as many hives as you would like. Your ultimate goal is to be a beeKEEPER, not a beeHAVEr.
Cost of Basic Beekeeping Equipment
The first step is to get your equipment. These are standard prices. The best way to get your first bee colony is to purchase a kit. Amazon has a basic kit for approximately $185, which is a 10 frame starter kit. It includes 1 assembled 10 frame deep brood box, 10 frames with waxed foundation, a bottom board, telescoping lid, a smoker, frame holder, uncapping knife, beekeeping brush, J hook, L hook, bee feeder frame, uncapping tool, queen cage, and smoker pellets. You will also need to purchase an adult beekeeping suit and these are approximately $40 on amazon. I recommend the full body suit and veil for beginners.
Cost of bees
Next, you will need to purchase bees. There are two ways to purchase honey bees.
Packages are approximately $125 and include a mated queen and a couple pounds of worker bees. These bees have to start from scratch within your hive to build their colony on blank foundation.
Nucs are approximately $165 and included a mated queen, a couple pounds of worker bees, a frame of honey, a frame of brood, and a frame of eggs.
Blossom Bees always recommends nucs are purchased because these bees have overwintered with their queen and have a jumpstart on packaged bees due to the supplies that come with them. We have a host of local reputable beekeepers to purchase nucs from for you.
Cost of Home Visits (recommended Monthly)
Having your mentor standing right next to you to answer questions and guide you as you inspect your own bees is priceless. Blossom Bees' fee for home visits to help you inspect your hives is $75 per visit (one hour) within a 40 mile radius of Valdosta. If you need assistance harvesting honey, it is $60 per hour (maximum of 3 hours). Blossom Bees has extracting equipment that you may rent for $75, or you may purchase your own.
The best time to start beekeeping is March after most of the cold has passed and just before the first nectar flow starts. If you start in the late summer or fall, you'll have to feed your bees all winter. Blossom Bees will do home visits as often or as little as you like. But, if you want to be put on the preorder list for a nuc of bees, let us know ASAP via email or phone. Blossombees34@gmail.com or 229-563-3050.