Density of Colonies on Heather

[daroco]

Fairly straightforward one here - how densely can you place colonies on heather? I'm considering purchasing a piece of moorland, and wanted to know if it was similar to on a normal apiary site or more like placing them for pollination.

 

[Honeybeeco]

We have all our family hives up on the heather land all year round, but this does bring problems in that whilst our heather honey comes in abundance, we get very little of any other honey throughout the year, so working / keeping bees in such a hardy, baron type environment is hard work.

Now this might be different if around where the moorland is situated has a good floral season - but we don't have that luxury being mainly slate quarries and sheep and many ou sand of acres of green only fields with not much flora, so feeding our bees at some times through the year is not uncommon, plus they can get a little grumpy because of it.

I'm thinking for the first time in 50 plus years of family beekeeping of moving 3 of my personal hives down towards the lowland anyday now to see how different they are this year.

Andy.

 

[Poly Hive]

I used to set out apiaries of 40 on the moor.

PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I used to set out apiaries of 40 on the moor.

PH

how many acres did you own

 

[mbc]

I used to set out apiaries of 40 on the moor.

PH

I'd say thats about right for the moors I go to too, though pickings would be very slim if they were up there before the heather properly came out.

 

[daroco]

Thanks for the replies. Certainly looks more promising than I had hoped.

 

[Poly Hive]

"though pickings would be very slim if they were up there before the heather properly came out."

Actually not in my experience, I took hives up very early one year and the plan was to use the site for isolated mating which went well. These moors were properly managed grouse moors with a regular burning program.

The three drone providing colonies took in three supers each of a lovely light honey which my then guru thought might have been from Trixiflora. The same happened on another heather site under the same circumstances. This was late June into early July.

Another lesson I learnt was to be there early. Normally shift pattern allowing I would have the bees on the moors by mid July.

One Honey Show I over heard some of the Glorious Twelfth mind set moaning there was no crop. I quietly chuckled knowing I had a ton in buckets.

PH