Bee yard photos and lay out

[kgbenson]

Here is my "portable" beeyard :-D

Robo - that thing is cool.  Can you describe the upper entrances and the size of the bed of the trailer?

Keith

[Dane Bramage]

My bee yard is right there (where the bee is pointing).  A fenced in, decked area with four hives (so far) on benches.


I'll add some more shots of the layout next time I'm out there with the camera.

[Robo]

Can you describe the upper entrances and the size of the bed of the trailer?

Keith

The trailer is a 4x8 single snowmobile trailer.  The previous owner had just abandoned it in a ditch, so I got free for the asking.  The plywood decking was rotted, so I removed it,  sand blasted the trailer and gave it a coat of pant.  I ran two 2x4 down each side that the bottom boards are screwed to,  and two 1x6 down the middle to walk on while working on the hives.   I just put a ratchet tie down around each hive to hold them down when moving.

The mid-entrance as I like to call it,  was based off of this design with some "enhancements".
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/downloads/bee_patents/US06450858_BeehiveMovableTopEntrance.pdf
They are in the winter position in the photo, with no honey supers in place. During the summer, the honey supers are placed on top of the entrance.  It is basically a 3" box within a box.  There is 3/8" clearance all around the outside that allows the bees to pass from the brood area to the honey storage area,  but with the middle blocked off,  it keeps the queen down in the brood section.   Instead of just boxing off the center area, I wanted to make it a dual purpose fixture that could be used year round.  So I put a piece of 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth on the bottom so that feeder candy could be placed in the box during the winter for feeding.   To prevent the bees from building comb in that area in the summer,  two removable 1/4" sheets are used to block the area off.  One sits on top of the hardware cloth, and the other on the top of the inner box.   Here are some drawings that hopefully give you a better idea of it.   If I ever get the time to finish revamping my new website and get it online, it will have the detailed plans to all my custom stuff.  Including my poor-man's plastic barrel TBH.

[kgbenson]

Thanks!

Keith

[Cindi]

Dane, very nice areal picture.  Microsoft Virtual Earth, eh?  Tell us about it.  I have looked at my place on Google Earth, but the pictures were about 2 years outdated.  We have had massive property changes in the past two years and  I wish Google would update.  Best of this beautiful day.  Cindi

[nepenthes]

I think google earth and all those places get their Pictures from the same place so you wont be ab le to just get a new fresh picture, Cindi keep i mind they have to take pictures of LOTS of ground, So don't let that bother you to much. Just give it some time, I know that Where my hose is Is just a picture over practically from having nice crisp clear shots...  :roll:

[Joseph Clemens]

My bee yard is on my deck right behind my sunporch:

Photo Removed

Linda T in Atlanta

Nice looking hives, but how can you work them without interfering in their flight paths? I would think it might be better to face the hive entrances out from the center of the deck.

[tillie]

Nice looking hives, but how can you work them without interfering in their flight paths? I would think it might be better to face the hive entrances out from the center of the deck.

The hives face east and I stand behind each hive to work them.  I am not in the flight paths - I may find as the hive in the corner of the deck gets stronger that I am in its flight path when I work the hive in front of it, but there is a forest of tulip poplar trees behind the hives and when the flow is on, they tend to fly in from the northwest and I still am not in the path. 

I set them up that way selfishly, though - not with the flight paths in mind, but rather the ability to watch them while I eat lunch!

Linda T

[Dane Bramage]

Dane, very nice areal picture.  Microsoft Virtual Earth, eh?  Tell us about it.  I have looked at my place on Google Earth, but the pictures were about 2 years outdated.  We have had massive property changes in the past two years and  I wish Google would update.  Best of this beautiful day.  Cindi

I don't know much about MS Virtual Earth, other than it is another satellite mapping/image program.  You may want to check it to see if it does have different images of your property than Google Earth.  It did for mine.  (here's the google earth version) ~>

[Cindi]

Dane. Huoooooeeee!!!  Have a wonderful night and great day, good health.  Cindi

[bluegrass]

Keith

The mid-entrance as I like to call it,  was based off of this design with some improvements from myself.
http://robo.hydroville.com/v12/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_details/gid,21/
They are in the winter position in the photo, with no honey supers in place. During the summer, the honey supers are placed on top of the entrance.  It is basically a 3" box within a box.  There is 3/8" clearance all around the outside that allows the bees to pass from the brood area to the honey storage area,  but with the middle blocked off,  it keeps the queen down in the brood section.   Instead of just boxing off the center area, I wanted to make it a dual purpose fixture that could be used year round.  So I put a piece of 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth on the bottom so that feeder candy could be placed in the box during the winter for feeding.   To prevent the bees from building comb in that area in the summer,  two removable 1/4" sheets are used to block the area off.  One sits on top of the hardware cloth, and the other on the top of the inner box.   Here are some drawings that hopefully give you a better idea of it.   If I ever get the time to finish revamping my new website and get it online, it will have the detailed plans to all my custom stuff.  Including my poor-man's plastic barrel TBH.

Thanks for posting the image of the mid entrances. I have seen them in beeculture and was wondering how they worked.

[abejaruco]

I have my hives in 3 different locations, to obtein 3 different honeys during the spring. 3 or 4 hives under my mother´s window. She would say under her nostril, because she can´t open the window during the summer. (I think that my mother really wants me very much)

At this apiarium I harvest rosmarino and lavandula honey.

[Cindi]

Abejaruco.  I bet lavendula honey would be wonderful.  I only have one plant of lavender.  Oh brother, oh well, I took about 40 cuttings off of my Anise Hyssops and they are rooting and going crazy, so that is 40 more plants that the bees will have.  Maybe one day I will try to put a little colony right inside the hyssop patch and see if I can get licorice tasting honey (LOLL&L).  These cuttings will bloom about 2 weeks prior to the "mother" plants and carry on blooming from July to frost kill.  Have a wonderful day, beautiful life, great health.  Cindi

[abejaruco]

And this is my second apiary. In the middle of the stream to avoid the ants. :mrgreen:



Here I harvest honey from trifolium and Hedysarum during the spring...This year is "tope guay"



Have I said tope guay? Its incredible, what a year! The earth is bleeding nectar.





And during the summer eucalyptus and sunflower.

[DayValleyDahlias]

My one little hive:

[Draginol]

How many posts do you need to have before you can post images?

[pdmattox]

Draginol, hang in there your almost ready.  It's not a post count thing it is strictly based on your posting.

[Dane Bramage]

My bee yard is right there (where the bee is pointing).  A fenced in, decked area with four hives (so far) on benches.


I'll add some more shots of the layout next time I'm out there with the camera.

Finally got around to taking photos of the hives.  Here's the bee-deck (& "tans with bees", aka Dane Bramage):

I have ten in now... that'll be it for this (my first) season methinks.  Pic was taken ~ 10AM.  The five on the left face West and get the sun earlier.  The five on the right face North.  Both get direct light through much of the day followed by shade (note tree to immediate West) in late afternoon.  All in all I'm pretty happy with this spot (though the deck desperately needs to be refinished  :-P).
Another perspective:

there's also so many of these cute yellow and orange bumblers around ~>

[DayValleyDahlias]

That is one fantastic set up!  Awesome.  Me likie...

[Cindi]

Dane, I love your set-up, it looks very nice and so easy to get to eh?  I did not see these followup pictures, I only saw the one that came from the sky looking down.  Must have missed it somehow.  Anyways, nice job...have a wonderful day, greatest of life, greatest of health.  Cindi