Sharing of apiaries - good or not good?

[Hombre]

What do others think about the practice of sharing out apiaries with other beekeepers?

Obviously the dynamics change with each new beekeeper that has bees in residence in such an arrangement.

What are members personal views about the pros and cons of such an arrangement.

Am I a bit of a loner in that I wouldn't really want to share an apiary, or have other beeks visit my apiary unattended. Conversely I wouldn't seek to go any where near another beek's apiaries without an invitation and would normally expect the beekeeper to be in attendance.

Could be that I'm a bit of a cynic or slightly paranoid. LoL

 

[Moggs]

I have found that I have developed a sense of ownership of bees and equipment. It would muddy the waters for me. I'm sure that it would work for many and there is indeed strength in numbers.

I have become very protective of the critters and equipment. The apiary is my oasis outside the headlong rush of 9-5. A chance for some solitude and some chilling. Just me 'n' my bees. My preference only, notwithstanding prearranged visits by 'interested parties' - YMMV.

I'm reminded of the experience of one of our number who was unfortunate to encounter an episode with creosote. There you go....

 

[Hivemaker.]

Am I a bit of a loner in that I wouldn't really want to share an apiary, or have other beeks visit my apiary unattended. Conversely I wouldn't seek to go any where near another beek's apiaries without an invitation and would normally expect the beekeeper to be in attendance.

I go along with the above,don't think your being paranoid or a cynic Hombre,if you are, then that makes two of us up to now.

 

[nonstandard]

I share a home apiary with my neighbour at the moment, only because he had a family wedding at his house this year and didn't want his bees 'on site', he intends on moving his colony to his home in the spring.
It has been a good experience as a first year beekeeper, two pairs of eyes are often better than one etc. I do however generally like to work solo in most things so am looking forward to next season where I can get on and manage the bees on my terms without feeling obliged to discuss my plans and actions with someone else.

The other major issue with sharing an apiary is that (I believe) hive treatments such as Apiguard need to be synchronised across the apiary for maximum effectiveness.

 

[GingerNut]

steve1958 and I share an apiary...........and it works brilliantly

And this why -

1. It is visited twice a week so external problems can be picked up quicker.

2. If one of us is sick the other can do the inspections.

3. We can have holidays during the bee season as the other will look after everything.

4. It's a lot easier to arrange to meet for those jobs that are easier with two.

5. We share the upkeep of the site, so less for each to do.

6. It good to have someone to discuss your plans with for some feedback.

I would recommend it to anyone, especially (like us) you are in your early years of bee keeping.

Now, lets see what steve1958 has to say................I may have got it all wrong

Yours Roy

 

[Silly Bee]

"He travels fastest who travels alone"

Rudyard Kipling.

Keep company with beeks by all means, but sharing and mixing equipment can led to problems.

 

[steve1958]

steve1958 and I share an apiary...........and it works brilliantly

Now, lets see what steve1958 has to say................I may have got it all wrong

Yours Roy

Yes I have to agree with Roy
this past year has been a big learning curve, and having someone to share it with has been very beneficial.

We both have our own Hives, and tend to work a little differently to each other. But this hasnt been a problem.
I am sure any two Beekeepers would say the same, as we all have our own ways of doing things.
Hopefully we have learned from each other.

 

[Silly Bee]

In any walk of life, when you get a collective, you will find, its the same people all the time who do the work.

remember

A camel is a horse designed by a committee.

 

[PaleoPerson]

steve1958 and I share an apiary...........and it works brilliantly

And this why -

1. It is visited twice a week so external problems can be picked up quicker.

2. If one of us is sick the other can do the inspections.

3. We can have holidays during the bee season as the other will look after everything.

4. It's a lot easier to arrange to meet for those jobs that are easier with two.

5. We share the upkeep of the site, so less for each to do.

6. It good to have someone to discuss your plans with for some feedback.

I would recommend it to anyone, especially (like us) you are in your early years of bee keeping.

Now, lets see what steve1958 has to say................I may have got it all wrong

Yours Roy

I agree with all the above, especially point 1, but would add another,

7. Sometimes it is nice just to sit down in the Apiary and have a chat.

 

[drstitson]

"Sometimes it is nice just to sit down in the Apiary and have a chat"

to the bees or a fellow beek????

 

[GingerNut]

I agree with all the above, especially point 1, but would add another,

7. Sometimes it is nice just to sit down in the Apiary and have a chat.

Yours Roy

 

[GingerNut]

"Sometimes it is nice just to sit down in the Apiary and have a chat"

to the bees or a fellow beek????

Both

And we have both answered each other when the other was chatting with his bees

Yours Roy

 

[Nellie]

I also share one of my apiaries and feel that it's worked out really well over the past couple of years for all the reasons quoted above.

We're not in each other's pockets or reliant on one another, but that second pair of eyes/opinion is valuable as is a bit of extra kit floating around although we do have to be a little careful not to take the mickey but a quick phone call to ask "can I use your feeder/nick a super of comb" is generally met with a positive response.

 

[oliver90owner]

I bought out the sharer at one site. He was one who left the Apistan strips in over winter.... Paid for the hives, but not the bees, at the time as they were riddled with varroa. Lost one colony and I think the other recovered slowly. I was certainly a new beek and I am not sure what his status was, but overall better off without those problems.

Ymmv and your sharers may be helpful/efficient, so mixed views.

Regards, RAB

 

[Finman]

.

Share the apiary= share the yield on pasture

.

 

[mbc]

On a couple of occasions I've started new bees off by letting them share an out apiary but only on the understanding theyd have to move on once theyd found their feet - a situation which I felt was reached quicker than they did, but on both occasions a gentle reminder of the original conditions coupled with a bit of helping muscle power to move the bees on did the trick. If I start another beek off whose in need of out apiary space initially I'd happily go down the same route so long as I trusted them.

 

[thurrock bees]

i would and have shared my apiary a few times to help a fellow beek out. As long as apiary hygeine is good im happy. Ive known other beeks to leave drawn comb out in the open and that person has wax moth present on the site. Its nice to bounce ideas of each other and gain experience with swarm collections, A.S., and other ideas.
TB

 

[Rosti]

Could be that I'm a bit of a cynic or slightly paranoid. LoL

You and me both then!

An out apiary is by definition outside of your own routine monitoring and probably in a relatively isolated position. If you have an alternative arrangement then I think you are quite lucky. It is sadly an all to frequent event that hives are being vandalised or stolen these days. Increased beeks on one site means increased traffic and activity over longer periods, this unavoidably draws more attention and you cannot control who you get the attention from.

My hives are tucked away, the list of those who know they are there is very small, long may it remain so. If I choose to add someone to the list then it's my choice. The one exception where wider awreness could be a good thing may be allotments with so many other people with a common interest looking after each others patch. Sad that you have to think this way.

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

I would welcome sharing with (the right) more experienced beekeeper for a year or two. I know I still have a lot to learn, I have not yet been able to find a mentor, and sometimes - despite all of the excellent advice offered on this forum and elsewhere - things look very different in the apiary itself.

Not seeking to share responsibility for my own colonies - still less the colonies themselves. But it would be reassuring to have a second pair of eyes available.

 

[Melbourne12]

We share one of our apiaries, after we pestered the council to provide us with space on an allotment site. We have 4 beekeepers with 2 hives each. We don't share equipment, but we do share the work of keeping the apiary mown and tidy.

It seems to work very well, and it's always helpful to have others keeping an eye open for potential problems.