So about 10 miles from my home is about 600 acres of undeveloped commercial property just covered with dense yellow clover that has been repossessed by an out of town bank. Land is completely vacant and unkept. Can't get anywhere with the bank and have talked to everybody within a mile trying to get permission to move a couple dozen hives over there with no luck.
The land is hilly and isolated, pretty sure I can slip my hives in there for a couple of months with nobody the wiser that they are there. There are no other beekeepers around.
Would you risk it?
NO!
Many, many years ago, I wanted to put hives on an old orange/lemon orchard that was abandoned as it was being held for redevelopment by rapacious real estate types. I didn't get past the secretary. So I just moved in. Four times a year, I would send the real estate holding company a yard "rental" check (for a pittance) with an official looking invoice ticket. They were cashed promptly, and a receipt mailed back. After a year, I walked into the office with a jar of honey. The secretary said, "We're changing locks, you'll want a new key, here's the new combo."
Couldn't do that today. My advice would be to canvas the neighbors, likely more than one of them is upset by the loss of farmland, and would welcome your hives. The bee's can fly over the fence and forage to their hemolymph's content.
Quote from: JWChesnut on June 10, 2013, 11:43:42 AM
Many, many years ago, I wanted to put hives on an old orange/lemon orchard that was abandoned as it was being held for redevelopment by rapacious real estate types. I didn't get past the secretary. So I just moved in. Four times a year, I would send the real estate holding company a yard "rental" check (for a pittance) with an official looking invoice ticket. They were cashed promptly, and a receipt mailed back. After a year, I walked into the office with a jar of honey. The secretary said, "We're changing locks, you'll want a new key, here's the new combo."
Couldn't do that today. My advice would be to canvas the neighbors, likely more than one of them is upset by the loss of farmland, and would welcome your hives. The bee's can fly over the fence and forage to their hemolymph's content.
I was going to say the same thing, if you can't get anywhere with the bank, talk to a neighbor.