Getting Your Bees

If you are going to order bees for a hive you need to place the order by mid-April at the very latest. Most apiaries are out of stock by early spring. It is best to order your bees now and have them sent in April (or around that time depending on your climate) (click here for a list of apiaries)

If you decide to get a feral swarm you can contact your local bee remover. Usually you can let the bee remover know that you are interested in a swarm and they will put you on a list. (Click here to see this page) To get a swarm, you have to be ready and on call. Typically the bee removers will put the swarm in a cardboard box which you can easily install in your hive. Or sometimes you will need to get the swarm yourself. Keep in mind that getting the bees yourself is really an amazing experience. (Click here to read about Will Dart capturing his first swarm)

In most cases, the cost of getting a swarm is either free (if you get them yourself) or somewhere between $20 and $30 (if the bee-removers get them get them for you). The swarming season is from April through June in most cold climates, although the majority of swarms occur from mid-April to mid-May. Be careful of getting a swarm late in June as they can have a hard time getting organized before winter because much of the heavy nectar flows are over. You can get a late swarm and feed them up, but it is best to get them earlier. (Warmer climates than Colorado might do ok with a late swarm). This being the case, you have the rest of April and then May to get your hive and bees, or you will have to wait until next year. We usually get your hive to you in a week, two weeks maximum, so you can plan on this timing from us.

If you miss the date to order from an apiary, and want to try to capture a swarm, here is the scoop. First, we have provided a basic list of exterminators and bee removers in different areas. (Click here to see the list). You can also go to the Yellow Pages for your area and look under "exterminators" and/or "bee removers" and call the business and see what they offer. If you find a good connection please e-mail us This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it the contact information and we will add it to our list
Click here to order your hive.

Hive Options

I thought a lot about how to make this easier for people to get a hive up and running, and I have decided to make the (BackYardHive plans available for download)if you are a do-it-yourself type and want to make your own hive. For another option, we also have made up a bunch of top bars and tried to get the cost to a minimum so that the top bars can be purchased separately (click here to shop for top bars). The top bars are very intricate and quite a time consuming process if you do not have the right tools. Additionally, the top bars are a critical aspect of the Top Bar Hive; the precision really encourages the bees to align the combs well. Comb alignment is important and will save the beekeeper a lot of hassle by not having to re-align the combs. It takes our builder about 5 hours to make a BackYardHive and I believe his hourly rate is worth every penny because of the craftsmanship. I like the fact that he will not "cut corners" (well, unless it is an octagonal table!). Our builder does not let anything out of his shop that he is not proud of, and we all feel proud of the hives we are making.

If you have any questions about this Top Bar method or the hive in particular, please let us know, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or (Ask a question) We really want to help you get up and running this season!