Bee yard photos and lay out

[pdmattox]

I would like to see some photos of other bee yard's and layout ideas. 

[newbee101]

I have posted this before, but It would be nice to see EVERYONES bee yard here in one place.

[lively Bee's]

I dont have any photos but I can tell you I lay my yards out in 3 rows 5 feet between the rows and 2 feet between the hives.  Looks some thing like this

x   x   x   x   x
   x   x   x   x   x
x   x   x    x   x

[Cindi]

I like your chair that I see down beside the rockery, it must be a perfect view of the hives from it.  Great day.  Good idea to get people to put their pics here.  I put one on before too, but I'll put it back in the forum again, here.  You can see I had a chair there that day it was taken, usually there are several, but someone must have used a chair elsewhere.  Great day.  Cindi

[Jorn Johanesson]

 Hello Cindi! Bear protection or ??

[Cindi]

Hello Cindi! Bear protection or ??

Jorn, ya, bear protection.  We live along a bear path.  They travel along the ravine near to our home and then just carry on out of the ravine, along our property and then onto the neighbours living towards the east and then further I guess.  I wanted to protect the bees the best that I could and my husband never does anything in a small way.  He built a fortress for me.  I am a lucky woman.  The bears are more prevalent in the early summer, then don't seem to come around much until the next summer, sightings are now and then during summer and fall.  I have some posts that I have submitted that tell of a couple of stories about dogs and people "getting" the electric fence.  You could find them if you looked at my previous posts, they are a hoot and a hollar.  I had the pleasure of actually feeling it a couple of times too.  Gotta laugh.  There was one time when I bent over to gather some seeds and got it right in the rear end, now that was a jolt and a half.  Thank goodness I am rather toughed butted!!!  My poor neighbour that lives about 1/2 km through the bush westward of me had the bear rip apart her two hives in April.  I felt so bad.  She had them sitting out in her backyard (no fence of any sort) and the bear just helped him/herself.  She fixed them up and put a fence of some sort around it and managed to get a little bit of honey for herself eventually.  Brother oh brother, gotta love the beasts, but at the same time they can be a nuisance.  One other beekeeper that I know of has about 100 hives that he uses mostly for pollination of the blueberries, cranberries and a few others (lets his hives out for rent), in the wintertime when they are in his beeyard only has an electric fence that is not much more than knee-high.  I know this cause we stepped over it to go ito it.  I was shocked, but he said the bears in his neck of the woods know what the fence does.  He also in the time when the colonies are in his beeyard, has metal screening that he places on the ground so that if anything walks on it, watch out, he has cows to deal with in his beeyard, and he says that they are totally AWARE of the apiary and leave it alone.  Yikes!!!  Have an awesome day of days.  Cindi.  We have very, very strong winds today, my windchimes are going nuts!!!!

[BEE C]

Heres my two hive hut.  All snug and snowed in.
Jan 11, 07
here it is in summer.
I always enjoy pictures of bee yards, each is so unique.  I'm cindi's neighbour kind of, and we share similar habitat, and bear problems.

it would be really awesome to have this post continue, perhaps even a Section where people could post seasonal updated pictures of bee yards.  I would love to see others bee yards, I find it so interesting, the cohabitation of bees with people.  I particularly like the slovak bee houses and top bar hive set ups, bee villages different than my own. Beemasters set up fascinates me as the bees and neighbourhood kids have equal access to each other, which is an excellent way for teaching kids about bees. 

[TwT]

DALLAS, nice picture of the bee yard, dont see how any others could be better than that!!!!!!!!

[Cindi]

Steve, ha, you have made a very nice little house for your girls, good for you.  Great day.  Cindi

[Billy The Beekeeper]

i only got 2 hives so not much a layout yet im lookin to get another one this summer after i get my one back up and runnin from wintering over and how do u put pics on posts like that ? i cant figure it out  :? :D

[Robo]

Here is my "portable" beeyard :-D

[pdmattox]

That is very cool.  I actually have a trailer system that is just like that.

[buzzbeejr]

well i couldn't find any pictures but until i do this is kinda what it looks kinda like this:
x     x

                 with dads hive
x     x
           


           
                       

[Cindi]

Robo, now that has gotta be a cool way to keep the hives.  It must be very useful for when you need to move them.  Nice to see pictures of how people handle their colonies' homes.  Have an awesome and good day.  Cindi

[buzzbee]

Rob
Is that colored electric fence or rope?
I see the solar fencer.How does that work for you?  Ken

[Robo]

Rob
Is that colored electric fence or rope?
I see the solar fencer.How does that work for you?  Ken

Don't know if I'd call it rope, it is more like a nylon string with 2 stainless wires woven in it.

As far as working, it was put to the test last year when I had 4 bear in my yard.  They actually got into my chicken coop killed a couple of guineas and drug out a 50lb bag of feed.   It took like 4 days of "persuasion" before they stopped coming back and trying to rip the door off my barn.  They never bothered the trailer.  They did get a split that I had in my garden which has a 8ft fence that they easily ripped thru.  I just bait it by taking a piece of hardware cloth, bend it in a 'V', smear it with peanut butter and hang it on the fence.

[BEE C]

Very nice robo! Nice little setup with the trailer.  I worked with a guy this summer who said his uncle used a horse trailer because the bears couldn't get into it.  He could just leave it and come back.  I need to get a little trailer like yours for hauling hives at some point, I haven't run  out of back yard yet though...

[imabkpr]

This is one of my bee yards set up for spring feeding.

[Cindi]

This is one of my bee yards set up for spring feeding.

Can't see it.  Cindi

[AllanJ]

This is my future beeyard.. 13 days and counting..



And this is the results of clearing the forest floor around the beeyard for the last month.



So I have some more room for other bee friendly plants and trees.. :)