What I'd love in an apiary site...

[nettle]

This year I'm looking to find an apiary site closer to home (the one I have now is 20 miles away), but I'd also love to find somewhere to grow veg. I've always grown veg wherever I've been, and I miss it so much now I don't have my own garden. My town doesn't have allotments, but I've sent an enquiry to the neighbouring town's allotment association. I've heard there's a very long waiting list though, and I doubt they'd allow hives...

What I'd love to find would be an out apiary setup where I could also grow veg and bee-friendly plants on the same site. I'd be happy to pay some rent towards this. Has anyone here got a setup like that? I have no idea how open landowners are likely to be towards enquiries that go beyond just siting a couple of hives, or what they're likely to ask in rent.

I'm in Easter Ross btw, on the massive outside chance that someone sees this who happens to have what I'm looking for!

 

[Amari]

This year I'm looking to find an apiary site closer to home (the one I have now is 20 miles away), but I'd also love to find somewhere to grow veg. I've always grown veg wherever I've been, and I miss it so much now I don't have my own garden. My town doesn't have allotments, but I've sent an enquiry to the neighbouring town's allotment association. I've heard there's a very long waiting list though, and I doubt they'd allow hives...

What I'd love to find would be an out apiary setup where I could also grow veg and bee-friendly plants on the same site. I'd be happy to pay some rent towards this. Has anyone here got a setup like that? I have no idea how open landowners are likely to be towards enquiries that go beyond just siting a couple of hives, or what they're likely to ask in rent.

I'm in Easter Ross btw, on the massive outside chance that someone sees this who happens to have what I'm looking for!

When I moved to Suffolk 20 years ago, not knowing anyone, I put an ad in the parish magazine and got a few helpful replies. Some landowners are eco/bee friendly and keen to help. Personally I wouldn't keep bees on a municipal allotment - but some do.

 

[Wilco]

Second vote for parish magazine. It's how I found the field I keep the sheep on and the rest is history!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Second vote for parish magazine. It's how I found the field I keep the sheep on and the rest is history!

I think the local face book page is the new parish magazine! It worked for me.

 

[nettle]

I think the local face book page is the new parish magazine! It worked for me.

Problem is you have to join facebook first! I deleted facebook and twitter last year because they were a soul-destroying waste of time, and I have no regrets apart from when it comes to to things like this! (Unfortunately I don't think we have a parish magazine around here, or not one that's likely to be widely circulated).

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’m on both Facebook and Twitter. I just look when I need to and don’t waste time browsing. I’ve sold a lot of honey via Facebook and the local BKA page is useful to look for apiary sites. Often there are members who don’t keep bees but like bees on their land.

 

[Dutchman]

I have a lovely allotment and had 2 hives of bees on the edge of it, that was fine but then there were 4 and every time I turned the compost or spread compost or sometimes even just sweated a lot the bees would start pinging. So now there are 15 and they have moved a few hundred yards away, slightly less convenient for beekeeping but much more enjoyable gardening