How many hives per area

[Poly Hive]

I can remember reading about bees in possibly Arizona flying some 8 miles one way for water.

Which only proves that some one should have put some water down...

In my thoughts a colony of bees with no forage to hand is frankly a liability and an expense. But then as both an amateur and sideliner as the Yanks put it neatly, I want my bees to pay, at least for them selves.

PH

 

[Chris B]

The commercial probably moves 4 or 5 times during the season to maximise yield.
Therefore 30/40 hive drops will work whilst there is forage.

I can only speak for myself, but the moves I do are (i) out in the spring (ii) back in the autumn, with a smaller proportion also going to heather. I'm wintering in 8 apiaries. Moving bees is hard work during the active season - much better to find apiaries that yield well from start to finish.

 

[Finman]

.
I have kept 35 years hives on rape and I could say this:

- Recommendations hives per hectare have not changed for 40 years even if hives are now 3 times bigger than 40 years ago

- Autsralians have researched hives/ rape and they say that if you put hives from the view of honey yield, one hive per 2 hectare is good.

- Bees flye mostly to the distance of 200 m in raoe field. Don't put you all hives in one punch

- rape is sensitive to dry and hot weather, and if you have bad luck, your 30 hives gives nothing

- 4 hives per hectare is used when farmer wants to make hybrid sees.

- 4 hives per hectare is pure nonsense if you want to get honey.


If rape field situate at the distance of 1 km, half of yield will be consumed as fuel.

- When pollen foraging and nectar foraging has been researched, 2 km is an average distance. Dont' speak over 3 km distances. This is not "how far" record thing.

 

[Finman]

.
My normal yield from rape field is 60 kg honey per hive. Sometimes it is 100 kg and sometimes 30 kg. Dry windy weathers are bad.

But it has been the best yield plant during last 40 years. Our rape is spring rape.

Our professionals keep about 4 hives per site. In old good days recommendation was 10 hives.


Honey comes from pastures = how much flowers and how much nectar in flowers. Most of the summer time bee foraging capacity on certain pastures is too high.

I have one point 3 km away. After experience I keep there only one productive hive. It is enough to forage all honey from flowers. Mainly I keep the place as mating nuc place.

.

 

[wightbees]

.
I have kept 35 years hives on rape and I could say this:

- Recommendations hives per hectare have not changed for 40 years even if hives are now 3 times bigger than 40 years ago

- Autsralians have researched hives/ rape and they say that if you put hives from the view of honey yield, one hive per 2 hectare is good.

- Bees flye mostly to the distance of 200 m in raoe field. Don't put you all hives in one punch

- rape is sensitive to dry and hot weather, and if you have bad luck, your 30 hives gives nothing

- 4 hives per hectare is used when farmer wants to make hybrid sees.

- 4 hives per hectare is pure nonsense if you want to get honey.


If rape field situate at the distance of 1 km, half of yield will be consumed as fuel.

- When pollen foraging and nectar foraging has been researched, 2 km is an average distance. Dont' speak over 3 km distances. This is not "how far" record thing.

In the UK its 1 hectare = 2.47105381 acres,
So this is far more than what you have quoted,was Ted Hooper really that far off the mark ?

 

[Finman]

.
What says Australian covernement in its letter:
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/programs/established-rural-industries/pollination/canola.cfm

Density of bees

Results showed an improvement in seed yield of 46% in the presence of three honey bee hives per hectare, compared with the absence of hives(Sabbahi et al. 2005). Further information from Canada indicates the need for larger numbers of bees hives for the pollination of hybrid canola seed, where stocking rates of six hives per hectare have been reported (Somerville 2002). These higher stocking rates may reduce honey produced by as much as 75% as the main aim is to maximise seed production (Somerville 2002). A normal stocking rate for honey production was stated as 0.5 hives/hectare for non- hybrid canola varieties (Somerville 2002).

Perhaps that works in UK because Australia is an island

.

 

[mbc]

.
My normal yield from rape field is 60 kg honey per hive. Sometimes it is 100 kg and sometimes 30 kg. Dry windy weathers are bad.

But it has been the best yield plant during last 40 years. Our rape is spring rape.

Our professionals keep about 4 hives per site. In old good days recommendation was 10 hives.


Honey comes from pastures = how much flowers and how much nectar in flowers. Most of the summer time bee foraging capacity on certain pastures is too high.

I have one point 3 km away. After experience I keep there only one productive hive. It is enough to forage all honey from flowers. Mainly I keep the place as mating nuc place.

.

.
What says Australian covernement in its letter:
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/programs/established-rural-industries/pollination/canola.cfm

Density of bees

Results showed an improvement in seed yield of 46% in the presence of three honey bee hives per hectare, compared with the absence of hives(Sabbahi et al. 2005). Further information from Canada indicates the need for larger numbers of bees hives for the pollination of hybrid canola seed, where stocking rates of six hives per hectare have been reported (Somerville 2002). These higher stocking rates may reduce honey produced by as much as 75% as the main aim is to maximise seed production (Somerville 2002). A normal stocking rate for honey production was stated as 0.5 hives/hectare for non- hybrid canola varieties (Somerville 2002).

Perhaps that works in UK because Australia is an island

.

The national average yield of osr seed in Australia is 1.83 t/ha
the average in the UK is 3.29 t/ha
does this mean we should aim for 1.8 x the density of bees ?

 

[Finman]

.

The national average yield of osr seed in Australia is 1.83 t/ha
the average in the UK is 3.29 t/ha
does this mean we should aim for 1.8 x the density of bees ?

It is in USA too about 1,5 tn/ha.

It means that those countries use better fields to something else which give better yields.


They are your hives. Put there at least 10 hives per acre. Your hives your yield

I just told about 40 years old facts.

Our researcher found a recommendation from year 1964 that it is 4 hives hectare. Keep it!

Australia gets 300 kg honey per hive and UK 30 kg.