Getting Started
Everything to know and have before your first hive.
Is beekeeping right for you?
The time, cost, space, neighbour, health and legal questions to work through before you buy a hive or your first bees in Australia.
Registering your hives, by state
Every Australian state and territory requires beekeepers to register. This page summarises who registers you, what it costs and how long it lasts.
Choosing a hive
The main hive types used in Australia (Langstroth, Flow Hive, top bar and Warré), the rule that every hive must allow inspection, and how they compare.
What you need to start
The protective gear, tools, hive parts and safety items to have ready before your bees arrive, and what can wait until later.
Getting bees
The main ways to start with bees in Australia (nucs, packages, established hives and swarms), what to check before buying, and how to move bees legally.
Your first inspection
A step-by-step guide to opening a hive for the first time: timing, smoke, handling frames, what to look for and how to record it.
Your first year, season by season
What a new colony does through its first twelve months in Australia, and what you should do in spring, summer, autumn and winter.