Wind breaks!

beeginner · January 22, 2008, 06:21:13 PM

What makes good wind breaks? Im thinking about planting some kind of flowering shrubs for a wind break. But i've got to wach out what I plant sence my horse and 6 other Horses are right on the fence line where I want to plant!

I don't want to make any of them sick. 2 weeks ago my horse was down so I had to walk him for about a day and it was 17deg out :(, that way he woud not roll and twist a gut n kill him. So he go into something that he is not so post to eat!

annette · January 22, 2008, 06:37:08 PM

I used haystacks last winter and that seemed fine. They fall apart slowly, and this winter I did not have anything.

rdy-b · January 22, 2008, 07:28:40 PM

RDY-B

randydrivesabus · January 22, 2008, 08:00:02 PM

a fence could be a good windbreak of course depending on what kind of fence it is.

Michael Bush · January 22, 2008, 08:52:25 PM

CanÅ¡aÅ¡a (Red Red Tree) is nice. Or as you call it, Red Osier Dogwood. Makes a pretty hedge that is bright red in the winter, blooms with pretty white flowers in the spring and you can make Canli out of it (Lakota tobacco).

But many things will make a nice flowering hedge to block the wind.

johnnybigfish · January 22, 2008, 11:05:48 PM

I piled up broken limbs and logs about 10 ft behind my hives.It was about 12 feet high!..By the end of summer though, my hives were taller than the windbreak!!...All the limbs and branches settled down to about 18 inches high. I'll build it highr this spring and summer!

your friend,
john

BenC · January 22, 2008, 11:38:04 PM

Rose of Sharon, Hybiscus syriacus. A nice flowering shrub. Started from cuttings or seeds it's winter hardy just about anywhere after it's 2nd year. Grows relatively quickly, shouldn't :? be bad for horsies. Concerning windbreaks, I think it's neat how a row of corn, or even a row of apple trees will blow right down, but plant them in a field, many rows deep and nothing blows down, not even the perimeter. Rather than the plant yielding, the air yields, going up and over. Makes me think the best windbreak for beehives might be another row of beehives :-D

beeginner · January 23, 2008, 01:17:03 AM

The land by us has lots of rocks!! but they don't call it stone countey for nothing lol Lot of rock farmers!!! In its really sandey so its kind of hard to get a lot of stuff to grow!! If I have to I'll get the plow on my 1950 farmall cub tractor and put lime and all that good stuff in the ground where I want to plant what ever!

Just so many things to pick from!!!

Theres only 2 hives RIGHT NOW lol as last year being my frist year. This year i'll have 10. SO there will be more rows!!! :-D

I'll see if I can get a photo to show you all what the lot looks like! Its really my friends land but I have the run of it so I took hafe the lot up for my hives and have it fixed where the horses can get in to part of the lot but not by my hives!!

There is about 30 old tires by the barn so I'll just lay them on the ground where I want to place my hives at to show ever one!! see what ya think! LOL got to use what I have!!

xC0000005 · January 23, 2008, 01:31:58 AM

Ground cover cloth works pretty well - wind still gets through but it acts as a baffle.

randydrivesabus · January 23, 2008, 06:43:29 AM

i've been told that I break wind excessively.

CBEE · January 23, 2008, 07:49:14 AM

Jonnybigfish.. you building a wind break or a beaver dam :-D

Cindi · January 23, 2008, 10:22:32 AM

RDY-B. I loved that picture of the colonies. Yes, those trees and tracks were certainly make the best wind break of all time. I love to see these pictures.

I posted this following thread in another post and I am going to recommend that this post be resurrected so that we can all show everyone how our bee yards are laid out, and any changes from last year.

Do you think this is a good idea? The resurrection of the bee yard layout thread, hmmmm...tell the truth!!! Have an awesome day, Cindi

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=6865.0

Burl · January 23, 2008, 11:04:54 AM

Beeginner , I built a windbreak/snowfence out of slab wood ( bark on one side boards ). Can be had for free at many sawmills . Six ft. high 2-3 inch gaps between slabs ,posts 8ft apart. It's much like a picket fence and it even camoflauges my beeyard a bit too . I would be reluctant to use tires as they might provide housing for predators , mice , hornets , wasps.
I'm too tired to be offensive ---Burl--- that's my defence .

beeginner · January 23, 2008, 07:31:49 PM

Quote from: Burl on January 23, 2008, 11:04:54 AM
Beeginner , I built a windbreak/snowfence out of slab wood ( bark on one side boards ). Can be had for free at many sawmills . Six ft. high 2-3 inch gaps between slabs ,posts 8ft apart. It's much like a picket fence and it even camoflauges my beeyard a bit too . I would be reluctant to use tires as they might provide housing for predators , mice , hornets , wasps.
I'm too tired to be offensive ---Burl--- that's my defence .

NO NO No ya got it wrong!!!! I was trying to say I woud lay some tires out where my hives are going to go when I get more. I've got some nice 5x5 treated post that my dad and I was useing to make a house for my nice restored truck! There about 3 5 feet long! Sense im a farm hand and all way puting up new fence I have a bunch of cut off post thats 3 4inchs round! So they can be the legs that way I can put them in a coffee can with some oil.

You had a good idea about the wood!! I can get truck loads of that!!! My cuz has a loging place about 15 miles from are house!! Then one of my friend's does some logging!

This is the photo of the hives! http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb316/Carson946/Picture.jpg

That lot is a bit biger but my cam went dead :-x I've got a road where im standing at, So I can open the gate and drive in to unload the hives then pull to the right on the left side of the barn and out on the main road, So that lot works kind of good even tho its not the best place for hives.

There faceing the south east! I did not use tires sense I did not wanna drag them out! So I use rocks!! 4 on the west side I want 3 where my hives are now, Then 4 faceing the cam!! At lest I wont have to many faceing the same way lol.

What woud you put on that fence line for a wind break? Most of the wind is from the northwest this time of year! Spring and summer the wind if from the south west!
I don't need to fool with the south sense its just about all trees where im standing at takeing the photo.

rdy-b · January 23, 2008, 09:58:45 PM

Quote from: Cindi on January 23, 2008, 10:22:32 AM
RDY-B. I loved that picture of the colonies. Yes, those trees and tracks were certainly make the best wind break of all time. I love to see these pictures.

I posted this following thread in another post and I am going to recommend that this post be resurrected so that we can all show everyone how our bee yards are laid out, and any changes from last year.

Do you think this is a good idea? The resurrection of the bee yard layout thread, hmmmm...tell the truth!!! Have an awesome day, Cindi

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=6865.0

the beram that the tracks set on dose help but the wind blows from the other direction-look closer at the telegraph pole they are all leaning like that from the wind -the hay bails is all you need not trying to stop the wind just keep it from blowing in the front door -and a place for them to hoover and orient-in the winter time there is a big chill factor with that cold wind-I belive that the cold wind plus damp conditions can really put the hurt to your bees -some times we dont see the length over fifty feet for a month straight because of the valley fog -when the sun dose come out those hay bails act as a heat sink gives a pocket of warm air around the hives - RDY-B o ya i think it is a oustanding idea -kind of a work in progress of our happy bee yards -what we are looking for is expansion from healthy hives - gives me gose bumps thinking about it - :lol:

johnnybigfish · January 23, 2008, 11:11:23 PM

Ok,....!!!!!
Now You guys have gone and done it!!
My eyes are leaking from laffing so much!!!
First I was thinking,"Hmmm,..Randy drives a bus, cuts wind, and SETS SAIL!!!"
Then CBEE comes back and knocks the wind out of me with the BEAVER DAM!!
And,...Immediately, I saw the beaver dam behind my hives!!!!
This place never lets you know whats coming next!!!!!
I think I hear beavers chewing the schoolbus!!
Heee heeee,..and a gigglesnort!!!
your friend,
john

Cindi · January 24, 2008, 09:35:31 AM

Yeah!!!! Laugh and laugh and laugh some more. Laughing releases serotonin and is the most wonderful therapy in the world for making us happy people, yea!!!!!

Beeyards, moving on up!!! RDY-B, that was cool how you told us how you feel, that is a wonderful feeling and I love it too!!!! Have an awesome day. Cindi