Hive in garden?

[planbee]

Having watched Martha Kearney?s programme this morning on the Web, I?m quite convinced that my Bee?s, [if I ever get a swarm], will do better in my garden than out in the country, which is like a ?forage desert?, and liable to be drenched in nasty chemicals at any time.

I was very impressed with Orlando, the urban beek ? good for you, mate, you?ve got the right idea!

My garden is narrow, because I live in a flat, but the other half belongs to an elderly lady who lives in the downstairs flat, she is disabled, and doesn?t go into her garden, so I?m OK there.

I?m a little bit concerned about other neighbours, but there is a high fence between me and the nearest, the other direction is the old ladys' bit, and then a fairly high hedge.

I would also have to consider walking in front of my hive, without getting struck by incoming and outgoing Bee?s.

I?ve a spare greenhouse, and its back faces South East, and I thought of placing a hive up against the rear wall, with a pane of glass removed, and a small extension to the entrance, if necessary.

With the rest of the other glass whitened to prevent too much solar gain, my only other problem would be to get the Bee?s to fly up high enough to keep clear of me!

There could be an advantage in keeping the hive sheltered in the Winter, of course.

Has anybody tried anything like this, or more importantly, what have I overlooked?

John,

Planbee, [formerly sameagle]

 

[VEG]

Dont put the hive in the greenhouse with a pane of glass missing it will probably kill the hive. I have 1 hive in my garden they have behaved themselves so far but it is a smallish colony. The further away from houses the better really. I will probably move my garden hive to my out apiary when it starts to build up. You can only try but have a backup ready incase things do go wrong.

 

[shonabee]

Are there areas of disused "waste" ground where you could put it - railway sidings and the like? Am sure that a lot of corporates could be convinced to allow that to happen, given that they could add their new "green" credentials to annual reports etc., though you might need to join an Assoc for the insurance cover.

 

[VEG]

Another thing i reccomend is to have a look on google maps at your area. You will be supprised at what you can come up with.

 

[hedgerow pete]

my garden had a hive or two in it for several seasons, like yours mine is very long but very narrow and i had mine about 8 foot from the end and against the fence but facing towards the end so they flew out and then up and over the end fence panels and to prevent them bothering the wife and dog who have to use the garden as well we just leant a fence panel against the hive so the had thier own tunnel area to fly in and out on, and as for then neighbours i use the dont tell them and they wont know technique rather than tell them and be responsible for ever flying insect in the plant

 

[jimbeekeeper]

A hive or 2 in your garden is possible, but it only takes that 1 small event and you have a problem!


Dont forget that MANY people and councils still use loads of "nasty chemicals" even more so than Farmer Gilles!

 

[grizzly]

Hi Planbee

Your post has reminded me to stick up some pics, i moved a brood into my garden this wednesday, it now has a NZ Queen in residence, not sure if the bees have released her yet, too early to open, but they are bringing in pollen and have chilled out.

As you can see my garden is long and narrow, i have a neighbour either side, 1 neighbour has been really keen on the bees arriving.

I am going to put a planter with trellis in front and to the right of the hive, as they get full sun from 10am onwards, and just to direct them up and over us when we sit up there.

 

[planbee]

Thanks

Thanks to all who offered help - for obvious reasons, I've only been able to read the replies this morning, now we are back "on air".

I already have a place about one and a half miles away, it's a small spinney in a field, more correctly, it's a line of trees about 20 yards deep than runs along the edge of a field, and faces SE.

It's well away from the main road, but it appears to be surrounded by grass, apart from some trees, and I didn't think that the forage situation looks good, [compared to domestic gardens, that is], but I suppose that I don't view it like a bee!

I'll try it this year, if I ever get bees [!], and see how it goes.

John

 

[Heather]

I have 6 hives in my garden - yes, about 1/3 acre, but surrounded by neighbours - and all their lovely flowers.
I have some at each end and a fence/ high hedge facing entrances so they fly UP. Just keep a close eye on queen cells so try to stop swarms.
Thats why I get more hives - I split. It reduces honey flow a bit doing this, but only had 2 swarms in 3 years ( Oh! thats gone and done it now!)
Neighbours really supportive - especially as the bee problem is more evident in the public domain.