Hive Placement

watercarving · January 27, 2008, 04:28:53 PM

I will be putting out two TBH and one Lang hive (for my dad) this year. I have two choices for placement. Both face the right direction and would get morning sun and evening shade. I can put fence around both (bears). One is in the woods and would be in a very small clearing. The other would be in an open field with the hives right against the woods. The field is about 1.5 acres.

Both are within easy walking distance though the wooded area is a little closer.

JP · January 27, 2008, 04:33:10 PM

The more sun, the better. In the open field it will get darker later and your bees will be able to work longer. My vote is the field.

My .02, JP

Michael Bush · January 27, 2008, 06:10:13 PM

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#locating

watercarving · January 27, 2008, 08:23:05 PM

Read your list. The field is the lowest point around here. Not super low (it's all relative I guess). No concern about flood but there will be dew but everywhere here has dew in the mornings. It's very humid.

watercarving · January 28, 2008, 10:39:08 AM

One question. The area in the field is next to a creek and the ground can stay damp at times. Should I be worried about mildew and other moisture problems from this?

We have dew everywhere here but the ground in this area does tend to stay damp.

bassman1977 · January 28, 2008, 10:46:18 AM

I would think that if you kept your hives off the ground (using cinder blocks or something like that) then you should be ok.

JP · January 28, 2008, 10:54:53 AM

Quote from: watercarving on January 28, 2008, 10:39:08 AM
One question. The area in the field is next to a creek and the ground can stay damp at times. Should I be worried about mildew and other moisture problems from this?

We have dew everywhere here but the ground in this area does tend to stay damp.

You could slightly elevate your stands to keep them up, off the ground if you like. Some on here put various substrates down before placing their hives, like old carpet, pallets, etc... as for myself, I make stands to place mine on.

Sincerely, JP

watercarving · January 28, 2008, 11:12:04 AM

I will put them on stands. They'll be TBH so I want them elevated to work them. I'll think of something for the ground.

Didn't know if the ground being damp a lot would be an issue. The nearby creek keeps the dirt moist.

KONASDAD · January 28, 2008, 11:18:41 AM

the moist ground will likely become the water source for your hive. Bees seem to like taking water from these low lying moist earth areas.

Cindi · January 28, 2008, 11:20:12 AM

Watercarving. The moisture should not present any problems, if the hives are placed on "things" to keep them off the ground. I live in an area of the Pacific Northwest that is soggy and moist pretty much all of the year. We have dew on the grass even in the summertime mornings and as soon as dusk begins to fall at night.

This is how my colonies are all set up, you will see they all sit on cement blocks. I have never had any issues with any kind of moisture in the hive. Have a wonderful and greatest of this day, Cindi

JP · January 28, 2008, 12:01:37 PM

Watercarving, if I were you I would definitely elevate the hives and I would put something down over the ground where the hives will be placed, IF, there will be any amount of standing water. When it gets cold you don't want cold wet air rising up into your hives. Perhaps gravel and straw or pine needles on top of the gravel. Of course I don't know your resources or what time you have on your hands in order to prepare this spot. You may not like working your bees in this spot if the ground is very damp, how damp does it get? I suggested the field because it will get dark later there, but if the dampness is going to be too much of a pain to deal with you may want to pick the other spot.

Sincerely, JP

tillie · January 28, 2008, 12:01:54 PM

Cindi, What do the numbers on the box mean?

LTin ATlanta

watercarving · January 28, 2008, 12:33:36 PM

If it rains there will be standing water nearby but it's in lots of high grass. I can get around it. I can also prepare the ground as needed.

JP · January 28, 2008, 12:58:48 PM

Quote from: watercarving on January 28, 2008, 12:33:36 PM
If it rains there will be standing water nearby but it's in lots of high grass. I can get around it. I can also prepare the ground as needed.

Hope it all works out for ya, best of luck.

.......JP

Michael Bush · January 28, 2008, 07:40:03 PM

>One question. The area in the field is next to a creek and the ground can stay damp at times. Should I be worried about mildew and other moisture problems from this?
>We have dew everywhere here but the ground in this area does tend to stay damp.

If it's a choice between dry and damp, go for dry. Damp is an advantage for chalkbrood and small hive beetles and mildew etc.

sean · January 28, 2008, 09:34:27 PM

don't know how damp it is but you might want to think about the hives sinking/tilting when the bees begin storing honey

Cindi · January 29, 2008, 09:45:04 AM

Linda, those symbols on the boxes were for my own reference and when I was teaching my Sister about beekeeping. I named the four package bee colonies, P1-P4 (for package 1 to 4). The N1-N4 was the four nucs that I got (for nuc 1-4). It is for ease of understanding what is going on with each colony. In the one picture you will see N3 above P1. That was when N3 had such a bad and ongoing chalkbrood problem that I combined it with P1. It gave me an instant picture of what is going on with the colonies, no guess work as to who was combined with who. Just my way of record keeping, it helps me alot. Have a wonderful and greatest of days. Cindi

JP · January 29, 2008, 11:11:17 AM

Quote from: sean on January 28, 2008, 09:34:27 PM
don't know how damp it is but you might want to think about the hives sinking/tilting when the bees begin storing honey

Sean, you make a very good point. At my main beeyard, I have two stands that I built. Thought they were on good solid ground. Well, the first stand started tilting back pretty good, I had to re-enforce it, and try my best to pull it up, hard to do with hives on the thing though. Its just this one corner that it happened on but its made me think twice about what type of supports I put in the ground, something that can't sink. Will probably need to attach horizontal 2x4's to the vertical supports, this would work, but what you mention, I have come to realise, has lots of merit. Btw, the hive on that one corner had 2 deeps and 3 full mediums stacked, so we're talking a good bit of weight here.

.......JP