How many hives could I put on an 450 acre farm.

[wightbees]

Here's a nice bit of fun for looking at bee forage distance

http://bees.morkland.org/coverage/

 

[For want of a better word]

Thanks to nobody, that we do not have in Finland snowpixies. IT is totally English innovation.

And Cheers, what need you have to blaa blaa blaa people when you have nothing to say?
.

Just following you lead... My dearest little snow pixie!

OMG It is going to be a long hard winter... The Antipodean Oddesey beckons!!

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

Just following you lead... My dearest little snow pixie!

OMG It is going to be a long hard winter... The Antipodean Oddesey beckons!!

Yeghes da

Santa does not bring to you goodies, you snow pixie lover

 

[Curly green fingers]

Hi, I've 6 colony's to move to the farm when would you think would be a good time to move them so there settled in ready for the flows?

 

[Ian123]

Bees will be out foraging 20 minutes after you open the front door so no need for them settle in...certainly in my area suburbia provides a better spring build up than open farm land until the rape flowers

 

[Curly green fingers]

Bees will be out foraging 20 minutes after you open the front door so no need for them settle in...certainly in my area suburbia provides a better spring build up than open farm land until the rape flowers

The flows will be 100 acres of field beans, 200acres of cider apples, next door farm are planting osr, there's also lots of thorn, sycamore and mixed woodland . ( Spring).
Summer, blackberry, lots of clover and hedgerows.
There's also a river running near by .

 

[dpearce4]

Move them anytime from now until mid march when weather permits, if more than 3miles, if less sooner would be better as not flying much atm.

 

[Ian123]

If your bees are at home I would leave them there until a week before the apple or rape flowers, you may be wanting to feed them beforehand/prep them as best you can for those early sources. If next door has rape then be prepared for its fast setting honey and try and remove any before the beans flower

 

[birdsandbees]

Michael runs courses to teach instrumental insemination.

He sells a lot of queens to bee farmers and his favorite mix was Carni and Buckfast.

I know Michael, he and Erica are members of our association, they have both been slowly getting more involved with amm bees and have been to Germany, Ireland and Scotland on visits and I dare say bringing back queens, I think its a fairly recent thing, I recall talking to Erika in 2017 about amm's and she drew back calling them horrid things... times are a changing it seems especially after seeing for themselves how placid they can be.

I think the number of courses he has been conducting through BIBBA has opened his eyes to an opportunity, I know he plans produce thousands of queens this year! some will be amm I'd expect.

 

[Beefriendly]

I know he plans produce thousands of queens this year! some will be amm I'd expect.

That will be due to market demand. Lot of people asking for "native" bee queens.

 

[Curly green fingers]

If your bees are at home I would leave them there until a week before the apple or rape flowers, you may be wanting to feed them beforehand/prep them as best you can for those early sources. If next door has rape then be prepared for its fast setting honey and try and remove any before the beans flower

It's 20 miles I've got to move them we will be using a stock trailer, i wanted to move them sooner rather than later so when we do my friend can get involved with inspections and start to learn as she is very keen in learning more about them . I've already made stands ready and we have a second hand shed to put up near by.
Cheers mark.

 

[Ian123]

Sure what ever works best for you guys but still appears little point in moving before you can start regularly inspecting. You can spend a few weekends setting up your shed and stands

 

[Curly green fingers]

Sure what ever works best for you guys but still appears little point in moving before you can start regularly inspecting. You can spend a few weekends setting up your shed and stands

My point was even if and when I might feed syrup or fondant it would of been an opportunity for learning , observations even .

 

[Poly Hive]

Just a general thought. re the 450 acres. It works out at 10% (roughly) of what the bees will cover.

PH

 

[mbc]

Just a general thought. re the 450 acres. It works out at 10% (roughly) of what the bees will cover.

PH

This is true but also to factor in is that frequency of visits by bees peters out as they get further from their hives, the first five hundred yards around a location are generally the most important with regards to forage.

 

[Curly green fingers]

This is true but also to factor in is that frequency of visits by bees peters out as they get further from their hives, the first five hundred yards around a location are generally the most important with regards to forage.

The hives are going to be positioned in the centre of the farm once situated if I want to move them I'll
Have to remove for three weeks and then bring them back , they will be very close to both field beans, orchard and osr , I was thinking to keep them all together as to help with inspections .
The closer they are to these sources of forage the better I thought?

 

[peteinwilts]

The hives are going to be positioned in the centre of the farm once situated if I want to move them I'll
Have to remove for three weeks and then bring them back , they will be very close to both field beans, orchard and osr , I was thinking to keep them all together as to help with inspections .
The closer they are to these sources of forage the better I thought?

if it were me (and there are many ways of doing this), I would not have a single apiary in the centre.

I would have 3-4 apiaries of 6-10 hives near the perimeters and see where you go from there.
If the farmer is paying you to spot pollinate the crops, there are a number of published figures that can help with optimum pollination density's, but these are more for when you can move the majority of bees away to other pastures.

Sitting as close to the crops as possible means you NEED to lock the bees in when spraying. If a few hundred yards away, it becomes an option.

The first reason I would have multiple apiarys is to spread the bees to forage outside the farm without flying over it (efficiency), but also reduces the focus of bees from one spot. The farmer may want bees, but a lot of hives in a small area, can create a huge amount of flying bees in a small area which can be unnerving for some.

Smaller apiaries also give a degree of separation. diseases can jump from apiary to apiary, but if there is separation between them, it prevents bees drifting in a small area and lessons the effects. CCD is a good example. I have lost most of a 10 hive apiary to CCD, but those apiary's 1/2 mile away have remained unaffected.

You are right to think about other sources. Farms with few crops have boom and bust in foraging. A balanced area with hedgerows, trees and wildflower helps balance things out which will require less feeding during tight times.

Hard work - yes it is. But you can be smart about it to lesson the load. Your optimum hives will generally be as many as you can do at peak time. A large amount of hives swarming is really bad politics.

For a full time job, you would need many sites. Until you learn how to manage large number of hives, stay within the 40 BBKA limit to keep your 'insurance'. BFA membership requires commitment.

IMHO you should avoid sitting in the no-mans land between too big for BBKA and to small for BFA.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[For want of a better word]

if it were me

For a full time job, you would need many sites. Until you learn how to manage large number of hives, stay within the 40 BBKA limit to keep your 'insurance'. BFA membership requires commitment.

IMHO you should avoid sitting in the no-mans land between too big for BBKA and to small for BFA.

Just my 2 cents...

Insurance..... Oh dear!

Just check and see what you are covered for.... particularly if not on land you own and have the freehold for !
Theft may be your worry... unlikely that a "notifiable disease" would wipe out your complete operation... Public liability.. product liability....
The game plan changes entirely as soon as you take on an employee.. even if you pay them "in kind".... some insurances are compulsory, or the risk to great to take on yourself.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Curly green fingers]

Insurance..... Oh dear!

Just check and see what you are covered for.... particularly if not on land you own and have the freehold for !
Theft may be your worry... unlikely that a "notifiable disease" would wipe out your complete operation... Public liability.. product liability....
The game plan changes entirely as soon as you take on an employee.. even if you pay them "in kind".... some insurances are compulsory, or the risk to great to take on yourself.

Just my 2 cents

I'm just about to renew my bbka insurance , I will find out my options on Monday when I go to our association meeting.
I was thinking if the apiary site was around the perimeter there's more chance of them being stolen .
Where there going is the highest place on the farm on the edge of woodland, there's no access to and from the area unless you go by quad/ mule.

 

[MartinL]

How much money do you have to burn???

The hives are going to be positioned in the centre of the farm once situated if I want to move them I'll

. . . . . .

Will he let you take your time & develop as time moves on?

If so, I'd invest in Nucs, make your splits & position the Nucs where you want them.