Beekeeping 101: A Basic Overview

(Information in this article reflects the highlights from a presentation by Dr. Jon Zawislak with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service at the Central Arkansas Homesteading Conference in Conway, Arkansas on April 18, 2026. We have included links at the end of this article to some very informative digital publications and videos for beekeepers offered by the Extension Service).

Beekeeping can be a hobby for beginners or can be scaled up to include potential business applications. Regardless of scale or intent, anyone thinking about getting bees should carefully consider the investment in both time and equipment costs to decide if beekeeping is right for you.

What do you need to keep bees?

• Honey Bees
• Bee Hive
• Protective Clothing
• Smoker
• Hive Tools

Honey Bees

There are different ways to receive honey bees needed to start a hive. How bees are obtained will depend on the experience of the beekeeper, cost, and ease of maintenance.

• Packaged Bees – order online (3 lbs. currently cost around $225)
• Split an existing hive
• Swarms (caught in spring)

Bee Hive

Hives come in several shapes, sizes and types. Consider the weight of a hive and ease of taking apart when purchasing.

• Langstroth Hive – This most common type of hive consists of square wooden boxes. The “brood” box is on the bottom and that’s where the queen lays eggs and worker bees raise young. The top box is called a “super” where the honey is stored.
• Top Bar Hive – Trough-type hive that has a top bar approximately 1-3/8 inches wide, matching the natural thickness of honeybee comb plus a 3/8-inch “bee space.”
• Warre` Hive – This is a vertical top-bar hive developed by Abbé Émile Warré designed to mimic the environment of a hollow tree. Wire is used to cut the honeycomb.

Protective Clothing

• Veil
• Gloves
• Jacket/Overalls

Smoker

Bees communicate through chemicals called phermones that the bees produce when stressed or threatened. Smoke masks the phermone signal to keep the bees from becoming alarmed and aggressive.

Hive Tools

Hive tools are used to break away and scrape the “propolis” that can bind the boxes together. Propolis is a natural, resinous mixture created by honeybees to seal and protect their hives. The boxes making up the hive are often stuck together with propolis, forcing beekeepers to pry the boxes apart to harvest honey or inspect hives. Pry tools and a brush are often used to do this. Zawislak mentioned Bemis (Little Rock) and A Bees Closet (Conway) as two Central Arkansas locations for bee tools.

Extraction Tools

Additional tools for extracting the honey are also needed:

• Extractor tank $400 minimum 
• Uncapping tank
• Uncapping knob
• Strainer
• Extractor
• Settling tank

The cost of the extraction equipment can be offset by joining a local bee club or organization to share or rent equipment. The Arkansas Beekeepers Association is a good source of information for local clubs. They can be contacted at arbeekeeper.org.

Registering Hives

The law requires that all the bee yards in Arkansas be registered with the Arkansas Department of agricultural state plant board APR section. It is a one page form and it’s free. All new big keepers should consult local regulations, municipal codes, and property owners association rules.

Products From Your Bee Hive

Multiple products can be harvested from a beehive.

• Honey
• Beeswax
• Pollen
• Propolis ((renowned for its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties)
• Bees
• New queens

New beekeepers should expect to invest around $800 in upfront cost to get started.

Additional information is available from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service at the following link: Arkansas Beekeeping | Honey Bee Hives, Swarms, Plants, Pests, Diseases

Other beekeeping resources available through the UA Cooperative Extension Service:

Bee Class – Whether you’re new to beekeeping or looking for a refresher course, check out this free beekeeping short course: uaex.uada.edu/bee-class

Digital Beekeeping Publications – Download the free digital copies or order printed versions: uaex.uada.edu/bee-pubs

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