Farmers

[Ma7tin]

Was wondering how many people have hives on farmers land and if the farmers are supportive or if they're not really bothered.

I was thinking of approaching a farmer to see if he would allow me to put some hives on his land.

Any advice welcome

 

[REDWOOD]

I have my apiary on farm land and the farmer is more than welcome for me to keep them there, however I have been refused on many occasions and was mainly due to bad beekeepers who had been there before, If the farmland has beasts then fencing will have to be erected to segregate them and may be a good idea to tell the farmer you will pay for it

 

[merlin65]

I find farmers more than happy for you to have bees on their land, I have a farmer who would like me to put hives on his land for his osr crop, not everyones favourite I know, but I am happy to oblige.

 

[steve1958]

I have found Farmers to be more than happy to have Bees on their land.
and when you present them with a jar of Honey from the Hive on their land their interest grows.

 

[abm]

I have a dozen locations all waiting for bees Martin, should you want to get going next yr.

 

[Ma7tin]

We can chat more tomorrow abm if the weather improves. Can't wait to see your set up

 

[VEG]

Mine are on a farm I do a bit of work there as well.

 

[AmyB]

I have only ever had one site that wasn't on farmers land. We just drove around the area where we wanted the bees sited and used google maps, then found the farm and went and asked. Had more yes's than no's, most are more than happy to have them.
One of my farmers loves to have them and goes up to watch them in his open topped vehicle, stopping right in front of the hives. Problem is he gets in the way of their fightpaths and ends up getting stung but still doesn't care!

 

[HM Honey]

I have two hives on a local farm and farmers have been great tbh.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Fantastic relationship with the farmer who hosts my main out-apiary, very enthusiastic. Couldn't ask for more really.

The best advice I had was to choose a suitable site, by looking at Google maps and then streetview. Try to make it at least 3 miles away from any other site you may use, so hives can be transferred if necessary.

Once you've used streetview you should know the name of the farm. Another search should give at least the phone number, but may also give a name. Ask them personally, face to face if possible, explain the usual rent is 1lb honey per hive and suggest the exact spot on their land, rather than letting them tell you where any hives should go.

Be prepared for them to say no, because they might.

 

[SixFooter]

I have some bees on a farm and the farm has a farm shop, so sell all my honey. Trouble is, I have had 3 bad years with not much honey for them to sell. I promised them a lot more honey than I have delivered, so they are dissapointed. They like the customised label on the honey jars though as I put their logo on and a photo of the farm.

 

[Illo]

I have an out apiary on a local farm. I was told that a fellow beekeeper had previously had hives on his land, and he was positive about bees, so I just dropped in and asked. He couldn't be more helpful. Allows me to run association apiary meetings from the site, and always shows an interest in the bees. He has OSR (well...not last year!) so a bonus for both of us, since much of the farm land around me is dairy and very lacking in forage. The farmer reckons he gets a 15% increase in yield if there are pollinators nearby.

LJ

 

[Ma7tin]

Do the farmers normally give you guys notice of when their spraying the crops and what's the best way to protect the bees when their spraying?

 

[steve1958]

They wont if they dont know your there.
I mentioned this to the Farmer on my main site and he was kind enough to speak to the local farmers for me.
However you may need to drive around and hive them your phone number.

If you want to be really sure...
Half a pound of Honey, a card with your name and phone number on, and a friendly smile, and they will remember to contact you.

 

[Nige.Coll]

mine are on farmers land and he wants me to put more on his other farms.
he has offered to purchase hives for some sites but i think i will buy my own and put them in other sites as they grow in numbers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

my farmers are always playing up - especially the last few weeks, must be the change in the weather - I believe there is an ointment on the market that will help.

 

[HM Honey]

my farmers are always playing up - especially the last few weeks, must be the change in the weather - I believe there is an ointment on the market that will help.

 

[Cazza]

I have bees on farmland, farmer is lovely but I would say that, he's my brother.
My local beeclub also has bees on a large farmed estate.
I'm due to talk bees to a Young Farmers meeting soon so there is interest out there.
Cazza