how many colonies to a yard

[lee]

some one said it's ok to put up to 20 colonies on 6 acres. that sounds like a lot to me, how about you.

[leominsterbeeman]

Would depend on the pasturage and the nectar sources.  

All grass would be meaningless.  

But if it was 6  acres of clover or
buckwheat, or alfalfa.....      


A rule of thumb used by the guys that run pollination services in apple orchards is 1 hive/acre.  

20 hives will go beyond the 6 acres, unless it is a 6 acre island 3 miles from land.

[FrogPond]

I would like to add another variable to this question please...

If there is a recommended density of hives, then what is the recommended spacing? I have 75 acres in the middle of about 500 acres of forest and agriculture land, including a lot of pasture and hay fields. I never really considered the "carrying capacity" of land for bees until I read lee's question... now I am intrigued!

:!:  :?:

[Michael Bush]

Bees will forage on a two mile radius around you.  That's Pi * Radius squared.  Or 3.14 * 2 squared or 12.5 square miles at 640 acres to a sqaure mile thats 8000 acres.  So the 8000 acres around you are the point.  If you spread hives a hundred yards apart or right up against each other it is irelevant.

Here, in this part of the country, you can put up to 25 booming hives in one place without them competeing too much.  After that there is a point of diminishing returns.  If you want more hives, you should put them four miles away in order to not have them competing with the first hives.

It doesn't matter if your hives are on 1/2 acre or a million acres, they will forage the same area.

[FrogPond]

Interesting data - thanks!

I have heard stories of guys with hundreds of hives - even thousands. How on earth do they tend to them? If I carry out all the math, they must be spread all over the place! Not to mention running in to other "territories."

I am used to calculating pasture land for livestock... this is another matter alltogether!

[Finsky]

In Finnish beekeeping litterature  durind 50 years it has been said that 10 hives is good, not any more. When I have nursed bees 40 years, the size of clonies has become three fold.  

Also in litterature they recommend 2-3 hive per hectare for rape for pollination ( 100 x 100 m)
Again, I asked how old is that recommencation and our researcher found it at least from the doment 1964. Again,  three fold over.

It depends on pastures. If you you drop your hive number to half, you maybe get same honey. If you have other beekeepers on area, you cannot see effect.

I have dropped now my hive number in one place from 10 to 4.
Even in rape field I use that figure, because rape gives about one week yield and bees must get yield 5 weeks from natural sources.


Results are marvelous. When some hives are after winter  twist size, and I help their developind by taking brood frames from bigger hives, I have got 180 lbs yield from those mini nucs.

I gather cream from pastures. But I have location that thera are no other beekeepers.  For honey flow period I take all my hives from my yard and bring them to virgin pastures.  During 10 month I have 15 hives in one place. Our main flow period is 1 month. It means July. To me it is rape and fireweed.

[gsferg]

Here in Central Maine USA, the general concensus is 20-25 hives per apiary. Clearly, this depends on the local flora and some areas can support more, some less.

There's a big difference here between a fixed year-round apiary and the number of hives required for pollinating various crops. The itinerant er... migratory beekeepers typically place 2-3 hives per acre when pollinating wild blueberries- it's not unusual to see 50-100 or more hives in one place in the spring. After the blueberries are done, they distribute 20-25 hives to smaller out yards for the rest of the summer.

I've currently got 26 hives in my apiary and I'm planning on moving some of them to another site later this summer.

George-

[Finsky]

Here in Central Maine USA, the general concensus is 20-25 hives per apiary. Clearly, this depends on the local flora and some areas can support more, some less.

* How big are you hives, how many langstroth boxes?
* how much you get honey on average per hive?
* how many months they gather?

Here I use  5-6 boxes in July
yield per hive 100-200 lbs on average per year
yield season 1,5 month,  from 28.6 to 10.8.
main crop rape and fireweed. Some year  dandelion is good.

[Bruce Hanson]

48 hives per location,65 total yards,150 to 200 average

[gsferg]

Here in Central Maine USA, the general concensus is 20-25 hives per apiary. Clearly, this depends on the local flora and some areas can support more, some less.

* How big are you hives, how many langstroth boxes?
* how much you get honey on average per hive?
* how many months they gather?

Here I use  5-6 boxes in July
yield per hive 100-200 lbs on average per year
yield season 1,5 month,  from 28.6 to 10.8.
main crop rape and fireweed. Some year  dandelion is good.

Generally 2 deeps. The migratory beekeepers roll into town in the spring with 1 deep and a medium, or 2 mediums.

I have no idea how much honey per hive. I've heard 40 pounds average, I've heard 70 pounds or more. I also don't know if the beekeepers around here really manage their bees to maximize honey production.

They gather pretty much 7 months- in April they're out for the first trees that bloom- maples, and in the fall, September/October (what we call "Indian Summer") the weather can be really nice and there are lots of weeds for them.

We'll see.

George-

[Finsky]

I have no idea how much honey per hive. I've heard 40 pounds average, I've heard 70 pounds or more. I also don't know if the beekeepers around here really manage their bees to maximize honey production.
-

It is difficult to know. For tax collectors beekeepers do not tell their real figures. When you calculate official numbers and think how much business need volume, numbers will not meet at all.  In Sweden they have really little numbers but I do not believe those. I do not believe that any professional get 40 lbs per honey during summer. Bees gather 40 lbs in one week or half week.

[bassman1977]

I would imagine one variable missing would be wild bees.  Especially if you live in the 100 Acre Wood such as Frogpond and myself.  I know for a fact that on the 3000 acres I'm on, there are at least two wild hives.  I found one, but I can't find that other one.  I know I'm getting close though...I CAN SMELL HONEY!  So I guess my point would be, maybe those numbers of hives per acre would be lower if you have unknowns buzzing around as well.