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Author Topic: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment  (Read 13894 times)

Offline Sparrow02

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Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« on: October 06, 2013, 11:06:30 pm »
I am in the beginning stages of backyard beekeeping.  Looking for guidance on where to place my hive. I have done some reading on the different types of hives and want to go with a cedar Langstroth type with no foundation frames. Is this a good choice? Below is a video of my back yard please talk a look and tell me if you see any concerns and or suggestions. I have a combination of sun and shade this was taken this morning around 9:30 I am not sure where a good place would be to place the hive. Also when I am ready to buy my bees what does the average beginner start with?

 I plan on joining the local be club and hope to find a mentor. I have watched many YouTube videos and find there are a lot of different ways of doing things I want to minimize any mistakes any advice would be helpful.

I hope you can view the video. It was a bit tricky figuring it out.

http://img694.imageshack.us/flvplayer.swf?f=P1nfgddkhdgbqiyfuqqdlej

Thanks
Lori
« Last Edit: October 06, 2013, 11:24:36 pm by Robo »

Offline annette

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2013, 02:14:22 am »
Looking at the video, at the 1.57 mark you seem to be at the back of the yard and it looks sort of out of the way. Can't really tell, but you should place the hive where it will not be in the way of people coming and going. Direct sun is nice if possible with afternoon shade. Up against the fence would be good with room to walk around the back of the hive.

Looks like you already have a water source which is great. Make sure of the placement because hives are not easy to move.

Good Luck
annette

Offline Sparrow02

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2013, 09:13:14 am »
Thanks annette that's were I was thinking it get morning sun at 12 it get shade  until
Around 2-3 then it gets sun again it is away from traffic but there are dupexes
 Just over that fence. That
Was my only concern. An any thought on my choice of a hive.
Thanks
Lori

Offline iddee

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2013, 09:27:25 am »
Three items.......

1... The more sun the hive gets, the fewer Small Hive Beetles you will have. Too little sun and they will destroy the hive.

2... Foundationless frames are nice, but a nightmare to get started, especially when all are started together. You will be much better starting with foundation and converting to foundationless one frame at a time.


3... It is best to start with two or three hives. There are too many reasons for this to list them all here. You will see them as you go.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline Sparrow02

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2013, 09:42:15 am »
Thanks Iddee great advice I will start with foundation.  I also thought about putting my hive on the round concrete patio in the middle of the back part of my yard off the grassy area it gets morning sun an dapple sun after 12 most videos show the hives under trees in the woods. So I was really confused about how much sun.

Thanks
Lori

Offline kenthold

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2013, 10:18:27 am »
I agree with the full sun idea.  I have just started this year so am still a newbie but after reading several books about this I put my hives in afternoon shade.  Now I have moved several hives in full sun and they are doing great and seem to have less beetles.

Offline Robo

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2013, 10:29:56 am »
The concrete slab will help with SHB as well.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline Sparrow02

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #7 on: October 07, 2013, 10:41:38 am »
Robo when I saw your pic on your profile it help me get over my fears. But I still have concerns about  what to expect when my bees are in their hive my GG's neighbor had bees in her outside walls of her house and at setting times of the day she could not go in her back yard. So much so the cost to remove an repair was thatshe just lives with them. I
I invasion what that time of day might look like.

Thanks
Lori

Offline Robo

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #8 on: October 07, 2013, 10:49:24 am »
Honeybees aren't really interested in you, they just want to go about their business.   There are certain times of the day (usually early afternoon) when the young bees go out to fly and orient themselves to the hive entrance.   During this time, activity (and quantity of bees)increase around the hive. The bees are flying in circles every which way as they learn the location on the hive entrance.   The are not a bit aggressive,  but to the uninformed, it could easily be taken as they are angry.   I guess we naturally associate this behavior with what we see from hornets/yellowjackets when their nest is disturbed.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline annette

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2013, 12:47:02 am »
OH YEAH!!! Ditto about the direct sun. I forgot you have those SHB which I do not have as yet.  My hives are all in the direct sun, but do get some late afternoon shade.

I do all foundationless frames and I have not had any problems with them drawing out the comb nice and straight. But I do give them at least one frame of drawn out comb right in the center of the super as a guide to get them started.

Many beekeepers, many different ways. I did start out with plastic foundation in 2006, but then transitioned over to foundationless once I learned how easy it is to do. You will be fine either way.

Good Luck
Annette

Offline Michael Bush

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My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
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Offline Sparrow02

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2013, 08:39:41 pm »
M Bush,

Thanks for your post. This is some great information. I have a lot of questions that your 1st link answers a lot for me.
Thanks Lori

Offline annette

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2013, 11:42:51 pm »
Lori

I changed all of my management techniques over to Michael Bush's way. When I first started beekeeping I was all alone without any help and when I got onto this forum, I got lots of help from many good beekeepers. Michael helped me tremendously and I follow all his advice without question.  Read up on his website, so much good information.

Offline golddust-twins

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #13 on: November 14, 2013, 03:04:14 am »
Everyone here has such great advice for you Lori....it takes time to learn so have patience with yourself.   Ten years ago I started beekeeping and like Annette, I too was alone without close by help.  Without this forum I would have given up...but thanks to the great beekeepers here who are willing to help us novice beeks I continued and my girls thrive.  Have fun with your girls....Corinne

Offline ItalianBeekeeper

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #14 on: November 14, 2013, 09:42:57 am »
Can i suggest just a little thing, but is a very important one:
start with minimum 2 hives If you have 2 hives, you can swap 1-2 brood-frame to the weaker family so you will ever have 2 good hives.
when you open an hive, you can benefit from the other hive roof as support for smoker, sheet-notes or a digital camera.
Digital camera is very important at beginning if you benefit from others beekeepers around the world, like here  :-D we are a lucky generation!

greeting from Italy

Offline beeman2009

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2013, 04:25:45 pm »
I agree with Italianbeekeeper. Start with as many hives as you can given your circumstances. When you are a new beekeeper, things can easily become overwhelming meaning sometimes everything looks wrong when it actually isn't & sometimes everything looks good when you actually have a problem. Having at least 2 hives gives you something to compare to. It's not infallible, but it really helps. Having a second hives gives you the needed resources that you may need to strengthen your hives. When I started, I had 11 hives & it's just been getting better ever since.  Hope this helps. Relax & have fun.
All things may be lawful, but not all things are advantageous.

Beeman2009

Offline JPBEEGETTER

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Re: Beginner Needs Help with Hive placment
« Reply #16 on: November 16, 2013, 01:09:29 pm »
  Looking at your back yard I would place it in the right rear corner, under the hanging fern, looks like that is the most morning sun. Always face the hive entrance east, if possible or as a second choice southeast to get earliest flights from your bees. They get up by the suns rays breaking on the entrance.

 

anything