You’ll need:
Top Feeder – A gallon can with small holes in the cap that fits into a hole drilled into the hive’s cover, into which syrup (2 parts water and 1 part sugar) is poured. The syrup gives them the energy to build the wax honeycomb.
Spray bottle – Fill it with syrup. Do not reuse an older spray bottle if it has been used with other chemicals. Bees are very sensitive.
Queen Catcher – This makes catching the queen a lot gentler on her. No one wants a ticked off queen bee, especially a bee keeper. And I have to say, living in San Francisco, the term “queen catcher” conjures up many different images.
Bee Hives – Now the one place you don’t want to skimp on is hive boxes. Get a few, at least three, because you never know when you are going to need an extra one. But when you do, you need it immediately and not a moment later. So having a few on hand will save you a lot of grief in those moments.
Bottom board – wooden stand on which the hive rests. Set bottom board on bricks or concrete blocks to keep it off the ground.
Extractor – It would be nice to have one of these but they are quite pricy. I suggest you go in on one with other beekeepers in your area or see if you can rent one.
Queen Muff – Yes, I said muff. After catching the queen, put her in the muff and as to not worry about her flying off.
Bees – Obtaining bees is not necessarily easy but it is a lot easier than you think it will be. You can get them off of Craigslist or just check for bee forums in your area. Lot’s of beekeeping enthusiasts come across swarms they are always trying to unload. Of course, this requires some planning and a bit of serendipity as the perfect time for starting a hive is in the spring.
A common type and amount of bees to order is a 3 pound package with an Italian queen. For a few dollars extra, you can have your queen marked. It is a good idea to have your queen marked. Since they will come in the mail (yes, in the mail) you will want to notify your local post office about them.
There are three types of bees: the queen, the worker and the drone.
Queen bees – The queen’s sole purpose is to lay eggs, that is all she does. Heck, she doesn’t even feed herself. She is like some self-indulging Roman emperor, just lying around being fed grapes all day long by the worker bees. I mean, they do all the work! They even get rid of her waste (eww!). During the height of laying season, the queen can produce around 1000 eggs a day.
Worker bees – Worker bees are sterile female bees. And all they do, as their name implies, is work.
Drone bees – Guys, be thankful you are not a bee. Like most guys, all these bees do is eat and think about sex. Their job is to get jiggy with the queen, that is it. But it isn’t as sexy as it sounds. If a drone is lucky enough to mate, the queen bee rips out his sexual organs during coitus and stores the sperm for future use. He then falls to the ground and dies. If he isn’t fortunate to find a queen to mate with, the worker bees will force him out of the hive come winter, as he is no longer deemed useful.
Check out this very informative website for more info and instructions.
Do It And How 