leasing and liabilities

[hootalink honey]

hi everyone
yes i'm a newB if i need to lease land for so many hives, whats the rule of thumb footprint in area or weight of product

 

[B+.]

hi everyone
whats the rule of thumb footprint in area or weight of product

There isnt one: bees forage over a 3 mile radius , so a lot depends on the quality of necatar/pollen sources nearby.
I would say few people lease land to place apiaries on but come to informal arrangements with landowners involving a gift of honey.

 

[Poly Hive]

It may well be different in North America so I would suggest finding a local info source and asking there where the info would be more pertinent.

How things work here may well be very different.

PH

 

[pargyle]

hi everyone
yes i'm a newB if i need to lease land for so many hives, whats the rule of thumb footprint in area or weight of product

There is no hard and fast rule - the number of hives you can locate in a single location is not the issue - the issue is how much forage is there available within the vicinity - and at an economic (for the bees) flying distance from the colonies. Also - forage needs to be varied so there is a source of pollen and nectar throughout the season - and the season is dependent upon the local climate.

You then have to factor in whether there are other beekeepers in the area and how many colonies they have that will share the foraging area.

Bees will survive just about anywhere - if there is insufficient forage that's what they will do - survive - but you will end up with smaller colonies, there will be no honey surplus and you may well have to feed them over winter for them to survive.

So .. like most things in beekeeping you have to THINK about what there is available and what your bees need to thrive. Anyone who starts out with the thought 'what's the maximum number of hives I can put here' is probably doomed to failure. Fewer colonies, larger colonies, well managed and in a location with the best forage locally is what you should be aiming for - not how many.

 

[hootalink honey]

i have three acres with neighbors on one side. i just hate to build up to much and have enemies. i have a friend willing to lease but i don't know what to offer except honey.

 

[hootalink honey]

have been studying forage areas for some time now. beekeeping in my area is not overdone. there is lots of room

 

[pargyle]

i have three acres with neighbors on one side. i just hate to build up to much and have enemies. i have a friend willing to lease but i don't know what to offer except honey.

The 'convention' over here is a pound of honey per hive placed on someone else's land ... it's not a great deal when a good colony can produce 100 lbs of honey (300 lbs if you live in Finland !) but it's a starting point for a negotiation.

Clearly, if you are looking at a commercial arrangement you might have to consider something of a more equitable split of the proceeds.

 

[hootalink honey]

thank you for the input. my goal is 20 -30 in three to four locations. you have given me food for thought

 

[enrico]

thank you for the input. my goal is 20 -30 in three to four locations. you have given me food for thought

And you are new to beekeeping? Don't run before you can walk
E

 

[Gilberdyke John]

And you are new to beekeeping? Don't run before you can walk
E

Good advice!