Bees behind the shed

[sphex]

Hello again everyone. I have another beginner's question.
How much space does a hive need? On my allotment I obviously want to keep them as out of the way as possible, and I thought that putting them behind the shed would help this. To explain: the shed is at one end of the plot, with 2-3 metres between it and the fence. Like this:

------------------------------------- Metal fence
(bush)                        
|
|                                     (bush)
|               Hives here?
|       _____________________________
|       |                           |
|       |                           |
|       |           Shed            |
|       |                           | 
|       |                           |
        |___________________________|

<- North

There's nothing on the other side of the fence that could be disturbed: it's a barely-used railway line (the Portishead line) and a factory.
I thought that the hives could go against the shed, facing the fence. Bees exiting the hive could fly through or over the metal fence. In terms of shading, they would be facing east, so would get morning sun, albeit partially shaded by the metal fencing. Thoughts?

I should add that on the opposite side of the shed, the allotment itself is a veritable bee's delight! Fruit trees, raspberries, strawberries... And that's just my plot!

 

[Widdershins]

Sounds alright to me!
But Im no expert - Im sure someone will be along shortly to give their opinions.

 

[Heather]

Looks good to me -just give yourself enough room behind the hives to work them. They will fly up quickly to clear the fence and so not be in the way of anyone walking the other side of the fence.
Just hope they utilise your raspberries, fruit trees etc - my little madams seem to ignore all my plot and go further afield - exasperating.
And have you checked with the allotment agreement that bees ok?

Happy beekeeping
Heather

 

[sphex]

Of course, the other option would be to have them against the fence, facing the shed. I guess they'd then fly up and over the shed and then encounter the pears and apples.

 

[tony350i]

I have found that hives with the most sun seem to do better.

in the summer month you can get away with most thinks,but in the winter months when it's wet and damp and you haven't got much of a breeze, you might get problems associated with damp and that can hamper spring build up.



TC

 

[VEG]

As said in other thread leave yourself plenty of room behind the hive to work. The bees wont need much room in front of the hive. I have a hive in my front garden that is about 1.5 feet away from a high hedge. They fly straight up and over.

 

[Bcrazy]

Hi sphex,

I thought that the hives could go against the shed, facing the fence.

That sounds fine but remember that you need room to carry out your manipulations either from the rear or side of the hive. Another option is to have the entrance facing SE and have the hive at an angle therefore giving you a bit more room.

Good luck.

Regards;

 

[hedgerow pete]

if the fence is for the railway line i would be inclind to have the bees facing the fence and pushed right up to it i preffer to be able to step to the sides and rear of a hive and are not worried about the front

 

[sphex]

if the fence is for the railway line i would be inclind to have the bees facing the fence and pushed right up to it i preffer to be able to step to the sides and rear of a hive and are not worried about the front

That sounds like a good idea. It is a simple chain-link fence on the edge of the line, and shouldn't impede the bees at all.

 

[VEG]

Although it is a chain link fence the bees will still see it as a barrier and go over it rather than through it

 

[sphex]

Although it is a chain link fence the bees will still see it as a barrier and go over it rather than through it

Yeah? Well at least in that case they'll be above train height when the occasional goods train comes past.

 

[victor meldrew]

Bees learn quickly,
In days of yore, there used to be a bee auction at Chelford in Cheshire, hives for sale were lined up in the cattle market yard, facing the railway;(station and all). The bees were liberated on arrival, and soared way over the railway lines, the lines I thought too close for comfort ..I'm sure the bees could sense the pressure changes caused by approaching rolling stock ,because they altered their trajectory instantly .
John

 

[sphex]

Bees learn quickly,
In days of yore, there used to be a bee auction at Chelford in Cheshire, hives for sale were lined up in the cattle market yard, facing the railway;(station and all). The bees were liberated on arrival, and soared way over the railway lines, the lines I thought too close for comfort ..I'm sure the bees could sense the pressure changes caused by approaching rolling stock ,because they altered their trajectory instantly .
John

Good to know!

Things are looking positive. The allotment association site rep is indicating that it's all good in principle, and they just need to find out if any of our new neighbouring plotholders are allergic.