Keeping a hive inside a shed.

[user 22462]

Hi all,

New to the forum. Been reading about bees for the past year and finally decided to get a hive BS wooden hive to put in my allotment.
I'm worried about my hive being stolen as even tho the allotment is locked it's not uncommon for my fruit and vegetable to go missing from time to time.. And a beehive is worth considerably more.
My plan is to place the hive inside an old wooden shed and to make an opening directly into the wall with the hive entrance (landing board) sticking outside, so the bees can only enter and exit directly outside and not pass into the shed at all. My concern is regards to not being in direct sunlight.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mohamed

 

[thorn]

Hi all,

New to the forum. Been reading about bees for the past year and finally decided to get a hive BS wooden hive to put in my allotment.
I'm worried about my hive being stolen as even tho the allotment is locked it's not uncommon for my fruit and vegetable to go missing from time to time.. And a beehive is worth considerably more.
My plan is to place the hive inside an old wooden shed and to make an opening directly into the wall with the hive entrance (landing board) sticking outside, so the bees can only enter and exit directly outside and not pass into the shed at all. My concern is regards to not being in direct sunlight.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mohamed

When you inspect you'll have loads of bees flying around the shed and once you've closed up, unable to get back into the hive unless you leave the shed door open till they've all found their way out.

 

[pargyle]

Go for a Long Deep Hive like mine ... it would take three men or a fork lift truck and Pickfords to move it ... the roof can be secured with a padlock and hasp and it uses standard 14 x 12 frames ...

It's a great hive to start beekeeping with and a lot smaller than a shed with none of the disadvantages. There are people who keep bees in sheds but if a thief really wanted your bees or their honey then to be able to work unseen inside a shed is perhaps not the pancea you are looking for ... making a timber shed totally secure is not that easy !

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99514363@N06/albums/72157634865981506

 

[Nirakaro]

I once kept a hive in a spare bedroom for a while, got a roomful of bees whenever I opened the hive. I just left the window open for a while so they could find their way home. It was decades ago, but as far as I remember it worked perfectly ok.

 

[Newbeeneil]

One problem with bees in a shed is the vibrations you create as you walk across the shed floor. Unless the shed floor and hives are on a solid foundation the bees will be ready for you every time you inspect!

 

[Murox]

Hi all,

New to the forum. Been reading about bees for the past year and finally decided to get a hive BS wooden hive to put in my allotment.
I'm worried about my hive being stolen as even tho the allotment is locked it's not uncommon for my fruit and vegetable to go missing from time to time.. And a beehive is worth considerably more.
My plan is to place the hive inside an old wooden shed and to make an opening directly into the wall with the hive entrance (landing board) sticking outside, so the bees can only enter and exit directly outside and not pass into the shed at all. My concern is regards to not being in direct sunlight.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mohamed

Have a read through of this article about a bee shed . The Apiarist.org is a reliable source of information generally.

 

[drex]

Kept a dozen or so hives on my allotment for about 10 years with no problem. Losing a bit of fruit and veg was common too.
Did you canvas other plot holders as to their attitude to bees beforehand, and have you checked that bees are allowed ?
Annoyed plot holders may be your most common problem.

 

[Garry R]

Go for a Long Deep Hive like mine ... it would take three men or a fork lift truck and Pickfords to move it ... the roof can be secured with a padlock and hasp and it uses standard 14 x 12 frames ...

It's a great hive to start beekeeping with and a lot smaller than a shed with none of the disadvantages. There are people who keep bees in sheds but if a thief really wanted your bees or their honey then to be able to work unseen inside a shed is perhaps not the pancea you are looking for ... making a timber shed totally secure is not that easy !

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99514363@N06/albums/72157634865981506

I have a long hive like yours as you know but I wonder how you deal with your honey at harvesting time. I have about 22 deep frames yet the bees are still bursting out at the end. Do you remove the frames and replace with foundation and store the full frames until the end of the year and extraction. The colony has wintered superbly and look as if there are 6/7 frames of brood - much better than my other hives and they are on nationals rather than 14x12's . If it would dry up and warm up.

 

[andydormer]

I was once offered an allotment as an out apiary - local council rules required me to have passed my Basic Assessment. Was also limited to only two hives, I had three at the time, with hopes for more...
Have read of people using a shed with no roof, the walls act as a visual barrier to deter thieves, no roof solved the problem with inspecting.
Shelter from wind (microclimate) would probably offset the lack of direct sunlight.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Shelter from wind (microclimate) would probably offset the lack of direct sunlight.

why would you need sunlight anyway? it's a box, the bees are always in the dark - they get their sunlight when they fly

 

[pargyle]

I have a long hive like yours as you know but I wonder how you deal with your honey at harvesting time. I have about 22 deep frames yet the bees are still bursting out at the end. Do you remove the frames and replace with foundation and store the full frames until the end of the year and extraction. The colony has wintered superbly and look as if there are 6/7 frames of brood - much better than my other hives and they are on nationals rather than 14x12's . If it would dry up and warm up.

Long hives do seem to create big colonies.. I use mine mostly as a brood factory - transferring frames of brood into my other hives. They overwinter well and with 14 x 12 format they usually have more than enough frames of stores to overwinter without feeding. I don't harvest honey from my long hive as 14 x 12 frames don't (easily) fit my extractor - I tend to use them as frames for stores in Nucs and splits or just store them for use later, replacing the stolen frames either with drawn frames or as I run foundationless - with empty frames with starter strips. There's no reason why they can't be extracted or processed by crush and strain.

 

[Ian123]

why would you need sunlight anyway? it's a box, the bees are always in the dark - they get their sunlight when they fly

You want to see the eggs!
Bees clear quickly if you just leave the door open a few minutes.

 

[Mabee]

I keep bees in a shed at home, the bees do just fine. They have an escape at the window and the shed clears very quickly after inspections. I have an anti vibration mat under the hive (like you’d get for a washing machine), which helps with any vibrations. The shed will need ventilation though as they release a lot of moisture but a couple of vents is fine. I do have a light to help with inspections.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i've seen a few bee sheds in austria where all the inspecting and harvesting is done in the shed from behind

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You want to see the eggs!

yes, but the OP's concern was that the hive needed direct sunlight rather than he to see eggs

 

[roche]

Hedgerow Pete posted here about keeping in a beeshed.

 

[steve1958]

I once kept Bees in a shed on the allotment.
Not for long though, as I soon realised I couldn't see what I was doing due to reduced light.

 

[Dekzion]

Not actually about a proper hive but, 30 years ago I cut the bottom off a milk parlour jar (Pyrex and very difficult) Araldited bamboo canes up in the top across the shoulder, then mounted it in a hollow base with a tunnel leading out through my shed wall. Installed a cast which did very well. It was fascinating to watch their progress. they swarmed the following year which I caught. One thing I saw due to this was the flyers could ask the house bees to clean them and get detritus out from around their wings joints by just standing there with a wing sticking up, it only took a minute or so until they were attended to!