any tips for sourcing an out apiary

[gsxr]

As the title really, ours our currently on our allotment, but I would like to try and source an out apiary ready to increase number next year.

 

[fred scuttle]

Use Google Earth find a suitable site with all the prerequisites forum the bees then directly approach the land owner.. That works..

 

[gsxr]

Cheers Fred, never thought of using maps, we have alot of osr fields around us, I'll try and get hold of one or 2 of the local farm owners, I'm sure the promise of a bit of free honey might help things along.

 

[Outlander]

I put notices on the boards in local post offices and shops and got a great response.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Contact your local NFU branch and ask them to circulate a notice asking for apiary sites. You might end up with more than you need.

 

[gsxr]

Thanks for the ideas, I'll get on with it, is there any particular type of crops I should be asking about, apart from the obvious osr

 

[REDWOOD]

Gumtree is good, I had lots of people offering land for an apiary, unfortunately they were too far for me to travel, care must be taken when writing your advertisement, I think I put something like "Free Honey and pollination"

 

[peteinwilts]

get known by a couple of farmers (in a positive way!)

Farmers\Landowners come to me now!

 

[Millet]

get known by a couple of farmers (in a positive way!)

Farmers\Landowners come to me now!

Definitely get known by farmer's.. even go knocking on door's of farmer's who grow crop's other than wheat and barley.. i know several from year's of pest control and they love Bee's and Bee Hives .. i have had 2 offer's last month to put the hive in a pea and bean field crop area but i'm new to this hobby and i want my hive where i know it's very safe.. plus i have a pefect spot for it now.. if i ever did expand i could use these crop field's and heather moor's but time will tell..

On a negative note if you do get a farm for your hives research the land /the local's and the amount of poaching on the land.. because if there's plenty of game without a good game keeper the hive's will 99% certainly get tampered with or go missing..

Good Luck.

 

[domino]

I put an advert in the local free paper for £20 and got dozens of offers, many were gardens but I got a very nice site out of it.

 

[gsxr]

When is the best time to secure an apiary? do I get on it now, or wait until spring build up.

 

[REDWOOD]

Now if it's free

 

[Hawklord]

Ask at your local Association, somebody might know of a place. Also you'll be able to find out where other apiaries are, you don't want too many hives foraging the same area.

 

[thorn]

Find an area with hedges and woodland within foraging distance, and possibly a village with orchards and urban type planting. You don't want to find yourself in a one-crop prairie.

 

[thedaidai]

I agree with the suggestion to ask your association. I was on the committee at mine and we were regularly offered gardens/land by people who wanted to help bees out but didn't ant to keep them themselves. Not all were suitable but some were.