Ok Iv always wanted to get some bees and produce my own honey. I have removed a few hives from peoples homes and got the honey out of them unfortunately i didn't save the hive.

My questions are. what do i need to start a hive, and how much work are they?

Oh boy, how time do you have?
Not for the bees, they're just a few hours a week, but for the what do I need to know. I'm nearly 40 years in bees and still learning.
Seriously though it's not that bad. If you've done a cut out or two your over the first hurdle, fear.
First, plan on two hives to start. Next read, books not the internet. First Lessons in Beekeeping by Dr Delaplane is a good place to start. It's somewhat see Jane run level but it's a start. Next determine if there's a local association in your area, probably is, there definitely a state association in your state. Get in touch with these folks they likely offer beginners classes and attend the meetings find a mentor you can talk to.
Then focus as much as possible on basic bee biology. The bees are hardwired to do their thing and we work with that rather than work against it.
Now the biggy. If you did all the above you're a beekeeper but your bees aren't out of danger yet. Varroa destructor is public enemy number one and will kill your bees within two to three years. Learn how to manage their numbers below a dangerous level. Now go back to the Internet and read www.scientificbeekeeping.com (all of it) to figure out how your going to do that.
Good luck.

Beesource.com is a good place to start reading and asking questions. YouTube can be too

It's an addiction just like trapping. A lot of fun as well ,can get expensive if you let it.
And like warrior said ,be sure to treat for mites, or you will lose your hives. Don't buy into the treatment free hippies idea.
Some knowledgeable guys on here can help too.
Good luck.

Oh and you need a couple brood chambers(boxes) with frames, and one or two more boxes for honey.
a smoker, and hive tool to pry the boxes apart to inspect.
Also a veil or jacket. It's no fun to get stung a lot.

Have you ever noticed that guys who talk about beekeeping drone on and on?

Beekeeping is a great supplement to trapping. A great way to lose money in another activity that takes a lot of work.

There are actually tons of great vids on YouTube on bee keeping. Randy Oliver, MIchael Palmer, Canadian bee keepers blog, UOG, are just a few.

There may also be classes in your area. I took a night course at a local college when I started. Some Universities also have bee labs along with classes.

I personally didn't get much out of the books, but I'm a visual learner. To each his own there.

BUT you are going to pay a LOT of money for that first bottle of honey...just know that.

All of the above.

I would say to go to a local bee club and just sit and listen. You'll be surprised at what you'll pick up.

The bees are more expensive than trapping.

Thank you all for your input. looks like i got lots of studying to do.

Now you done gone and said the F word.

That contraption is thoroughly despised among us old hands. It promotes a mindset of hands off beekeeping to neophytes who should be hands on learning at a time when bees are needing hands on attention for their survival.
It is flawed in concept as bees don't care for unnatural plastic, it will eventually cease to function and or break in normal use, provide harborage for bee parasites, promote neglect of basic bee husbandry.

It solves a problem that does not exist. A basic two frame extractor can be purchased for a c-note. And cut comb or crush and strain costs nothing. Besides most local associations have extraction equipment available on loan to their members.

Well said. The flow hive is a gimmick to get people into bee keeping under the ruse of being "easy". New bee keepers seem to buy them and once they learn how to keep bees, never use the Flow hive.

And don't get duped into the "Treatment free" scheme, either. Most bees need help ridding themselves of deadly mites.

Here's a clue. The Australian "inventers" of that design took a concept proposed by a Florida hobbiest beekeeper straight to crowdfunding after the Florida beekeeper gave up on his concept as unworkable. The "inventers" were not beekeepers nor did they work through any of the numerous international bee supply houses or manufacturers. Nor is that item carried by any reputable supply house.

Here's a clue. The Australian "inventers" of that design took a concept proposed by a Florida hobbiest beekeeper straight to crowdfunding after the Florida beekeeper gave up on his concept as unworkable. The "inventers" were not beekeepers nor did they work through any of the numerous international bee supply houses or manufacturers. Nor is that item carried by any reputable supply house.

Yet they somehow have made millions and not one commercial bee operation anywhere in the world uses that product.

My uncle taught me the basics back in the early 70s. I’m still using some of his hive bodies. I remember when a 3# package of Italians cost $16. Picked up some packages yesterday...$113.50 each.

Those Flow Hives are garbage. Sold mainly to folks who are afraid of their bees.

The amount of material on line and on YouTube is staggering. Can learn a lot looking at those sites. Stay away from the kooks with nutty ideas.

Learn to control mites and you’re half way home to being a successful beekeeper.

Good luck!

This is my second year. The good news is that you can get a couple of hives started this year and you won’t need to do much for them the first few months. Maybe feed them. I lost both of my hives last year to mites. My colonies seemed so strong by mid summer that I thought I was going to succeed my first year on beginners luck. By the end of the year both hives were dead. Looks to me like it’s nearly impossible to keep the colony alive without treatment. This year I will monitor my mite counts and most likely treat. My only frustration as a new bee keeper is that the more experienced people won’t come out and outline a treatment program that has been successful for them. Everyone just says to read up but won’t come out and say what they are doing. Regardless, pay attention to the mites.

The easiest way to control mites is with Formic acid....as in Mite Away Quick Strips. Oxalic acid is great also,..cheap...but there are limits to when it’ll be effective.

There...I just gave away all my mite control secrets Lol.

The rub of big strong hives is they often are mite factories since mites can only reproduce on bee larvae, more larvae equals more mites.

Because of that I key my treatments to those times the bees are gearing up to make larvae, late winter/early spring and late summer and am ready to cleanup treat early summer post main flow if numbers are high. Formic being temp sensitive is only safe here for the early treatment so the late treatment is thymol/apiguard or amitraz/apivar. I never use the same treatment twice in a row to avoid resistance. My results with oxalic (shop towel) have been mixed enough that I haven't pursued vaporization. If my hive count keeps growing I may need to go that route.

Oh here's a tip on MAQS. Since it's highly volatile it has a shelf life warning about storage temps and also the reason for the new formulation. Straight from a rep, freezer storage has no shelf life issues.

Thanks Brownie. I’m in the Midwest so flow is over in July. I’m thinking I’ll treat with strips or some other store bought chemical at the end of July. Probably do an OS drip in the fall. I also plan on doing some checks along the way to get a better understanding of my total mite count. I ended up with 3 hives this year so I want to keep those darn bugs alive!! I sure enjoy working them.

To the OP.....watch an experienced beekeeper and notice how deliberate but gentle they are. No smashed bees, no dropped frames, no pounding the lid off, etc.. I have found if I do a good job with the bees they are very gentle and I can work them in short sleeves and no gloves. I do usually wear a hood to avoid any stings in the face.

I am going in to my third spring and have lost two hives last year one at the beginning of spring it was a laying worker that I just got tired of wasting lava on and the other was the only package of bees I have bought. I had trouble the first year i had them, they were full of mites I hot that cleared up then last them to hive Beatles. All the nics I have bought or rised my self and only treat in early spring so far. I just can't beleave how lucky I have been with my bees they build up strong make a decent honey crop and are pleasant to have.

Well my joke about droning on must be rally bad because nobody mentioned getting it.

To the original poster, bees are amazing and fascinating. Since you are interested, try one hive starting small. Learning about the bees and recognizing their behaviors is just incredible. Opening a hive and seeing bees looking to see what is happening is a great revelation. They know their business better than we can. Have great fun.

If you send me a pm, I can set you up with some free and very good videos from a bee school.

Best wishes.

I now use two different types of Oxalic acid in my mix of treatments. This one is inexpensive and worked well for me last year. And you can buzz through a bunch of hives in no time.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...02672185E9698E8D43BC026721&FORM=VIRE

I also use Apivar in the spring (before a honey flow) and Formic pro when things warm up. Then Oxalic late fall before wintering. Not always necessary but many universities are now recommending 3 separate treatments per year.