Couple of farmer friends

[Cuckmere couple]

Of mine locally very happy for me to place hives on their land etc

1 has a couple of beeks already with 2 hives each on some land

Clearly he doesn’t want to infringe on area their bees are foraging

I’ve read somewhere that bees still only harvest under 5-10% of nectar in England and I know there have been debates about number of hives in sq mile area etc...

But is there a rule of thumb to reassure ourselves?

I know it’s dependant on crops etc to a large extent but broadly, am I right in thinking you’d need 50+ before you need to worry re infringement?

 

[Poly Hive]

Yes. It's the law of diminishing returns. Manley talked about it in his books as in the only way to test a site is to put say 20 colonies there. If there's a good return then the following season try thirty and so on until the take falls, then you know you have maxed out.

Simple really.

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

Yes. It's the law of diminishing returns. Manley talked about it in his books as in the only way to test a site is to put say 20 colonies there. If there's a good return then the following season try thirty and so on until the take falls, then you know you have maxed out.

Simple really.

PH

Here they max out at 10!!!

 

[Poly Hive]

Really?

I used to set out twenty to thirty on a site and on the heather 80 once which made no odds at all.

PH

 

[Murox]

Of mine locally very happy for me to place hives on their land etc

1 has a couple of beeks already with 2 hives each on some land

Clearly he doesn’t want to infringe on area their bees are foraging

I’ve read somewhere that bees still only harvest under 5-10% of nectar in England and I know there have been debates about number of hives in sq mile area etc...

But is there a rule of thumb to reassure ourselves?

I know it’s dependant on crops etc to a large extent but broadly, am I right in thinking you’d need 50+ before you need to worry re infringement?

If you know the area access and have a think about the natural 'wild' forage, especially field margins and hedges; then local gardens and farm crops. Ask how good a return the other beeks had in that location. How many other total number of hives within 3 mile radius etc, etc.

 

[For want of a better word]

Really?

I used to set out twenty to thirty on a site and on the heather 80 once which made no odds at all.

PH

I wish!!
Little or no heather now within 25 miles of here..... seem to have more solar panels than crops on the once green and verdant fields hereabouts!

AND the Environment agency are eradicating the HB !!!

 

[SDM]

Here they max out at 10!!!

Same here mostly, 20 is possible in a few locations

 

[SDM]

Ask how good a return the other beeks had in that location. How many other total number of hives within 3 mile radius etc, etc.

Then halve the number of hives he tells you and double the harvest as they're.not going to want to encourage you.

 

[SDM]

Double post

 

[Cuckmere couple]

my take home from this is up to 20 is fine

they are large arable farms anyway and only 4 hives so far so i think uncontentious...just wanted to reassure

 

[Curly green fingers]

my take home from this is up to 20 is fine

they are large arable farms anyway and only 4 hives so far so i think uncontentious...just wanted to reassure

I'm taking 7 strong colony's to a 450 acre farm ready for the osr , orchards and field beans. More will be going as an when nuclei are ready .
I hope to have 20 maybe 30 there by the end of the summer .
The plan is to double this next year as the forage is really good the farmer has planted more cider apples and we are buying seed now to sow borage and phacelia..