The easiest, and sometimes the best, way to start keeping bees is to buy two established colonies, such as Blossomland's starter colonies (nucs). Buying two colonies instead of one lets you interchange frames of brood and honey if one colony becomes weaker than the other and needs a boost. Before buying, arrange to inspect the colonies. Buy bees in standard equipment only. Competent beekeepers usually have one or two hive bodies on the bottom board with shallower honey supers above. Question the seller if supers are arranged differently. The condition of the equipment may reflect the care the bees have received, so be suspicious of colonies in rotten, unpainted wood. Once the colony is opened, the bees should be calm and numerous enough that they fill most of the spaces between combs.

Be sure each super has at least nine frames of comb. Inspect combs in the deep supers for brood quality. Capped brood is tan - brown in color. A good queen will have at least five or six combs of brood, and she will lay eggs in a solid pattern so that there are few skipped cells.

Another way to get started is by finding and installing swarms. Sometimes swarms cluster on accessible places such as low tree branches, and property owners are usually eager for a beekeeper to remove them. If you find a safely accessible swarm, get a five-gallon plastic bucket with some kind of perforated cover such as window screening. Spray the swarm heavily with sugar syrup, place the bucket underneath it then give the branch a sharp shake to dislodge bees into the bucket. Cover the bucket and install the swarm in a hive as you would package bees (except for the steps on installing a caged queen). If the swarm is in the vicinity of your apiary, remove the branch containing the swarm and shake the swarm in front of an empty hive. The swarm will enter the empty hive and establish their new colony. If you are from SW Michigan, Blossomland will put your name on a list of beekeepers for referral for swarm calls otherwise your county Extension agent or fire department will be glad to take your name as a referral for swarm calls.