choosing a location

[Paul H]

I need to decide on a location for my bees.  I keep finding less-than-ideal location around the yard:  first spot is too damp, another has no sun till noon, then too much foot traffic, one area in back has blackberries my young children like to pick in July, other spots are too over grown and have not yet become "lawn". 

what do you look for?  How much room should I give the bees in front of the hives as "their" space?

[Michael Bush]

There is no such thing as a perfect place.  It's just a matter of priorities:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#locating

[Brian D. Bray]

I need to decide on a location for my bees.  I keep finding less-than-ideal location around the yard:  first spot is too damp, another has no sun till noon, then too much foot traffic, one area in back has blackberries my young children like to pick in July, other spots are too over grown and have not yet become "lawn". 

what do you look for?  How much room should I give the bees in front of the hives as "their" space?

I place miy hives where they can get sun from sunrise to sunset if possible and as little shade as possible.  Other considerations are animal and people traffic patterns, sufficient room between hives so I can work from any side, and the size of the space determines the number of hives.  I currently have my hives set on one side of my orchard next to the garden.  It is outside the lawn, adjacent to "work areas" but still out of the way and gets sun all day.  I have enough room for up to 15 hives if I want but will limit it to 6 and sell the splits and swarms.