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Beekeeper Joe is a lead instructor for Burgh Bees in Pittsburgh, PA.  He teaches the Burgh Bees Beginning Beekeeping Class, Beekeeping in the Classroom 101, which is offered twice a year.  For information about the next class visit the Burgh Bees website or contact Country Barn Farm.

Are you interested in seeing our hives? Take our Bee Tour. We have posted a photographically tour of our hives as well as a short video.

So you want to become a beekeeper. This is how you start:

• Take a beginners beekeeping course.
• Find a local mentor to help you learn the craft.
• Join the nearest beekeepers association.
• Register your hives with State Department of Agriculture.
• Take your time completing the initial steps. Do not get the bees and equipment first.
• Read our Suggested Beekeeping Calendar.

Recommended Equipment for the Beginning Beekeeper in the First Year

- Two complete Two-Story Hives
- Hive tool, 10"
- Smoker, 4" diameter (my Dad says the bigger, the better.).
- Veil and helmet, or a veil built into coverall or a jacket.
- Coveralls, unless purchased with the veil.

Click here for detailed information.

Beekeeper Joe is a beekeeping equipment dealer.  He became a beekeeping equipment dealer to help new beekeepers select quality equipment.  If you need equipment we either have it in stock or can order it for you.  We save beekeepers money by the most cost effective assortment of equipment needed to be successful. Please contact Country barn Farm for more information.

We developed an updated list of recommended supplies and estimated first year costs. You can download it by clicking on this link.

Are you interested in seeing our hives? Take our Bee Tour. We have posted a photographically tour of our hives as well as a short video.

Burgh Bees occassionally offers training classes. Check their site for the latest schedule.

NOTE: The sessions will be scheduled at area beekeepers’ apiaries or at the two apiaries Burgh Bees is establishing (with your help!) in Braddock and Hazelwood. The other dates are tentative because they’re dependent on weather and other constraints that come with working with bees. The apiary sessions will most likely be held in the afternoon, as that’s the best time to go into hives. We’ll do our best to work the schedule out with all of our participants!

Rules of thumb for urban beekeeping

• Keep only gentle colonies and employ good swarm management techniques.
• Keep no more than four hives on a property of 1/4 acre or less.
• All hives within 20 feet of a property line should have a solid fence or vegetative obstruction 5 feet or more in height between the hives and the property line.
• All hives within 30 feet of a public sidewalk or roadway should have a solid fence or dense vegetative obstruction or be elevated so as to direct the flight path of the bees well above traffic and pedestrians.
• An adequate supply of water should be provided by the property owner or beekeeper from March 1 to October 31. --From MAAREC

Urban beekeeping Resources

• Cohen, Stefanie. Beekeeping in the city: That urban buzz you hear is not just the local gossip.
• Stojnic, Niki. Buzz kill: Can urban beekeepers save the world? Whole Life Times, July 2007
• Todaro, Lenora. Hives among us.  Salon.com.  2007

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