Which way should hive face?

[Nonabeeone]

How important is it that hive entrances face the sun? Positioned my WBC in garden so that entrance is some feet away from tall bushes/trees/hedge so that they fly up high above neighbours' gardens. The back and side get sun from about 8 a.m 'til mid-p.m.

 

[maddydog]

Preferable but not crucial to have the front in the sun. Bees will survive just about anywhere but there is a big difference between surviving and thriving.

You will have to keep an extra eye out for slow build up, mouldy frames & pollen, excess condensation plus nosema and chalkbrood

 

[drex]

Sometimes it is dictated by the apiary layout,mhedging, paths etc. One row of my hives faces north and the other south. Both equal amounts of sunshine. I notice no great difference between the two rows. The books say entrance facing south.

 

[madasafish]

Sometimes it is dictated by the apiary layout,mhedging, paths etc. One row of my hives faces north and the other south. Both equal amounts of sunshine. I notice no great difference between the two rows. The books say entrance facing south.

My entrances face East South and West... No apparent difference..

 

[Millet]

I bet the bees have there work cut out trying to find a hole in a tree or a building that is facing south when they swarm.

 

[Davelin]

I think a far more important factor is how soon does the morning sun hit the hive.
This seems to be the most important factor, direction of entrance less so in my experience.

 

[maddydog]

If I read the original post correctly then there is more to this story than entrance direction.

Potential for sun only from 8am til 3ish pm is pretty poor for a British summer?

 

[For want of a better word]

You have to wait until Sirius is rising on a full moon and place the hive 20 degrees towards the South East on a leyline intersection... unless you live in Finland where it is dark half the year and rains when it is not quite so dark!

Yeghes da

 

[Codford]

My out apiary is in a slightly exposed position along the edge of a strip wood. I decided to face the rear of the hives into the prevailing wind (SW). This means the hive entrances are in the lee of the hive bodies - which seems to assist take offs and landings. Seems to work OK.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My out apiary is in a slightly exposed position along the edge of a strip wood. I decided to face the rear of the hives into the prevailing wind (SW). This means the hive entrances are in the lee of the hive bodies - which seems to assist take offs and landings. Seems to work OK.

Single skin wooden hives are easily warmed by the rays of the morning sun. Double skin hives or insulated hives much less so.
If you have open mesh floors the bees know when it's light without waiting for the sun to shine in through the front door. For what its worth i have hives and a couple of polynucs facing all points of the compass. One North facing and a North East facing wooden hive have performed better than the others this year.
Each case should be judged on it's merits.

 

[BernardBlack]

I thought entrances should always be South facing to make use of the maximum amount of sunshine, and avoid chilly North winds?