From catching a swarm to buying bees, Claire Waring looks at how you can obtain your first colony and become a beekeeper.
This is one of the most exciting parts of becoming a beekeeper. You have done the preparation and now you are going to get your bees and finally start beekeeping. So, how can you acquire bees? You can buy them or get them free by catching a swarm.
CATCHING A SWARM
While the swarm option sounds like a great idea, it is not without its risks. Firstly, there is actually catching it. When a swarm leaves the hive, it will cluster together nearby. I always think of it as pausing to make sure everyone is present and correct. It will then fly off to occupy its chosen cavity and establish the new nest.
The best time for a beekeeper to intervene in this process is when the bees are clustering. The classic swarm hangs neatly from a branch at around head height. It can then be knocked off into a skep or other container and taken to the apiary. Here it is put into a hive. It settles down and all is well.
That’s the classic swarm. However, bees will be bees so there are great variations on this theme. The cluster can be low to the ground or high up in a tree. It can be spread out over (and inside) a hedge. I have collected swarms from under the wheel arch of a car and down a road drain! If you want to collect a swarm, I would take an experienced beekeeper with you, at least for the first couple of times.
The other drawback to a swarm is that you don’t know if the bees are carrying a disease and you have no idea of their temperament or propensity to swarm. Bad tempered bees spoil the pleasure of beekeeping and really swarmy bees are a pain to deal with and are unlikely to give you a very good crop of honey.
If you do start with a swarm, keep it away from any other colonies you may have acquired for at least a month so that you can then inspect the full brood cycle for disease and can assess the bees’ temperament. The plus side of a swarm is that it is free and probably a local strain suited tot he area.
Picture caption: Bees swarming
This article extract was taken from the Spring 2025 edition of The Country Smallholder. To read the article in full, with more information on how to get you bees, you can buy the issue here.
