Your thoughts on inspecting hives close to but away from the apiary

[ugcheleuce]

Hello everyone

I can't keep bees at my house, which is a pity, because I live in an area with very good, steady flow all summer long. My neighbours don't like me to keep bees, and my son is allergic to bee stings. However, I will be able to inspect hives full of bees at my house, as long as the hives don't stay for longer than a couple of hours in a week. As it happens, I found a spot within half a mile from my house where I can put the hives, but although I have 24-hour access to the property, I can't inspect the hives there. As far as I can tell, there aren't any other hives within a quarter mile from that spot (which I'll call the "apiary" in this post).

So what I think of doing is this: I'll keep two or three hives right next to each other at that apiary. Then, once every 5-7 days, I'll go to the apiary after sunset, close the flight holes of one of the hives, take the hive home, and then inspect the hive early the next morning. In theory, the foragers that leave the hive during my inspection will fly off and then return to the apiary, where they should be able to beg their way into one of the other hives. Once I'm done with the inspection, I close the flight holes again and put the hive in the shade all day long (with an open bottom), and then take it back to the apiary after sunset again. Any gain in foragers experienced by any of the apiary hives will level out when it's those hives' turn for inspection.

What do you think are my chances of success? Other neighbours walk their dogs regulary, and I'll be walking my bees regularly.

Samuel

 

[dexter's shed]

sounds a crazy idea to me, but what do I know

 

[clv101]

I doesn't sound viable, at all. The hive will be very heavy in the summer - and a lot of bees will 'escape' during the early morning inspection.

You really need to find a site you're able to inspect at.

 

[warts]

Hi Samuel

I am far from experienced, but IMHO that does not sound like it will end well. With the best of intentions, here are my initial thoughts and what might worry me..

a) regular moving of bees would be both time consuming and faffy,
b) I would worry it would increase chance of squashing bees, including the queen
c) what if you missed a QC and they swarmed when you got them home
d) what if you missed a QC and they swarmed, and threw of cast swarms in the apiary
e) what about checking your bees in winter...extra effort hefting in torchlight etc.
f) what if the bee hive needs help, ie blown over in a strong wind or vandalised?


I normally don't offer advice (on the grounds I think others are far more knowledgable) but as an individual who is both not the bravest soul, nor has discovered that seldom do straightforward plans run smoothly, I am responding because I seriously don't think it would work, and it actually panicked me to read it. Sorry, no offence meant. As I said, I am not brave, and therefore dealing with some of the consequences of the above does seriously not appeal to me.

See what others say (I may be way of the mark), but my own limited experience says 'please rethink and locate another apiary site, even if further from home'

Regards
Sally

 

[Finman]

.
I have 150 km distance to go from my Helsinki home to my summer cottage where my bees are.

So it has been 40 years

Yep. Your idea is not mad. It is impossible..

.

 

[midnight sun]

Hello everyone

I can't keep bees at my house, which is a pity, because I live in an area with very good, steady flow all summer long. My neighbours don't like me to keep bees, and my son is allergic to bee stings. However, I will be able to inspect hives full of bees at my house, as long as the hives don't stay for longer than a couple of hours in a week. As it happens, I found a spot within half a mile from my house where I can put the hives, but although I have 24-hour access to the property, I can't inspect the hives there. As far as I can tell, there aren't any other hives within a quarter mile from that spot (which I'll call the "apiary" in this post).

So what I think of doing is this: I'll keep two or three hives right next to each other at that apiary. Then, once every 5-7 days, I'll go to the apiary after sunset, close the flight holes of one of the hives, take the hive home, and then inspect the hive early the next morning. In theory, the foragers that leave the hive during my inspection will fly off and then return to the apiary, where they should be able to beg their way into one of the other hives. Once I'm done with the inspection, I close the flight holes again and put the hive in the shade all day long (with an open bottom), and then take it back to the apiary after sunset again. Any gain in foragers experienced by any of the apiary hives will level out when it's those hives' turn for inspection.

What do you think are my chances of success? Other neighbours walk their dogs regulary, and I'll be walking my bees regularly.

Samuel

And what do you do with the 'supers'? Take them with you, or put on another hive and let the resident bees kill the usurpers?
I think you need to rethink this plan.
Regards Dave

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

No. Don't spend a single moment more on this idea.
There must be at least half a dozen reasons why it won't work.

Dusty

 

[ugcheleuce]

A lot of bees will 'escape' during the early morning inspection.

Would that be a problem?

You really need to find a site you're able to inspect at.

I have sites like that as well (four of them, in fact). They're further way (need a car to get there) and the flow isn't all that great.

==

a) regular moving of bees would be both time consuming and faffy,

Yes, it would. It would consume about 2.5 hours every 5 days.

e) what about checking your bees in winter...extra effort hefting in torchlight etc.

Oh, I don't intend keeping the bees there in winter. In winter they'll be in the winter apiary, where I can do autumn and spring inspections when necessary.

 

[dexter's shed]

seems your mind is made up, why put up a post asking if it's a good idea, get all replies saying NO, only for you to reply trying to justify each negative comment.

obviously you think it will work, so go for it and let us know at end of year how things went

 

[Finman]

obviously you think it will work, so go for it and let us know at end of year how things went

That is a good advice. But I bet, that bees will kill him when he starts to inspect hive after moving, and just before sunset. We will never know. Or wife will kill. (the English are mad to kill each others. I have seen in TV.)

 

[Travelator]

First impression - this is a crazy idea, don't even consider trying it.

I see the following problems:

1. It adds a *huge* amount of extra work (but you don't seem bothered by that)

2. Risk of your family and neighbours getting stung during and after inspections is just as great as if the bees were at home permanently

3. Lost productivity for bees because they're confined to the hive for a day per week

4. Risk of passers by getting stung during inspections at the out apiary might not be eliminated - foragers might escape during inspections, return home, find their hive missing, and create a disturbance by flying around anxiously or trying to barge into another hive.

 

[Finman]

.
Hive's weight in summer is 100-200 kg.

 

[irishguy]

I thought I was the only mad man on here until I read this OP.

 

[Dishmop]

Am interested to know why you can keep bees in this other place which is not at you house, but are unable to carry out inspections at said place.

 

[einsteinagogo]

maybe you are a weight lifter, I don't know, but lifting a standard brood box, with bees, brood, stores last summer (August 2014), to move my bees, almost killed me!

and that was just from the hive stand, to bee barrow, bee barrow to car, and bee barrow to hive stand the other end, and that was one way.....

I'm not doing it again, they are now at an out-apiary for ever...

 

[Finman]

.
Beekeeping is nice, but not then, when out temp is 28C.

 

[ugcheleuce]

Seems your mind is made up, why put up a post asking if it's a good idea, get all replies saying NO, only for you to reply trying to justify each negative comment?

My mind is far from made up. The reason I reply to comments here is simply to contribute meaningfully to the topic. It is also expected of me to reply, don't you think? I would be very unhappy if I gave advice on a forum and the original poster simply couldn't care less about responding.

And I don't reply to each negative comment The parts that I don't reply to are either so convincing that nothing more can be said, or they are so un-convincing that it would not contribute anything to respond to them.

 

[ugcheleuce]

Am interested to know why you can keep bees in this other place which is not at you house, but are unable to carry out inspections at said place.

I anticipated this question. It's a matter of discretion. The hives will be out of sight (or practically so) of adjacent properties, but a beekeeping in bright white kit with an obvious bee hood will stand out like a sore thumb, and likely lead neighbour complaints and loss of apiary. It's not illegal to put hives there, but local regulations state that beekeepers must remove their hives if neighbours file complaints about being bothered by the bees, without having to prove that those are the bees that bother them. If all I have to do is close some holes and put the hive on a pull-wagon, then I can safely wear everyday clothing and not be conspicuous.

 

[Madge]

... It's not illegal to put hives there, but local regulations state that beekeepers must remove their hives if neighbours file complaints about being bothered by the bees ... If all I have to do is close some holes and put the hive on a pull-wagon, then I can safely wear everyday clothing and not be conspicuous.

Then wait and see if the neighbours are going to complain - or go and talk to them and get them interested in your bees. Moving full colonies of bees so often is nuts; not good for your bees; and probably not good for your back either.

 

[Nige.Coll]

Bee box with equipment is not heavy and fits in any car.
Supers fit in any car.
If you need more stuff it's half a mile home.
A hive in summer will not fit in any car and can weigh 100kg

I would call this idea a brain fart and leave it at that.