Ordering bees for the first time is exciting—because it feels like your beekeeping journey is finally “real.” But it can also feel confusing. You see different bee types, different pickup dates, and extra options that you don’t fully understand yet. That’s where most beginner mistakes happen: people rush, guess, or wait too long, and then their first season becomes harder than it needs to be. Since, Meyer Bees lays out their package options and pickup process clearly, it’s easier to order with confidence and avoid the common rookie slip-ups. Understand What A Bee Package Really Is A honey bee package is a starter colony. It’s a screened box of worker bees with a queen kept safely in her own cage. The package also includes food for travel. The goal is simple: you take the bees home and install them into your hive so they can start building and growing right away. Beginners often make a mistake here by ordering without reading what the product includes or how it’s meant to be received. T...
Beekeeping in the Chicago region brings excitement, unpredictability, and a front-row seat to the rhythms of Midwest seasons. Every shift in temperature and nectar flow changes how local colonies behave, and those changes influence how beekeepers plan extraction. Within the first steps of each season, many apiaries turn to honey extraction services in Chicago and explore the benefits of beekeeping honey extraction to streamline their yearly workflow and better understand their bees’ natural cycles. Understanding Seasonal Cycles Before Extraction Begins Chicago’s rapidly shifting weather patterns encourage beekeepers to study their colonies closely. Nectar availability rises and falls throughout the year, and colonies respond by adjusting brood production, honey storage, and foraging distance. Because of this constant movement, beginners and intermediates benefit from learning how each season shapes their extraction plan. Apiaries across the region often reference beekeeping honey extr...