We began exploring the concept of beekeeping only recently, but quickly discovered the great wealth of information concerning beekeeping that is available online. A good starting point for learning about bees is http://www.beemaster.com/honeybee/beehom... which presents an entry level beekeeping course with pictures, links, and information about what is entailed in the enterprise. More detailed information is contained in the abstract of Beekeeping in the Midwest, a book available for about $3.00, or free online: http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~vista/abstracts/... While the book is available online, it is inexpensive to purchase, and we have already found the book form to be quite useful in looking up answers to our many questions. Another helpful site has been the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research And Extension Consortium at http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/Beeinfoindex.h...
A major concern of mine is to produce food without using poisons. Like any other livestock, bees are subject to certain illnesses and problems. I have begun researching organic treatments for their various problems. I found what appears to be some promising research regarding the natural treatment of mites in honeybees: http://rnoel.virtualave.net/2000/index.h... This research suggests using mite screens, grease patties, and essential oils to help prevent mite infections, and we intend to follow this course of prevention with our bees. For foulbrood, one can do what people did before antibiotics (and antibiotic resistant foulbrood): inspect hives, never exchange equipment that is not scrupulously clean, scrupulously clean feeding equipment, avoid open feeding, and select for resistance amongst bees. For more on the issue, see: http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~mts/apishtm/api...
The equipment needs for beginning in beekeeping are not great. A hive is obviously needed, generally consisting of a bottom board, two deep brood chambers, an excluder, two to four shallow hive bodies (also called supers), and a cover. The starting tools are quite simple: a bee brush, hive tool, and smoker. While some brave people handle their bees without special protective gear, those like me with less courage will probably want a helmet, veil, jacket, and gloves. There are a number of equipment suppliers, including Dadant, Inc. http://dadant.com/ and Bee-Commerce.com http://bee-commerce.com/ among many others.
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