Chapter 1: Choosing your first hive
A small garden can hold a healthy colony, as long as the hive faces the morning sun and has a clear flight path above the fence line. Before you buy anything, walk the garden at three different times of day and note where the shade falls.
Most beginners start with a Langstroth or a top-bar hive. The Langstroth is standard, so equipment is easy to find and swap. The top-bar is gentler on the back and needs fewer boxes to lift.
Whichever you choose, set it on a level stand about forty centimetres off the ground, tilted slightly forward so rain runs out of the entrance rather than in.