Apiaries and hills

[the naked beekeeper]

For those of you who live in hilly areas, or have experience of apiaries amongst hills.

Does it make much dfference to honey production, whether bees are on, half way up, ar at the bottom of hills?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Only points I can think of are tops of hills can be windy and bottom may have drainage issues. Mine are close to the top, near most of their forage, but they manage the OSR and beans which are down the bottom without problem

 

[Poly Hive]

I found on the heather that they did better that bit lower but look for bracken as that denotes sheltered spots.

PH

 

[the naked beekeeper]

So a bit lower than the top seems to be the idea.

All the OSR gets grown near the top.

There is bracken around. I'll keep my eyes peeled for where it crops up.

 

[RoofTops]

I kept some colonies in a very windy spot once - there was a wind turbine close by but I didn't take the hint. They did not thrive at all despite plenty of mixed forage all around. I think the strong winds simply made foraging hard for them and kept temperatures down - flowers like clover, of which there was a lot, will not produce nectar if the temperature is too low.

I have also kept bees in a very sheltered spot in the bottom of a vally but it was damp in winter and again they didn't do well.

My two current apiaries are half way down shallow vally sides but well sheltered from the wind - of which we get our fair share here in the south west.

 

[MJBee]

Half way up gets my vote. The top exposed and possibly windy. The bottom possible drainage problems and colder at night - Katabatic airflow = frost pocket.

 

[george]

Yes , worth avoiding the very bottom if it is an area that traps cold or damp air . Cold and dry isn't a problem , but damp can be .
G

 

[susbees]

So a bit lower than the top seems to be the idea.

All the OSR gets grown near the top.

There is bracken around. I'll keep my eyes peeled for where it crops up.

I can send you half a valley full of fern if you like .

We're half way up (at 200m) and the bees ignore the ling at the top in favour of bramble and ivy etc. I could take some hives further up but not enough there to make it worth it really. Bees do go uphill I know if it suits them: I took a prime swarm off the top of the tallest, deepest most exposed holly hedge I've ever seen last season which was a-top the next hill. No idea where they came from but not mine.

 

[the naked beekeeper]

I kept some colonies in a very windy spot once - there was a wind turbine close by but I didn't take the hint. They did not thrive at all despite plenty of mixed forage all around. I think the strong winds simply made foraging hard for them and kept temperatures down - flowers like clover, of which there was a lot, will not produce nectar if the temperature is too low.

I have also kept bees in a very sheltered spot in the bottom of a vally but it was damp in winter and again they didn't do well.

My two current apiaries are half way down shallow vally sides but well sheltered from the wind - of which we get our fair share here in the south west.

Interesting.

RT, you are probably the most similar in terms of apiary surroundings to me.
I know roughly where your bees are and my conditions aren't too different.

On one side of me I have the sea, so I make sure I am a decent bit in land and then over the nearest hill, so they should be sheltered from any strong onshore winds. (Regarding that hill as a buffer if they are behind it.)

But the hill is also in a valley. There's no getting away from hills round here, so I have to make the best of what I've got.
Thanks for all replies.

 

[BeeNice]

Having my hives in Sheffield you are either going up a hill or down. I have some at the bottom, but not damp or colder than it should be, and one lot half was up. Unless you are on a bog (not the bog) I feel it really doesn't matter, you put them where you can sometimes, unless you own half of Yorkshire then you can put them where you like!!
Steven

 

[For want of a better word]

Without any doubt my bees have thrived by moving inland !
They did not appreciate the sea view at Wembury... and I did not realise how much that sea view was worth in real estate terms !

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Without any doubt my bees have thrived by moving inland !
They did not appreciate the sea view at Wembury... and I did not realise how much that sea view was worth in real estate terms !

How close were you to the sea?

 

[luckydunny]

When they are half way up they are neither up nor down. Makes perfect sense to me, not 10,000 men here but a lot more bees, hopefully..

 

[REDWOOD]

Mine are halfway up south facing, next to gorse, very near heather, HB not far away, fields of buttercups and clover, no OS rape, lots of blackberry and hawthorn a few crab apple trees and a nice lake about 100 yards away with wild brown trout with trees surrounding it full of catkins and hopefully a medow coming this year if I can find the right seeds. Things do flower a week latter than on the lowlands. Just read that back to myself and it sounds like a welcome to Wales advert !!!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Mine are halfway up south facing, next to gorse, very near heather, HB not far away, fields of buttercups and clover, no OS rape, lots of blackberry and hawthorn a few crab apple trees and a nice lake about 100 yards away with wild brown trout with trees surrounding it full of catkins and hopefully a medow coming this year if I can find the right seeds. Things do flower a week latter than on the lowlands. Just read that back to myself and it sounds like a welcome to Wales advert !!!

Coo - you almost make Swansea look attractive!

 

[REDWOOD]

I forgot to mention the rain, drizzle, fog and wind most of the year

 

[PBee]

Where good shelter can't be found I've read somewhere - possibly on this forum - that it helps the bees get back into the hive by pointing the entrance away from the prevailing wind as they can more easily approach and land upwind. Last year we had some unusual warm but very windy weather and in one slightly exposed apiary I found chilled clusters of bees on the backs of the hives in the evenings where they had obviously overshot and then approached upwind but were unable to reach the entrance. I've since moved the apiary but now tend to face entrances away from the wind where possible unless the site has very good shelter.