Where do you site your hives?

[Rhiellie]

Hi everyone

I am in the early stages of this bee addiction that has obviously gripped you all I plan to do some courses early next year and in the meantime am reading every bee book I can lay my hands on and have already learnt lots from this very useful forum...... plus OH and I plan to give hive building a go over the winter and hopefully take the plunge with some bees during 2013.

I wondered where you all site your hives, we can't have hives in our garden as although in a village surrounded by fields, we also have close neighbours either side.

Are any other beekeepers in a similar situation? I am hoping that one of the local farmers/land owners will welcome me putting some hives on their land, I have read that this is common practise with beekeepers and wondered if it would be easy to do and if farmers would welcome this?

Any advise/guidance/pointers would be very welcome, thank you all.

 

[beekim]

Hi i am a new bee keeper and the man i got my bees off had 5 hives in his garden with neighbours both sides

 

[MartinL]

.......in the meantime am reading every bee book I can lay my hands on .........

So you will soon be very confused then!!!!

I have two hives in my garden and three in a field close by.

One neighbor got a few stings while using power tools, at the top of his garden (close to my hives).

Otherwise, no problems over 5 years!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you want to keep them in the garden you could do a few things to try and stop them from interfering with your neighbours enjoyment of their garden.
Face the hive entrances towards the open field behind
Put some kind of barrier (fence panels or fine mesh) about six feet high to each side of the hives to encourage them to fly higher before leving your garden and crossing theirs.
But as you live out in the sticks it would probably be better and less hassle in the long term if you acquire an apiary nearby - especially if you (or the bees) decide to expand the apiary.
Have a wander around and try and identify an apiary site (convenient for fetching and carrying, fairly secluded etc) you're bound to find a corner of a field somewhere near a road that doesn't get much use by the farmer - near a copse or something. Once you've identified a site (or sites) then go and ask the farmer. most are amenable to bees I believe. It is far better to have a site in mind rather than asking the farmer if you can keep bees on his land and being directed to a dark overgrown bit of bog as it then sounds churlish if you say 'well that's no good - got anything better?" you may have to invest in a bit of fencing or whatever to secure the site but at least you'll have peace of mind

 

[VEG]

use google maps to find likely sites in your area then go and look on foot.

 

[WelshPaul]

I keep mine at the bottom of the garden in a 6 foot by 6 foot fenced off area. By having this the bees go up 6 foot and don't come down into the garden.

 

[enrico]

Most farmers will 'give' you a corner of a field, the bees often benefit their crops anyway, put good stock fencing up, make sure you can get a vehicle fairly close and always give the farmer a fair percentage of your crop. Beware of cattle and sheep, they are inquisitive so good stock fencing is a must, also keeps badgers away. I would always advise against bees in back gardens. They can be wonderful but they can also be hell..... You have a responsibility to your neighbours.
E

 

[madasafish]

If you buy - as oppose to inherit bees from swarms - you can choose bees which are 100% mild, can be handled without gloves or smoke or indeed any protection (except on bad weather when you should not be going near them).


The advice most beginners are given on the subject is often based on people accepting bee behaviour which in other countries would not be tolerated. There is NO reason to accept bees with bad behaviour which makes using them in an urban environment a risk to neighbours or the public.

I speak as one who handles bees without gloves or smoke (but has a lit smoker in attendance just in case). I am not brave/foolish (?) enough to keep without veil or smock although with my bees it is possible.


Just make sure your bees HAVE to fly above head height when they leave your garden.

Of course, if you chose to have typical UK bees, garden use is impractical as their behaviour is unacceptable.

 

[thorn]

Rhiellie, I've pm'd you about a possible site.

 

[ratcatcher]

Hi everyone

I am in the early stages of this bee addiction that has obviously gripped you all I plan to do some courses early next year and in the meantime am reading every bee book I can lay my hands on and have already learnt lots from this very useful forum...... plus OH and I plan to give hive building a go over the winter and hopefully take the plunge with some bees during 2013.

I wondered where you all site your hives, we can't have hives in our garden as although in a village surrounded by fields, we also have close neighbours either side.

Are any other beekeepers in a similar situation? I am hoping that one of the local farmers/land owners will welcome me putting some hives on their land, I have read that this is common practise with beekeepers and wondered if it would be easy to do and if farmers would welcome this?

Any advise/guidance/pointers would be very welcome, thank you all.

firstly, welcome to beekeeping, where abouts in essex are you?
I have a 130ft garden, that is housing 2 hives at the moment, one only picked up yesterday, we have young children next door, no problems as yet
I also build all of my own top bar hives, and flat packed nationals,lol
although I have an out apiary in basildon, it took my local farmer who I carry out rabbit control for, quite a few months before he said yes to bees on his land
heres yesterdays new arrivals
http://youtu.be/bQRUqhia4Ig

 

[jackbee]

What size garden do you have?

are there fences/hedges between your gardens?

some people will say it is irresponsible to keep bees in garden - it is not. I have neighbours threes sides and only had one issue which neighbours were fine with.

Most importanty - do a course, read all you can, and enjoy.

Are you in your local assoc and attended an inspection - well worth it!

 

[VEG]

Bees in gardens are fine until there is a problem.

 

[jackbee]

don't discount it out of hand, thousands of hives exist in gardens - just make sure it's suitable, the bees are suitable and have a plan (ie out-apiary location, friend, assoc member etc) for an emergency

 

[Rhiellie]

Thank you all so much, all the information is very useful.
We are actually hoping to move house soon and if all goes well it may be possible to site a hive but our current garden just isn't a great location for various reasons. Thank you also for the great advice, it is all very helpful.

To Thorn, thank you so much for your pm, I did try to reply but I don't think I can as I haven't posted enough but in answer to your pm, I am only 10 mins down the road from the site you mentioned

 

[Beeyonce]

Mine are in someone else's garden! My local associaton keeps a list of local people who want to host hives and this is how I found this site. There were all sorts on the list from small gardens to farms.

 

[Luminos]

Welcome to the forum and commiserations, Rhiellie - you'll be as bonkers as the rest of us soon, then

 

[chickendave]

Bees in gardens are fine until there is a problem.

But if you do have a back up plan if things go wrong

 

[BeeJayBee]

Our hives are in our garden. Two at the top near the house, the others at the end of the garden near fruit trees. The neighbours are protected, to some extent, by 10ft hedges (which have 'always' been here) which force the bees upwards.

We also have a couple of out-apiary sites, if we should need them.

 

[Mart_got_hives]

My 2 hives and nuc are in a corner of the garden with the entrances facing a neighbours shed and a garden wall 6 feet high on my side and seven feet high on neighbours side (their patio is lower than my garden, no idea why). I think they fly over my neighbours property to reach a local park and trees but I've had no complaints at all

 

[Andy Duff]

Most farmers will 'give' you a corner of a field, the bees often benefit their crops anyway, put good stock fencing up, make sure you can get a vehicle fairly close and always give the farmer a fair percentage of your crop. Beware of cattle and sheep, they are inquisitive so good stock fencing is a must, also keeps badgers away. I would always advise against bees in back gardens. They can be wonderful but they can also be hell..... You have a responsibility to your neighbours.
E

gets my vote