I live on 3 acres and am getting 2 hives in april. I was wondering if yal could tell me some do's and don'ts about hive placement. I keep walking around my yard thinking of where might be a good place to put them but thought I would ask yals educated oppinions. Thank's, Brad
Placing hives protected from wind, facing morning sun, under afternoon shade if it's hot in summer, and on a stand that is 18 inches high is nice.
Protection from wind is about the biggest thing to worry about, especially in winter.
Morning sun gets the girls warmed up and working early, and is especially nice in winter.
Afternoon shade is nice for hot summer days to help them keep the temps down in the broodnest.
Placing them on a stand up off ground is nice for your back and helps protect from skunks.
Good advice from Ray. Let me add, think about access. How easily can you get to the hives? One honey-filled shallow super is about 40 lbs. Add 10 lbs if you have mediums. How far to do you want to carry those?
Also, think about visibility. Many beeks don't want their hives visible from the street. On the other hand, I like having my hives visible from the house, where I can look out a back window and keep an eye on them.
Another thing to consider is the ground itself. I built some nice stands with 2 x 4 legs. Put about 8 hives on it and didn't realize the ground was a little soft in this area after a bunch of rain. Needless to say I have to move the hives to a different type stand and slightly different area.
Stands I use now are 4 x 4's through cinder blocks. This is a good set up and an easy, quick set up. You don't want your hives too high from the ground either or you'll be working them from a ladder.(http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/2113/cimg2685.th.jpg) (http://img102.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2685.jpg)
...JP
Also away from loose leaf matter and in the sun, if SHB are a problem in your area!!!
JP, I really like your cinder block/4x4 setup. I currently have my hives on cinderblocks, but it is not easy to keep things neat under the hives. Your apiary looks very orderly! One question though: do you have any trouble with the wood warping and bowing under the weight and weather conditions over time? I may think about doing something like this, just with angle iron. Or I could just make a long table with bottom boards built in. Going to foundationless, I am having to think more about the hives being level, and it is easier to level one long stand than multiple hives on cinderblocks that will invariably sink and shift over time.
justgojumpit
Full sun if possible and early sun. Full sun definately helps with SHB and early sun means the bees have more flying time.
Just go, I use treated 4 x 4's, they're pretty sturdy, haven't run into any warpage issues at all.
...JP