How big of an island for isolated mating yard?

[sugarbush]

I have the opportunity to purchase an Island which is 7 miles off of it's nearest point of the mainland. The price is reasonable due to it being in a very rough patch of ocean. The Island has a small shed on it and a lighthouse on it which I will have the use of, but would still be owned by the Coast Guard. It is an acre total and completely open, rocky with beach grasses...

If I were to buy it my plan would be to lease it out as an isolated mating yard. Obviously an acre isn't going to sustain much, so bees out there would need to be fed.

Anybody think it would be feasible to use a 1 acre patch of ground as a mating yard? any suggestions for making this successful? I can acquire the Island for about 10K

 

[victor meldrew]

I have the opportunity to purchase an Island which is 7 miles off of it's nearest point of the mainland. The price is reasonable due to it being in a very rough patch of ocean. The Island has a small shed on it and a lighthouse on it which I will have the use of, but would still be owned by the Coast Guard. It is an acre total and completely open, rocky with beach grasses...

If I were to buy it my plan would be to lease it out as an isolated mating yard. Obviously an acre isn't going to sustain much, so bees out there would need to be fed.

Anybody think it would be feasible to use a 1 acre patch of ground as a mating yard? any suggestions for making this successful? I can acquire the Island for about 10K

I don't feel it to be large enough . Yes you would have to feed the bees , mating nucs are small and very temporary but how would you sustain the necessary drone colonies, when the forages have the urge to forage, they will attempt to find forage ! ?
VM

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Surely in a situation like that you could open feed them...

 

[Poly Hive]

I would contact the German Beekeepers as they are the experts on this one.

I too suspect that one acre may be a bit small but hey, ask.

PH

 

[Skyhook]

I know nothing about mating colonies- but the thought does occur to me that a 1 acre island 7 miles off the coast might be a tad breezy for mating flights?

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

I know nothing about mating colonies- but the thought does occur to me that a 1 acre island 7 miles off the coast might be a tad breezy for mating flights?

There tends to be a lesser wind effect offshore than on the mainland shore, due to the land effect.
The mainland is warmer than the water which causes your onshore breeze, have you noticed that it always seems a little breezy when your at the beach.
However, sail 7 miles offshore and you will find yourself in less wind, unless your in the middle of a depression, then that all flys out the window...

 

[Norton]

I really do not know.what type of bee would you mate there..?

 

[sugarbush]

Pretty much the only bee we need isolated yards to breed are the Hygienic. The only other bees we have here are Italian, Carniolan and a few Russians. Not much in the way of native bees you guys are used to. I have one hive of AMM, but those are really rare to come by here...

Wind would only be an issue in the event of a storm and they are rare in the summer months when bees would be out there.

The foragers will have miles of water to forage over... I sail and the last time I was out I had honey bees visiting the boat, some two miles out.

Do the German beeks frequent this site? My German sucks so can't really go onto a German forum.

 

[Carsten]

Pretty much the only bee we need isolated yards to breed are the Hygienic. The only other bees we have here are Italian, Carniolan and a few Russians. Not much in the way of native bees you guys are used to. I have one hive of AMM, but those are really rare to come by here...

Wind would only be an issue in the event of a storm and they are rare in the summer months when bees would be out there.

The foragers will have miles of water to forage over... I sail and the last time I was out I had honey bees visiting the boat, some two miles out.

Do the German beeks frequent this site? My German sucks so can't really go onto a German forum.

How is the flora and fauna on this island?
Droneproviders will kick the drones in lack of pollen.
mvh
Carsten

 

[sugarbush]

How is the flora and fauna on this island?
Droneproviders will kick the drones in lack of pollen.
mvh
Carsten

A bucket of pollen sub will solve that issue.

I am not real familiar with the nectar and pollen sources of our coastal Islands. I am not sure anybody here really is.

 

[alanf]

Sounds like a nice idea, but it's going to a lot of trouble and expense, even if you could write it off against tax.

Against it is that you would have to get food and water out there for the bees and attend to them on a regular basis. How often are you not going to be able to land? Owning and running (or chartering) a boat that can reliably land you there isn't going to be cheap. Or do you camp there all season? The mating is still down to chance and the mating population is being selected for on a basis, such as robust flight or coping with a limited range of food sources. The resulting balance isn't going to exactly reflect the characteristics you are seeking.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have an island but are the practical benefits going to justify the time and expense compared with II?

 

[sugarbush]

Sounds like a nice idea, but it's going to a lot of trouble and expense, even if you could write it off against tax.

Against it is that you would have to get food and water out there for the bees and attend to them on a regular basis. How often are you not going to be able to land? Owning and running (or chartering) a boat that can reliably land you there isn't going to be cheap. Or do you camp there all season? The mating is still down to chance and the mating population is being selected for on a basis, such as robust flight or coping with a limited range of food sources. The resulting balance isn't going to exactly reflect the characteristics you are seeking.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have an island but are the practical benefits going to justify the time and expense compared with II?

Interesting points: If I use it for myself I can get there anytime as I own a boat, but if I lease it out I would have to decide if I would ferry the lessee out there or would they be responsible for their own launch.

The patch of ocean it is in is known as the Race because it has a really fast current through there... If attempted at the wrong time it can be difficult to navigate. The island it's self has a protected landing with a sand beach, getting onto the island would not be an issue .

I have enough dry storage that I could stock all the feed and supplies I would need out there early in the season. I would probably stay out there during the mating season. All colonies would be removed back to the main land after the mating season is over. They would never winter out there as it is not uncommon for Nor'esterners to push waves completely over the Island.

 

[sugarbush]

The landing

 

[Winker]

There tends to be a lesser wind effect offshore than on the mainland shore, due to the land effect.
The mainland is warmer than the water which causes your onshore breeze, have you noticed that it always seems a little breezy when your at the beach.
However, sail 7 miles offshore and you will find yourself in less wind, unless your in the middle of a depression, then that all flys out the window...

Thats funny, when i lived on the north east coast of Scotland ( 500 yards from the beach) I can assure you it was more windy on the beach than it was half a mile inland

 

[susbees]

Research on drone congregation areas (not withstanding the corridors leading up to them) strongly suggests that these are found for Apis mellifera spp where there is an open space of one hectare or so. Quite what would happen if 3/5 of that area were to be over the sea I don't have a clue. The Danes, Germans etc I suspect use bigger islands by a way.

 

[Skyhook]

There tends to be a lesser wind effect offshore than on the mainland shore, due to the land effect.
The mainland is warmer than the water which causes your onshore breeze, have you noticed that it always seems a little breezy when your at the beach.
However, sail 7 miles offshore and you will find yourself in less wind, unless your in the middle of a depression, then that all flys out the window...

Thats funny, when i lived on the north east coast of Scotland ( 500 yards from the beach) I can assure you it was more windy on the beach than it was half a mile inland

Isn't that what he said? The beach is the windiest, being the transition between land and sea.

 

[fatshark]

Tom Seeley conducted some of his swarming studies, or rather swarm re-location studies, on similar sounding islands and he comments in his book "Honeybee Democracy" on the impact of adverse weather.

Additionally, 7 miles might not be enough ... Peer notes that mating distances can be as much as 10 miles in The Canadian Entomologist, 1957, 89: 108-110 though I'm not sure whether drones would venture that far over water.

 

[Hombre]

. . . though I'm not sure whether drones would venture that far over water.

Personal vision of long range maritime Drones with WWII aviation goggles, wellie boots and a yellow Mae West perhaps

Where are our artists/cartoonists when you want/need them?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Personal vision of long range maritime Drones with WWII aviation goggles, wellie boots and a yellow Mae West perhaps

Beware that time in history,your drones may encounter some problems with long range Mosquitos.

Made from wood,not poly.

 

[beebreeder]

And some "spitting fire" not semen!!!!!!!!!!!!