Starting out

[Snowpenguin]

My hive is ready (a beehaus - don't laugh), my bees are coming any day now and I'm not sure where to site my bees. I live in the country, have a good-sized garden but share the house with a nervous gardener! Any advise please eg direction, in the sun/shade, near a hedge etc. Thank you in advance.

 

[Midland Beek]

Well, I guess it's the bees or the gardener.

My thinking would be to site the hive in the garden where the nervous gardener and neighbours are least likely to get stung.

My second line of thinking would be to choose a sunny location. Sun in the morning is good for getting the bees to work.

Thirdly, always have in mind a Plan B - somewhere your bees can be moved away to if they start to cause problems.

Oh, and one colony really doesn't work too well. Two or three is easier.

 

[Rosti]

Think about flight path, if you can get this away from the main part of the garden and can force the bees high (2m fine plastic mesh does the trick, put a water source on the bees side of the mesh as well) then you will hopefully have a happy coexistence! Just remember that it'll be best to have the garden to yourself during inspections though. I agree with Midland Beek, you'll want multiple hives for 'critical mass' and contingency but you are well placed for that with your choice of hive since a beehaus is two hives in one is it not, so ready made expansion? Wld suggest you put expansion to two viable colonies by autumn as a higher priority than a honey crop.