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Author Topic: How many hives??  (Read 2037 times)

Offline BoxerDad

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How many hives??
« on: November 06, 2011, 09:02:50 pm »
How many hives can be successfully kept in a 35ft x40ft area in residential backyard?
This is the end result of all the bright lights, and the comp trips, and all the champagne, and free hotel suites, and all the broads and all the booze. It's all been arranged just for us to get *your money*.

Offline buzzbee

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #1 on: November 06, 2011, 09:07:51 pm »
Is this the complete size of the yard in a residential neighborhood?

Offline BoxerDad

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2011, 09:11:43 pm »
my property is 50ftx100ft footprint which includes a 1000sq ft house.
This is the end result of all the bright lights, and the comp trips, and all the champagne, and free hotel suites, and all the broads and all the booze. It's all been arranged just for us to get *your money*.

Offline Hemlock

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2011, 09:20:51 pm »
As many as you can fit

BUT!

Local ordinances and Neighbors will be the first major obstacle.

Your beekeeping skills and ability to manage time and resources will be the second obstacle.

If everybody is OK with it start small with two or four. Add or remove to find your limit. 
Make Mead!

Offline buzzbee

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2011, 09:21:13 pm »
Although you could physically fit probably 100 or more, I wouldn't want to do any more than a couple hives. I would put some sort of wall around them to force the flight path above walking height.Bees buzzing at eye level to their forage area could be disturbing to the neighbors.
Others with similar lot size may chime in. :)

Offline BoxerDad

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2011, 09:49:07 pm »
Thanks for the advice

My property is already fenced in because I have two dogs. The fence is 6 foot high around the whole perimeter. I have a boxer and a great dane pup. Hopefully they won't stick their noses where they shouldn't bee     LOL
This is the end result of all the bright lights, and the comp trips, and all the champagne, and free hotel suites, and all the broads and all the booze. It's all been arranged just for us to get *your money*.

Offline buzzbee

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #6 on: November 06, 2011, 09:52:00 pm »
Just be sure they are never tied outdoors when you have your hives.

Offline AliciaH

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2011, 09:59:23 pm »
How many do you think you want?  Local ordinances come first, but after that, keep in mind that you will spend more time inspecting your hives the first year or two than you will later on.  The less time you need for inspections the more hives you can handle.

I'd start with four and see where it goes.  Especially since one of the big dilemmas for residential back yard beekeepers is what to do with the swarms they catch, or what to do with the false swarms they make as a swarming deterrent.  The point is, you will grow naturally.

Also, forage is a big question.  You wouldn't want to install 20 hives, then find out that there isn't enough food to go around.  You'll end up spending a lot of money feeding them or they will starve.  Best to grow over time and monitor all that.

Offline BoxerDad

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2011, 10:18:43 pm »
Agree 100%

My pups are never tied out LOL


They are pretty much couch potatoes !!

Out to potty then right back in the house LOL
This is the end result of all the bright lights, and the comp trips, and all the champagne, and free hotel suites, and all the broads and all the booze. It's all been arranged just for us to get *your money*.

Offline Old Blue

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2011, 10:25:09 pm »
I was in the identical situation 3 yrs ago - down to the size of house and lot.

If I had it to do over again, I would do everything different.  

I cannot strongly enough recommend that you get well experienced in handling and correctly interpreting what is going on with a hive before you bring a hive home.  I started out in my backyard on my rooftop with good faith and buy in from my wonderful neighbors (not kidding they really are wonderful) and through my rookie moves and mistakes I have forever burned the beekeeping bridge for myself and son at our home.  I lucked out in getting another place to do it at, but it sure ain't at home.  If you do do it at home and you are new beekeeper make sure you have a good mentor who can spend enough time at your hive to keep it well tended and under control.

If I had the chance to do it again, I would get very experienced before keeping one in my yard and then I could probably keep it competently enough not to burn any bridges with the neighbors.

The two biggest sources of problems are swarming and recognizing what conditions and when your bees will be aggressive or defensive.  And I agree with the above remark about making sure your dogs have bee proof refuge.

I've burnt that bridge before and I would do it totally different if I only had another chance :(

Old Blue
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Offline Adam Foster Collins

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2011, 11:55:01 pm »
I have almost the same area of yard right now, downtown Halifax. I have two top bar hives on the south side of my house - really between my house and the south neighbor - separated from him by a high hedge.

My advice:

First thing: Ask your immediate neighbors before you go get bees. If they find out about them with a swarm or a stung allergic child, you will look very bad, and likely feel very bad. I was really stressed about asking mine, and I was very tempted to just not ask for fear they'd say they didn't want them around, but I am very glad I did. Now those same neighbors tell other neighbors how great bees are to have around.

Second: No more than two hives. Resist the urge to expand in that location. But if city ordinance allows, you can always advertise to keep bees in someone else's yard.

Third: Begin finding an out-of-town location right now as a plan B if you need to move your hives on short notice. I have two friends in the country wanting to have the hives there. This allows me to move them if a neighbor gets picky. It also allows you to expand without the bees getting too thick in your yard.

If we want people to look kindly toward bees and beekeeping, then it is our responsibility to to act accordingly.

Lastly, I'd like to add that despite the challenges, putting the two hives here so close to me was the best thing I ever did for this home. Those bees have been so much fun to have around, and we all have learned so much from them being so close. I absolutely recommend having them where you can enjoy them easily. I have watched my bees and been able to check their activity (or lack thereof) every day that I've been home for the last two years. And it has been great. Under pressure from me, my father finally moved his from a field 15 minutes drive away, to his back yard, and he has been singing the praises of that move ever since.


Adam
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Offline L Daxon

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2011, 12:19:33 am »
Kind of depends on what else you do in your back yard.  If you never entertain on the patio or kick the soccer ball with the kiddos, then you can have maybe 6 or so.  Fewer if you do other things in the yard. 

If neighbors are a consideration, remember it takes about 15 ft from the hive for a bee to get above head high in its flight path. Having a 6 ft. privacy fence near the hive might force them to elevate a little faster, depending on the direction they head out.
linda d

Offline sterling

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2011, 03:45:10 pm »
There is a man I know who is from Albania who lives in a very dense subdivision near the Nashville TN. airport who has 42 hives and a few nucs in a fenced backyard just about the size you have. He says he has no problem with that many hives. He wants 100 but his daughter and son in law who he lives with try to keep him small.

Offline BoxerDad

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Re: How many hives??
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2011, 10:07:20 pm »
On Long Island it's best not to tell your neighbors anything. Especially when you have a 135# 8 month old Great Dane puppy and a 9 year old Boxer.

Best to mind your business around these parts.  So glad I have a six foot fence. Planning on four hives at the most.
All my equipment came in today from Mann Lake. 4 Deep Hive bodies, 6 Medium size Supers. 60 frames to start with, bottom covers, top feeders

Next order will be smoker and jacket, plus more frames.

Getting ready to start assembling asap.
This is the end result of all the bright lights, and the comp trips, and all the champagne, and free hotel suites, and all the broads and all the booze. It's all been arranged just for us to get *your money*.

 

anything