Help Placing Hive

Ryan820 · April 12, 2014, 01:18:09 PM

Hey everyone! My bees come in two weeks and so I want to start getting the hive set up and need to build a deep to house the quail feeders of sugar water. I need to put a big feeder up top because we will be home for a week and then gone for a week and I want to make sure they're all set. But first, I need a location.

My property is 3.5 acres and is at 6800 feet in elevation. Last frost is roughly first week of May, first frost is usually last week in September, first snow mid to late October. I've seen temps in the summer hit 100 with bad drying winds down to -20 with also bad drying winds in the winter. The rally bad winds (cold) scream out of the north and the bad weather really happens when we get upslope from the east. Our weather is dominated by our mountains as you can imagine.

The property has few trees to the east, most on the west side. Our neighbors are a good deal away from us so I think we could safely place the hive anywhere with our neighbors in mind. Open field to our north, country road to the south and a busy, this loud, road to the east that we built a berm to abate noise for us and our animals. With the attached image, you can see the house is in the center of the property, the garden is the outlined area... It's vegetable, but has loads of flowers and is surrounded by a chicken moat, with the chicken coop to the east of the garden.

What other considerations might people need to know? Sun rises in the east..sets in west. 😜

Where should I put my hive?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

ggileau · April 12, 2014, 05:24:48 PM

I think most experienced bee keepers will tell you to make it easy on yourself. In other words, make it accessible. That doesn't look like an issue for you. Many say to face the entrance east so the get an early start and I believe that to be somewhat true. I tried facing a couple east ant the others west. The east facing ones do tend to start sooner in the AM but on the other hand the others facing west seem to be more active when the sun swings to the other side. Not very scientific but just my observation. I suspect that north facing would be a no no. Any wind break against the prevailing winter wind would be an obvious choice. All in all they are quite resilient creatures if you use common sense. I suggest going to Michale Bush's site "The Practical Beekeeper" A ton of very useful info there. He lives in Nebraska so he knows hard winters.

Good luck and just enjoy!!

Spear · April 12, 2014, 05:26:04 PM

I would put the hives where it is most convenient for you to get to them when needed.
As to feeding, everything that I have been taught is that it is important to keep the 'flow' of feed consistent - don't feed alot one week then nothing the next - rather feed 'small' amounts every 2 to 3 days until the bees have built up enough comb then stop feeding if there is a good flow. I heard that bees are like teenage boys when it comes to food - they can never get enough - and they will back fill all the frames with feed and leave no space for the queen to lay and that can lead to swarming. But hey I'm new and learning too so what do I know :? ... LOL
Anyway Welcome to the wonderful world of beekeeping where everything you thought you knew about bees will be turned on its head and you learn something new everyday! (I caught and 'tagged' a queen for the 1st time today!)

amun-ra · April 12, 2014, 07:09:46 PM

Quote from: ggileau link=topic=44234.msg381174#msg381174 date=1397334288
I think most experienced bee keepers will tell you to make it easy on yourself.NO I would say to make it easier on the bees. They tend to forage upwind and fly back with their load with a tail wind,put yourself in their boots,where is the food source when a flow is on which way does the prevailing wind blow.???

ggileau · April 12, 2014, 08:06:43 PM

Quote from: amun-ra on April 12, 2014, 07:09:46 PM
Quote from: ggileau link=topic=44234.msg381174#msg381174 date=1397334288
I think most experienced bee keepers will tell you to make it easy on yourself.NO I would say to make it easier on the bees. They tend to forage upwind and fly back with their load with a tail wind,put yourself in their boots,where is the food source when a flow is on which way does the prevailing wind blow.???

I agree with you on one point but he has a three acre lot. In his case how much of a difference can it make when they can forage eight thousand acres?

BTW I am quite envious of you. It is reputed that there are no Varoa there. Not to mention visiting your country has been a life long dream!!

Ryan820 · April 12, 2014, 09:34:42 PM

Quote from: Spear on April 12, 2014, 05:26:04 PM
I would put the hives where it is most convenient for you to get to them when needed.
As to feeding, everything that I have been taught is that it is important to keep the 'flow' of feed consistent - don't feed alot one week then nothing the next - rather feed 'small' amounts every 2 to 3 days until the bees have built up enough comb then stop feeding if there is a good flow. I heard that bees are like teenage boys when it comes to food - they can never get enough - and they will back fill all the frames with feed and leave no space for the queen to lay and that can lead to swarming. But hey I'm new and learning too so what do I know :? ... LOL
Anyway Welcome to the wonderful world of beekeeping where everything you thought you knew about bees will be turned on its head and you learn something new everyday! (I caught and 'tagged' a queen for the 1st time today!)

I think maybe I didn't convey the feeding part quite right...I plan on keeping them fed only that I need to use a larger feeder because I'll be gone for a week so my hope is that I can top off their feeder before leaving and it'll keep them fed through my trip. At least, that's the hope! I think I can measure how much they feed while I'm here and that'll give me an idea of what they may need while I'm away. Hopefully I can get a local beeker to check in on them maybe mid week.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ryan820 · April 12, 2014, 09:39:02 PM

Thanks everyone... Ok so really, I think my biggest issue is that wind. Would building a wooden fence about the hive to block the prevailing winds out of the north and west be a good idea? Our trees don't really do the wind break thing... Our wind is so gusty and turbulent our trees don't seem to make a difference. Our primacy fence does, though!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Spear · April 13, 2014, 01:42:17 PM

This might help with ideas on feeding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GUIiqzwfiw

don2 · April 13, 2014, 11:05:30 PM

Build the fence. if possible about 6 feet high, this will serve 2 purposes, deter the wind and the bees have to fly up and over the fence. Then you will never be in their incoming and out going flight path. I don't have the wind you have but I have to put up a fence also. Redwood if I can get it. d2

BeeMaster2 · April 14, 2014, 07:32:37 AM

I wold place them on the south side of the existing fence and close to the fence on the east side. That way you would have protection from the two main prevailing winds. They would also be close to the house.
Mine are set up next to my work shop. They are close enough that I can see them from the house, maybe 40'.
I moved them yesterday to the farm for the spring gallberry flow. I have them on a special built trailer that I made and I put it in a pasture behind the house so that I can see them.
Jim

Ryan820 · April 14, 2014, 01:20:13 PM

Quote from: Spear on April 13, 2014, 01:42:17 PM
This might help with ideas on feeding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GUIiqzwfiw

Thanks for the video! I know exactly what to do now with my quail feeders. I think it'll work out perfectly for feeding in general and for when I'm gone for that week in May.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ryan820 · April 14, 2014, 01:24:01 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on April 14, 2014, 07:32:37 AM
I wold place them on the south side of the existing fence and close to the fence on the east side. That way you would have protection from the two main prevailing winds. They would also be close to the house.
Mine are set up next to my work shop. They are close enough that I can see them from the house, maybe 40'.
I moved them yesterday to the farm for the spring gallberry flow. I have them on a special built trailer that I made and I put it in a pasture behind the house so that I can see them.
Jim

Thanks Jim. I will definitely utilize my privacy fence.

Another question I have is, do you see a problem with me placing my hive in my large vegetable garden? In terms of plant life this is the hub of my acres...it gets irrigated via sprinklers (and I would have to make sure I'm not splashing water in to the hive for sure) and it would be well protected from the harsh winter winds. I'm even willing to build further breaks around the hive itself from the north and west to further buffet the wind.

Thoughts? I frequent the garden but would place the hive on the north side so they would have to fly up and out of the garden if they need or want to leave the garden.

Also my flock of chickens surround the garden but I've never seen them bother bees before.

Thoughts?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Spear · April 14, 2014, 05:59:10 PM

The vegetable garden is a great place to put them.
Most of my hives are in a small 'fenced in' area right next to the garden where my children play and I have not had any trouble with the bees bothering my children - I seem to be the only person that the bees bother when I'm in the garden (been stung twice and always get buzzed by at least 1 angry bee!)

Santa Caras · April 15, 2014, 03:35:43 PM

I read somewhere that chickens in your bee yard work out great. The chickens dont so much bother the bees and vice versa but that the chickens eat larva from SBH and other pests that bother the bees.

Ryan820 · April 15, 2014, 04:58:57 PM

That's great to hear because my chicken run surrounds the garden. They eat the bugs that try to get to the garden and rarely have to remove pests. Thanks for the input!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Michael Bush · April 16, 2014, 08:02:44 PM

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

Ryan820 · April 17, 2014, 11:23:35 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush on April 16, 2014, 08:02:44 PM
My advice:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#locating

Thank you! I actually already read your site after a previous response in this thread. I'm putt the hive in the garden for sure. Might as well...there will be lots of good stuff in there and way easy to get to.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk