Set up your apiary right from the start.
£29
Where you put your hives matters more than most people realise. The right apiary makes beekeeping easier, safer, and more productive. The wrong one creates problems that follow you through every season. This module shows you how to find, set up, and maintain the ideal apiary.
- 15 detailed video lessons on apiary setup and management
- Practical guidance on location, hive stands, safety, and day-to-day maintenance
- Straight advice on where to buy your bees and what type of colony to start with
A well-set-up apiary is a pleasure to work. This module helps you get it right.
This module is part of the The 14-Day Beekeeper (£149). Only buy this individual module if you’re specifically interested in this subject, without the context of the full course.
Why Buy This Module?
The decisions you make before you get your first bees matter just as much as the ones you make afterwards.
- You’ll find the right location for your hives. Sun, shelter, water, access, neighbours—there are more factors than you might think. This module walks you through all of them so you can make a well-informed choice from the start.
- You’ll set up your apiary for safety and efficiency. Hive stands, spacing, entrances, what to keep on site—the practical details that make your inspections smoother and safer, and your apiary easier to maintain.
- You’ll understand entrance behaviour. Learning to read what’s happening at your hive entrance is one of the most valuable skills in beekeeping. This module shows you what normal looks like—and what it looks like when something’s wrong.
- You’ll get support. Got a question about your apiary setup? Reach out. We’re here to help you work through it.
Module Lessons
This module covers 15 specific topics. Each lesson gives you practical, experience-based guidance you can apply straight away.
1. What Is An Apiary?
A clear introduction to what an apiary is, what it involves, and what to think about before you set one up. The foundation for everything that follows in this module.
2. What Makes The Ideal Apiary
The characteristics of a good apiary location—sun exposure, shelter, access, water, distance from neighbours, and more. Know what you’re looking for before you commit.
3. How To Find The Perfect Apiary
Practical guidance on searching for and assessing potential apiary sites. What to look for, what to ask, and how to evaluate whether a location will work long-term.
4. Apiary Safety
How to keep yourself, your family, and your neighbours safe. Learn the safety practices that every beekeeper should follow from day one.
5. Hive Stands
Why hive stands matter, what the options are, and how to set them up correctly. A small decision that has a real impact on your back and your bees.
6. How Many Beehives Should You Have
The honest answer to a question every beginner asks. Learn how many colonies is sensible for a new beekeeper and how to think about scaling up over time.
7. Swarms, Packages or Nucs
The three ways to get your first bees. Understand the pros and cons of each option so you can make the right choice for your situation.
8. Where To Buy Your Bees
How to find reputable suppliers, what to look for, and what questions to ask before you commit. Getting this right saves a lot of heartache.
9. How To Set Up and Maintain An Apiary
Step-by-step guidance on getting your apiary set up correctly from the start—and how to keep it clean, tidy, and safe throughout the season.
10. The Well Maintained Apiary
What a properly maintained apiary looks like in practice. Learn the habits and routines that keep your apiary working well and looking professional.
11. What Should You Keep In The Apiary
The essential kit to have on site—what you need with you for every visit and what’s worth keeping permanently in the apiary.
12. Wax Scrap Bucket
Why a wax scrap bucket belongs in every apiary and how to use it effectively. A small habit that makes a real difference to hive hygiene.
13. How To Strim Around Beehives
The right way to manage vegetation around your hives without disturbing your bees or creating problems. Practical guidance for keeping your apiary tidy safely.
14. How To Move Bees Within The Apiary
Why you can’t just pick up a hive and move it a few feet—and the correct methods for repositioning colonies within your apiary without losing bees.
15. What Does Entrance Behaviour Look Like
How to read your hive entrance as a quick health check. Learn what normal activity looks like and what different patterns of entrance behaviour can tell you about what’s happening inside.
Part of the 14-Day Beekeeper
This Apiaries module is one of 14 modules in the The 14-Day Beekeeper—our complete training program with 300+ video lessons, the Beekeeping Blueprint system, and 12 months of HiveQ membership.
This is one of the earlier modules in the course and is suitable for beekeepers who are just getting started. Working through the full course gives you everything in context—from setting up your apiary through to advanced colony management and the Beekeeping Blueprint.
What students say
Learn why beekeepers choose us.Learned so much
was watching your videos long before you started 14DBK. Your simple method of getting the information across and genuine love of beekeeping shines through. My wife and I have now finished the course but are still learning so much from the HiveQ community. The ability to return to relevant modules at any time is an absolute blessing.
All anyone needs to start beekeeping
14DBK – Bought when it first launched and it’s been invaluable. Books, although valuable, lack the ability to watch someone actually do what they teach. 14DBK and the youtube channels new direction to education is all anyone needs to start beekeeping.
A reference library
I loved this course, as a new beekeeper it has been very helpful and we certainly be a reference library going forward that I can go back to time and again, I can fully recommend this for newbies and experienced beekeepers
A wealth of knowledge
Purchased the 14 day beekeeping course for my mum for christmas. She loved it! And we are excited to be going into 2026 with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of bees that we didnt have before.
Why Learn From Laurence?
Laurence Edwards has been teaching beekeeping for over a decade. His YouTube channel has helped hundreds of thousands of people start beekeeping with confidence, and his Beekeeping Blueprint system helped him increase his own honey yields by 400%.
This isn’t theory from a textbook. It’s practical, tested advice from someone who keeps bees every single day and has made every mistake so you don’t have to.
