points of the compass

[ladaok]

which way do you orientate your hives, do you have a reason why ?

I myself run the frames longitudinally Nth to Sth , with the landing board to the Nth , ..our winds are prevailing westerly. I haven't really done a trial to test for best. but I know this way the brood nest always forms and expands from the west side ( more heat after midday )

 

[Erichalfbee]

Entrances facing South/South East
Mine are in poly and the brood is generally in the front whichever way the entrance faces....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Difference between Northern and Southern Hemisphere here (apart from the propensity of those in the Southern hemisphere to cheat at rugby) and had to make me think hard every time orientation came up when I was in Southern Africa.
In the Northern hemisphere we try to have, where possible the entrance facing South so that it's facing the sun for most of the day (sun rising in a South Easterly direction and setting South West), therefore, as the upside downers are vice versa entrances should face North.
I'm assuming the OP is running Langstroths so has no choice but to run the frames the same - North/South) we in the rapidly becoming Disunited Kingdom for the most use Nationals which have a square footprint so we can either run the frames South/North or East/West it makes no difference to the bees.
As for entrance orientation - depends on the apiary layout: I try to have my entrances facing South but in one apiary I have them facing at all points from West to East

 

[chorrylan]

I have mine aligned so as to catch sunlight into the entrance as early as possible in the morning

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

 

[Erichalfbee]

Does anybody run Langs warm way?
Should be easy to do

 

[Finman]

Does anybody run Langs warm way?
Should be easy to do

No one

.

 

[REDWOOD]

which way do you orientate your hives, do you have a reason why ?

I myself run the frames longitudinally Nth to Sth , with the landing board to the Nth , ..our winds are prevailing westerly. I haven't really done a trial to test for best. but I know this way the brood nest always forms and expands from the west side ( more heat after midday )

all of my hives will brood more at the warmest side of the hive which in my case is the East which makes it great for moving old frames out

 

[Anduril]

As Redwood with all my bait hives the colonies set up home on the east which catches the early morning sun.

 

[Into the lions den]

It doesn't really matter.

Have them facing all ways. No issues at all. There is a general preference to face wintering groups at least towards the sun but that is applying human thinking to a critter that does not share our processes.

We winter on pallets, and they do best all year with random orientation, and in the end the ones which just happen to be facing the wrong way (to our thinking) do just as well, and indeed often better. Hot front door tends to equate to more swarming or at least an earlier departure. Also apiaries in full sun fare less well than those in dappled shade.

 

[REDWOOD]

It doesn't really matter.

Have them facing all ways. No issues at all. There is a general preference to face wintering groups at least towards the sun but that is applying human thinking to a critter that does not share our processes.

We winter on pallets, and they do best all year with random orientation, and in the end the ones which just happen to be facing the wrong way (to our thinking) do just as well, and indeed often better. Hot front door tends to equate to more swarming or at least an earlier departure. Also apiaries in full sun fare less well than those in dappled shade.

Do you find this with wood and poly

 

[masterBK]

I have my hives arranged in circles with entrances facing inwards & working them from outside the circle ie from behind the hives. Bees rise up from centre of circle like a cyclone and are rarely found on the immediate outside of the circle where I stand to manipulate them . Allows you to keep lots of hives in a small area with minimum drifting. The orientation doesn't seem make much difference to yields or to onset of swarming..

 

[whizzwheels]

Have my two hives pointing south east, bees are early to rise in the morning sun. A lot more productive than when the hives faced north east.

 

[Finman]

.
My hives are in irregular order. Avoid of drifting.

- not in windy sites
- sun shine so much as possible.
- long shadows this time of year. Outside of shadows.
- enough space to walk around.

- no hive point to north

 

[ladaok]

(apart from the propensity of those in the Southern hemisphere to cheat at rugby) hahaha

you fella's should take up a girlie's sport... like net ball ( oops, we thrash you at that as well, bugger )

good replies, the NZ'er Harry Cloak ( cloake board ) arranged his breeding stock in circles, probably 45 years ago. He had a reason for it, which I can't remember. also in the Sth Is of NZ, I have seen pictures of hives arranged in circles collecting clover, maybe 20 hives. so this may eliminate drift and nectar take may be similar / hive ?
The trouble is with trying to evaluate hive position, is the other variables between hives them selves

 

[Finman]

([B
good replies, the NZ'er Harry Cloak ( cloake board ) arranged his breeding stock in circles, probably 45 years ago. He had a reason for it, which I can't remember. also in the Sth Is of NZ, I have seen pictures of hives arranged in circles collecting clover, maybe 20 hives. so this may eliminate drift and nectar take may be similar / hive ?
The trouble is with trying to evaluate hive position, is the other variables between hives them selves

20 hives in one place is too much. Circle helps nothing.

Troubles to evaluate? They are self made if such exists. It cannot be so difficult.

 

[ladaok]

maybe 20 hives these hives probably have I would guess at, one + km in every direction of wall to wall clover, how long is clover flowering ?
old timers recon 15 hives in any one spot is maximum, from the little I know, seems about right

 

[Finman]

maybe 20 hives these hives probably have I would guess at, one + km in every direction of wall to wall clover, how long is clover flowering ?
old timers recon 15 hives in any one spot is maximum, from the little I know, seems about right

Wasting of bees that way.

Old timers are old timers. When I stopped to keep bees in old timers' way, my yields jumped from 40 kg/hive to 120 kg/hive.


You may have clover to all directions, but if clover does not give nectar, then you have lost everything.
Eggs in one basket as they say.
.
I keep maximum 4 hives in one point.
.

 

[Motobiman]

Four hives in one spot must make a lot of apiaries.

I visited a bee farm in Devon this summer that had about thirty hives in two concentric circles in the middle of a field and he was in the business of producing and selling honey, successfully.

I think the outer circle faced inwards and inner circle outwards (if that makes sense)

Isn't it all forage density, distance and quality related?

 

[Finman]

Four hives in one spot must make a lot of apiaries.
?

Bees harves the nectar around them. That is the point. They have time to collect all nectar what does 30 hives.

30 hives work 1 hour effectively and 3 hives work 10 hours effectively.


I just got this summer the most lowsy yield in my life. 30 kg / hive.

Sometimes only 1 hive is needed to clean the flowers in one site.

 

[Motobiman]

So (only) four hives in one spot must make for a lot of apiaries for a commercial operation but how does that apply to the relational positioning of those four hives, that was the question?