As interest in urban farming and homesteading grows, more and more people are looking into beekeeping. With proper setup and care, it’s entirely possible to keep a small honey bee colony right at home. An in-home beehive can provide homeowners with their own fresh honey, wax, and the benefits of local pollination.
If you’re new to apiculture, having an indoor beehive may seem daunting But with the right hive plans and equipment, it can be simple and rewarding Follow this beginner’s guide to learn everything you need to know to get started with an indoor beehive.
Choosing a Location for Your Indoor Beehive
When siting an indoor beehive, your first consideration should be the flight path of the bees. Honey bees need to be able to come and go from the hive easily when foraging and swarming.
Ideally, choose a spot with a clear flight path leading directly outdoors. South-facing entrances are preferable as they get more warmth from the sun. Avoid placing the hive near doorways, walkways or other high-traffic areas.
Good locations for in-home bee hives include:
- Porch or balcony with a safety railing
- Shed or workshop
- Garage, carport or breezeway
- Enclosed patio or sunroom
- Attic with exterior access
If needed, you can devise a “bee tunnel” between the hive and outdoors using plastic piping or screening. This keeps the bees contained while allowing entry/exit. Just make sure to provide adequate ventilation.
Constructing a Langstroth, Top Bar or Other Indoor Hive
You’ll need to construct or purchase a beehive suited for indoor use. Hive plans typically fall into a few main types:
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Langstroth hive – Stackable boxes used by large-scale beekeepers. Heavy to lift when full of honey.
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Top bar hive – A simple, horizontal hive that’s very DIY friendly. More maintenance than a Langstroth.
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Warre hive – A compromise between Langstroth and top bar hives. Medium weight and easy to use.
For small-scale home beekeeping, a top bar or Warre hive is often the best choice. Plans for building your own hive are widely available online. You can also buy pre-made hives from apiculture suppliers.
Make sure to choose hive materials and treatments safe for indoor use Avoid chemical wood preservatives Beeswax or food-safe finishes like mineral oil give natural waterproofing,
Acquiring Your First Bee Colony
Once your hive is ready, it’s time to get bees! You essentially have two options for obtaining honey bees:
1 Purchasing a nucleus colony
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Buy a “nuc” from a local beekeeper. Contains 3-5 frames of bees, a mated queen, and brood.
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Lets you start bees anytime in the growing season.
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More expensive initially but lower risk of failure.
2. Installing a bee package
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Order a 2-3 lb. package of worker bees plus a queen.
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Shake bees into hive and let them build comb naturally.
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Only available early in spring. Greater chance of colony loss.
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Cheaper upfront cost.
Either way, be sure your bees come from a reputable, disease-free source. Pick up bees locally if possible.
Caring for Your Indoor Bees
Once your bees are installed, normal hive care applies:
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Feed bees sugar syrup until they build comb and begin foraging.
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Check for diseases and parasites. Be vigilant for hive beetles, varroa mites, etc.
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Add boxes (“supers”) as the colony expands. Make sure they don’t run out of space.
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Harvest excess honey frames by late summer. Leave enough for the bees to overwinter.
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Reduce and consolidate the hive for winter. Remove empty boxes and fill voids with insulation. Apply any needed pest treatments.
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Resume inspections and maintenance in spring as bees become active again. Watch for swarm preparations.
Maximizing Success with an In-Home Apiary
Follow this advice to help your indoor bees thrive:
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Give bees a nearby water source like a bird bath or fountain.
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Ensure adequate ventilation and shade if hiving on a hot patio.
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Limit hive inspections to sunny days when bees are out foraging.
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Use smoke sparingly when opening the hive. Too much agitates confined bees.
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Place a sheet or barrier under the hive to catch debris. Keep your space clean.
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Educate housemates about hive activity to avoid panic. Assure them the bees are gentle.
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Contact a mentor or local beekeeping group for advice managing indoor colonies.
Is an In-Home Hive Right for You?
Before diving into indoor beekeeping, carefully consider the commitment required. Hive maintenance takes time and some expenses. You’ll need to accommodate the bees as housemates. And stings come with the territory.
However, the rewards of having a personal honey bee colony and helping local pollinators make it worthwhile for many urban and backyard farmers. With the right setup and care, bees can be safely and successfully kept inside the home.
If this beginner’s guide has you ready to try your hand at indoor beekeeping, start researching plans for your ideal beehive. Then find a reputable supplier for purchasing bees locally. With adequate space, safe management practices, and patience, you’ll be harvesting homegrown honey from your own in-home apiary.
Dreaming of living with bees
For the past few years, I have dreamed of living with bees closer than my yard. I imagined and tried a few horrible indoor colonies with bees that didn’t work, and they didn’t work when I brought them inside either. I call this my “bee hospice phase. ”.
Then I got the notion to simply put them in my walls, an idea probably sparked by my obsession with my friend Jacqueline’s wall hive that has been living in the brick walls of her hallway for more years than she remembers. Her hive has no inside access or viewport, but you can hear the bees humming through the wood paneling.
For that reason, I hired two young carpenters last winter to remove the sheetrock and insulation from the wall by the window in my bedroom. On the outside of the wall, they made a hole an inch wide that could fit a three-inch piece of bamboo. This way, the bees could enter and leave the building from the outside.
Inside, the fellows cleaned the cavity down to its original 1930s wood and shingling. We put up plexiglass with a small door at the bottom so I can feed the bees if I need to. Over the plexiglass, I placed a light-proof, thick quilting so the bees can work in darkness and privacy.
An old tradition of indoor hives
Unbeknownst to me, I was following a tradition in place through all antiquity. Bees were regularly placed in house- and barn-walls throughout the ages with construction usually made of stone. A hollow was made in soft stone. This hollow was often covered with a piece of wood that would act as a door to the hive. These doors were set either on the outside or inside wall of the house. In old writings, it was said that bees did best in wall hives. This was likely because old stone, brick, or adobe-comb homes were warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
The average wall thickness of homes at that time was 12 inches wide, 17 inches tall, and 9 inches deep. These wall hives were about the same size. Honey and wax for family use could be easily cut by opening the access door.
My Valentine hive (I name all my hives) is 11-inches wide, 54-inches tall, and 3.75-inches deep for a total volume of 36.5-liters. This size is one Tom Seeley recommends for hives as he has proven that small hives survive better on average than large ones.
Like my unknown ancestors, I populated Valentine with a small cast swarm in spring 2018. I caught the original swarm in a pillowcase and planned to “pour” the bees out through a small hole in the bottom corner of the pillowcase. Don’t try this. Ever. Bees do not like to be shaken off of fabric. They stick to it and won’t move for hours. Ask me how I know this. No, actually, don’t ask. The memory is too embarrassing.
I put that swarm of bees in a big skep by cutting the pillowcase open and letting the bees spread out and march into the skep. They did this as soon as they saw the light of day.
Clearly, I would have to invent another way to invite bees into the wall. I put a small, slippery plastic bin on one end and attached a plastic funnel with a bendable nozzle that fit perfectly into the opening of the bamboo tube. Then I waited for another swarm to come.
It worked like a charm, with bees marching into the hive two-by-two for the next four hours. I forgot all about what was going on inside because I was so interested in the marching bees outside (which I watched through a screen cut into the plastic bin).
HOW TO START BEEKEEPING for the Absolute Beginner | Become a Beekeeper | Beekeeping 101
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