In 2019, I (Rob) took a beekeeping class with the intention of getting bees that year. 6 years later, the apiary finally became a reality. I have been collecting equipment for a couple of months and today I picked up 4 packages of bees from Stonewall Apiary. A package is 3lb of bees, or about 10,000 bees. A typical hive will have up to 80,000 bees, but the number I hear most in New England is around 40,000. The picture shows a 5th hive on the stands which I have set up with the hopes of catching a swarm, or group of bees that left a previous hive. Up in the tree there is a smaller blue box which is a different swarm trap. If I get lucky, I’ll get some free bees.

In an average year, honey would be harvested twice (mid-summer and fall). However, when establishing new hives, a fall harvest is really the only option. So hopefully, I’ll be bottling honey this fall.