I have my bees fenced because of cattle on the property. I am wanting to expand the number of hives. Ideally I would use one long row of hives; however in my situation it might be better to have two rows of hives.
My question is: how far apart do the rows need to be so that while working one row of hives I am not standing in the flight path of the second row. I've seen pictures of apiaries and it looks to me that there might be 20 feet or more between rows.
Thanks
LB
On a busy day the traffic coming in is noticable for quite a ways. I wouldn't worry about it. Just leave enough room to mow if you need to and walk between them or drive between them.
Thank You sir - I appreciate the info
You could alway stagger the hives so the second row is in the gap of the first
my apiary at home has 2 rows about 4' apart. the rows face each other so i'm never in the flight path.
It's not a big deal. Leave enough room to work them. Imagine having a heavy super in your hands and walking - maybe 2' between?
How about facing in opposite directions, so you can work from behind on both rows?
Just as Dallas says, face the entrances outward and use the walkway in between the rows as your, out of their path work area. If you want to drive a gator or something, make the isle wide enough for that. Or even a truck.
I have always felt that foraging bees have no interest in stinging you. When I look at commercial set ups I see them fairly close so my guess is the only bees you have to look out for are the ones your are tearing their house apart. I could be wrong though.
They don't defend the "village," do they? They defend their own hut. Question: if I disturb bees in one of 10 hives in an apiary, do the bees in other hives attack me? What if a bee from hive A stings me. Do bees from hives B through Z come to attack as well? I have no experience here, so it's an honest question.
Seems to me an alarm pheromone should be a call to all bees to respond, like an SOS at sea, but I may be mistaken.
I dont think it matters much. Once the stings start, i have to walk far away. I have had them on me and going for reinforcements up to 100' away around trees. So, if you get one hive mad, can you skip it and go to the next. I think not. Even if the next hive isnt alarmed, the first is still on to you.
All hives are different. I have been stung before and not have the rest of the bees come after me. The furthest I have had to walk away is about 20 ft.
Quote from: rookie2531 on February 11, 2016, 06:08:06 PM
Just as Dallas says, face the entrances outward and use the walkway in between the rows as your, out of their path work area. If you want to drive a gator or something, make the isle wide enough for that. Or even a truck.
I am about to start my first hive this spring. The following question comes from being filled with "book learning" and no practical experience as yet. Hoping you can further my education.
Facing the entrances outward makes perfect, practical sense for a layout.
However, I keep reading about orientating the hive entrances to the southeast so the bees get started earlier in the morning. Obviously can't do that with 2 rows and entrances facing outwards. Is the orientation not really that important or only important up north in colder areas?
The bees will fly to the nectar source, if they leave the front entrance and have to fly around, or over the hive, they will.
I find that regardless which way I face the hives, they go to the available food source.
David
I think the orientation of the hive entrance is more about getting them up early and foraging faster early in the year....sun angle is lower in the sky in northern climes in winter and early spring and its still cool/cold....might make a difference as to how quick they get out and go about their business....but not sure it makes a huge difference just a long standing practice and if you can do it why not?....doesn't mean you have to abide by the orientation "guidelines" though.
Quote from: KeyLargoBees on February 12, 2016, 08:54:35 AM
might make a difference as to how quick they get out and go about their business..
It does up here. A field of blooms could have sun on it and produce nectar before the bees realize it is time to get it.
I was taught, and It has always been my belief that the first consideration of hive orientation is the prevailing winds. You want to turn the back of the hives to the wind so it wont be constantly blowing into the front entrance. In practising this, all hives will face the same direction. This might not factor in, in an apiary that is gets moved through out the year, but is certainly important for a permanent site.
As for the original question, I believe Mr Bush's response and the suggestion to stagger are correct. How you work your hive should also come in to consideration. I have the room so I use the "one row method" and have almost exclusively. First i rarely ware any protective clothing well working my bees. With a single row I can avoid being in front of the hives, out of the flight path and not raise the interest of the entrance guards. Secondly, during harvest i can drop the fence along the back of the row and have unhindered access to all colonies. I back the tractor up close and set up the blowing station near by . for me, this works best. double rows or scattered hives would require walking around one row, or taking down more fence or some other hindrances.
The bottom line is play around and find out what works best for you.
LK, Lot of good info. Here's my lay out. I have 8' long stands made out of 2x6s & 2.8s with 5 hives per stand. The hives are far enough apart to work, six inches or so between them. The middle one has more space on each side for frame rest. I'm getting away from the frame rest's and putting frames in a box with cover to prevent robbing. 3 stands face SE and one faces SW. This works for me, it may not work for others.