Choosing a Location for Your Bee Hives
When choosing the right location for your bee hives look for a slight slope in a sunny location. Good drainage is especially important to drain rain and melting snow off quickly. Dampness can cause disease and mold. Bees are suseptible to wind and cold so a sheltered spot is equally important. The right location will get your bees off to a good start and ensure a good production of honey.
When choosing the right spot for your bee hives, the first thing you want is a dry location. Dampness leads to mold and disease. An ideal place is on a slight slope so rain and melting snow can drain off quickly. Avoid low places where water can collect. Be sure to raise your hives well off the ground with blocks or any other support you have handy.
Your site should be sheltered from the wind. Even a mild breeze can chill bees enough to reduce their production of honey. Cold can even kill them, and a good wind break can mean survival or death for the whole colony. Good sunlight is another important factor. To maintain warmth the bees must burn honey to keep the hive at a temperature of 93f, therefore reducing your yield. Turn your hive so the entrance faces the east or south to take advantage of the warmth of the morning sun.
Afternoon shade is important , especially in hotter parts of the country. Excessive heat can be just as dangerous as the cold. Be sure there is a good supply of plants, which are the source of nectar before setting up the hive. Bees will easily forage as far as two miles from the hive, so it’s seldom a problem except in thickly settled areas. If you have close neighbors screen your hives with a tall hedge and shrubs, or possibly a tall fence. This forces the bees to fly high above passersby and avoids them being molested.
Listed below are some favorite blossoms for honey.
Clover makes light, delicate honey. Because it’s plentiful clover is one of the leading sources for honey.
Tupelo is known for not granulating. It’s a light greenish amber and a favorite at health food stores.
Dandelion is an early spring source. Honey is yellow to amber with strong flavor.
Aster honey is white and minty, it granulates easily and is a major source of fall honey.
Goldenrod is a fall honey that is thick and golden, mostly used as winter food for bees.
Sage makes a light mild flavored honey and does not granulate easily.
Basswood honey is light and aromatic, it’s often mixed with stronger honey to sale.
Alfalfa is a light colored honey with a mild delicate flavor. It’s a common source for commercial sales.
Orange and other citrus is one of the most popular honeys. Fragrant and mild it’s often mixed with the stronger honeys.
All pictures are by author.
Coming soon, “Identifying Bees.”
http://gomestic.com/gardening/instruction-for-setting-up-bee-hives/
http://gomestic.com/gardening/harvesting-honey-from-bee-hives/
http://socyberty.com/issues/feeding-the-hungry/
http://socyberty.com/folklore/a-jack-pot-of-old-folks-sayings/
http://therealowner.com/health/how-to-help-your-pet-in-an-emergency/
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Published in: Gardening
ken bultman | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
Very good. I have a small orange grove and allow one keeper to place hives in exchange for honey. Good swap except the insects love my goats’ water supply. lol.
Guy Hogan | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
I was surprised that the taste of the honey can be influenced by the types of flowers around the bees. But now that I think about it it makes perfect sense. You take nice photos.
joyhyena29 | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
nice post^^
drelayaraja | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
Wonderful article
certainly useful
albert1jemi | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
nice information
Remmyramesh | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
Wow!! A mighty collection of info!! Certainly very useful for a person thinking to get into this arena!!
martie | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
Like Guy I never really thought about how the flowers affect the taste of the honey. Doesn’t matter, I have never had any honey I did not like!
B Nelson | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
great info, it made me wonder what they would do around marijuana plants?
I personally think bees are great!
lovenluck | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
great information, thanks for sharing
Christine Ramsay | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
Very informative. Is keeping bees something you are doing, Ruby?
Christine
PR Mace | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
I didn’t know flowers changed the taste of the honey but it does make good sense. Good article.
8Shei8 | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
Thank you Ruby for such informative articles on bee hives!
Themax | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
Hi ruby happy new year and very beautiful article with nice pics,Thanks
CA Johnson | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
This is very helpful to those who are choosing a location for bee hives. I love the pics you used in this article. They are peaceful and beautiful.
wonder | Jan 7, 2010 | Reply
A pleasant read especially because honey is the key word.
Mark Gordon Brown | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
We really need to encourage bee keeping for our own sakes, bees pollinate so many of our food plants, we need them!
Inna Tysoe | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
Another good one.
Inna
pattiann | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for teaching me from this article!
BEAUTIFUL pictures.
Love Doc | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
Lovely pictures. I am scared of bees. Are you keeping bees?
CHAN LEE PENG | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
Very good tips here! Sound like you’re a PRO in this field. Well done!
Patrick Regoniel | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
I have two hive boxes and my bees had a hard time increasing their population. That’s because nearby are flower/plant sellers who spray pesticides that appeared to be toxic to my bees.
Frances Lawrence | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
Very interesting, the location of the hive will influence the taste of the honey depending on the surrounding crops/flowers.
Shirley Shuler | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
Excellent information, Ruby, thanks for sharing.