Apiary Layout Design

[Poly Hive]

To the OP.

For goodness sake take a chill pill. If you read your post again it soulded like serious hand wringing about nothing hence my comment. It may not be how you read it but it is how I read it.

And further if you dinna want advice dinna ask. My advice was and is valid.

And obviously the nucs have to look different to the bees not us.

PH

 

[Luminos]

I've lived in France for a number of years, but do have access to British T.V programmes.
I am therefore surprised that "damn" is still considered offensive.

 

[victor meldrew]

I've lived in France for a number of years, but do have access to British T.V programmes.
I am therefore surprised that "damn" is still considered offensive.

Well it damned well is

VM

 

[Drew]

......... It may not be how you read it but it is how I read it.........

Quite!! To give the benefit of the doubt t both perhaps "we" should always remember that what the writer writes isn't always what the reader reads.

 

[Gardenbees]

For a bunch of nucs I recommend using different appearances, as advised. Personally I'd mix the lids a bit; not necessarily a different colour, a different shape is good too. I tend to buy hive bodies, but economise with home-made lids, which gives me a good opportunity to mix up the depths, styles and textures a bit. One or two of them have handles on the lids, too. The different profile and pattern of light and shade as the bees approach the hive seems to make it very clear to them which is which, even if they're close together. Another way to discourage drifting is to wedge a small twig or dowel into entrances (if they are slit-shaped and there is room without obstructing them). Bees that live there get used to it; drifters are confused.

 

[Luminos]

Well it damned well is

VM

...in fact, "ADMIN" is an anagram of "I DAMN". So it can't be offensive.

 

[wisdomdacosta]

Advice requested

I'd appreciate your advice to set up the optimum apiary at home for my two new hives.

In particular, I read on the stream that each hive needs to be identifiable to bees.

Here's my initial thoughts on layout


Many thanks,

Wisdom

 

[drex]

Welcome. Cannot enlarge the image to see the scale or detail. Looks like you have room around each hive in order to work it. Good.
Do not worry too much about having them all face different points of the compass.
Mine are arranged in rows, with entrances facing slightly different angles, and rows are a bit jiggly.
I would not have entrances facing the rest of the garden. Bees more likely to spot you or family using rest of the garden and could then chase you off.
Most important is to have hive on a firm level base. Some would say entrances facing south to catch the sun, but I find it makes little difference.
Have an alternative site ready in case a hive should turn aggressive - your neighbours and family will not appreciate being chased or stung.
The Internet can be misleading. Get a good book and join your local association.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I would not have entrances facing the rest of the garden. Bees more likely to spot you or family using rest of the garden and could then chase you off.

And it's a good idea to make sure you approach the back of the hives, even though you might think it's nice to be able to see the bees coming and going when you're sitting in the garden.

Make sure there's something to make the bees fly up and away, and over the heads of your neighbours who will want to continue enjoying their gardens.

If you're using Langstroths you will most likely inspect each hive from the side, Nationals can be turned either way so can be inspected from either the side or the back. That'll be where you need the space to stand.

You can make each hive look different by putting a marker on it or on a landing board in front of the hive, but this is more important when colonies are very close together. If they're more than 3ft apart you're less likely to get drifting between colonies.

join your local association

That too.

Have you done a beginners course?

 

[bontbee]

Don't forget, whichever direction the entrance faces, bees will fly the most direct way out of the hive before they start climbing - so even if your entrances don't face the garden, bees heading for forage "behind" the hive will turn sharp left (or right!) out of the entrance on the same flight pattern as they would if they were heading straight out of the door, (unless there is something there, too, to push them upwards).

I used to have hives at the bottom of the garden facing away from a scrub of brambles about 4' high, but they skimmed the top of the brambles and flew straight into me (usually my hair) when I was picking the kidney beans..... about 3m away from the hive. I was just in the way of their normal trajectory.

Now they are behind a simple trellis and even when that was bare, before the plants started growing, they flew out over the top, didn't even attempt to go through the 5" square "holes". It's a VTOL in that apiary, but the bees seem to manage quite well.