Author Topic: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.  (Read 6162 times)

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Offline DMLinton

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How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« on: December 29, 2013, 08:53:28 pm »
So, I was raiding Kijiji for some equipment I need to make woodware and spied an antique table saw, which I do not really need but for $20 (no motor) could not pass up.  Anyway, went to pick it up yesterday, got yakkin with the seller about bees and stuff and he offered me use of his 120 acres on a river for a bee yard. 

Red dot in pic would be approximate bee yard location.  The area South of the big pond is accessible almost year round with the right kind of pick-up truck.  The owner plants some clover, buckwheat and deer forage.  It is roughly 1 1/4 miles from the dot to each edge of the pic.  The site is three or four miles north of Belleville, Ontario.

How would this site rate as a bee yard?  I'm thinking I have lucked out big time but maybe I am missing something.


Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Offline Perry

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2013, 08:58:18 pm »
Lotsa green. I have no idea what ag. is going on around you there though. If it is accessible by truck I would say it looks good. It also depends on how many hives. I've always figured I could put 5 to 10 hives almost anywhere and have enough forage for them, so if you're not looking to keep 30 or something you'd be fine.
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Offline DMLinton

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2013, 09:05:36 pm »
The fields that are obviously under cultivation will be either soybeans or hay (alfalfa and alfalfa/grass mixtures)..

The way my bee housing system is shaping up, the max. is multiples of 21 hives, which do not necessarily need to all be occupied.  I am figuring to put maybe four of my nucs there next Spring once they get up to a box, or so.  My strategy for each new beeyard is to start out easy - say five or six colonies - and then figure out over a year or two what the carrying capacity might be in average years.  I don't think that over-populating a site is likely be a problem as I have had a lot of offers of places to put bees although this one is the first to actually provide an address.
Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Offline G3farms

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2013, 10:38:47 pm »
Looks pretty good to me.

Can access by truck year around
Plenty of water
Looks like cover crops very close by (might be concerned about spraying, depending on what it is)
Bees are bees and do as they please!

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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2013, 12:09:01 am »
Red dot in pic would be approximate bee yard location.  The area South of the big pond is accessible almost year round with the right kind of pick-up truck.  The owner plants some clover, buckwheat and deer forage.  It is roughly 1 1/4 miles from the dot to each edge of the pic.  The site is three or four miles north of Belleville, Ontario.

How would this site rate as a bee yard?  I'm thinking I have lucked out big time but maybe I am missing something.

I don't know if this will work at your location, but you can try it.  It's my understanding that bees fly around 2 miles for food and water.  You can draw a 2-mile circle around any area and check it out.

http://www.freemaptools.com/radius-around-point.htm

I hope this helps.  :)
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
Beekeeping at 26.4 kbs

Offline DMLinton

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2013, 03:04:22 am »
I use a geographical information system (GIS) to record spatial data.  This includes drawing 1/2, 1 and 2 mile buffers around bee yards.  It provides much more flexibility because, for example, I can use a Google map for a base layer and then overlay coverages for wooded areas and for wetlands which are difficult to distinguish in Google.  I can also add layers for lots and concessions so when I am registering bee yards, that info ,along with longitude and latitude. is immediately available,

The attached pic is a litte ugly because I have all layers activated.  This would not normally be the case as the layers with irrelevant info would be turned off.

Local guys tell me that bees will go out two miles and sometimes much further.  Typical radii are more in the 1/2 mile range; if bees are found further out, it is time to start looking for, and dealing with, the problem that is causing the long distance flights.


Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Offline tecumseh

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2013, 06:13:18 am »
a scale would have been helpful.  plowed field generally mean the soil is somewhat fertile < likely one of the first factors often overlooked.  as a general rule the closer you are to river the better the location < this rules pretty much applies no matter the location and at least suggest not only water availability for plants but also soil fertility. 

a solid confier forest is essentially a desert for a honeybee.

Offline DMLinton

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #7 on: December 30, 2013, 11:56:56 am »
a scale would have been helpful.

Not sure which pic you are referring to but there is scale information for both pics I have posted - the verbage around the first pic indicates that it is 1.25 miles from the dot to the edges of the pic and, in the second one, the buffer circles have 0.5, 1 and 2 mile radii as indicated in the legend.
Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Offline iddee

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #8 on: December 30, 2013, 12:23:28 pm »
tec, if you just looked at the thumbnail, you didn't see the scale. Click on it and it will open the pic.
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Offline Barbarian

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2014, 08:40:33 am »
Off at a tangent.   

It may be worthwhile checking if there are any other apiaries or beekeepers in the area. If you are lucky, you could find a friendly local keep who could give you guidance and help. At the other end of the scale, you may need to put on your running shoes.

You have had other offers so before you get your nucs, it may be worthwhile check out other sites. If you can get a couple of sites, a few miles apart, then there are advantages.
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Offline iddee

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2014, 09:08:34 am »
If you are just getting started in bees, I would highly encourage keeping them at home, or as near as possible, for 2 to 3 years. At least the first 10 to 15 hives. The learning curve is going to be sharp, and the farther away they are, the harder it is going to be.
“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 efmesch

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2014, 09:12:13 am »
From the aspect of nectar collection, water and accessibility the place sounds good---but those are not the only considerations to BEAR  in mind.
Is the location in a spot frequented by other animals that might be interested in your honey and make all your investment in vein.
Is the distance from this spot to your other hives so great that you'll find it difficult to visit all your hives in one day?
As a hobbyist, I always enjoyed the convenience of having my hives near my home.

Offline DMLinton

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2014, 10:10:34 am »
Thanks for all of the input, folks.

I am planning to keep all bees in my backyard, if I can, until I achieve some level of competency managing them.  Not sure how many I can keep here as I do not meet the regulatory distances from property lines.  I have spoken with neighbours that I cannot get the bees far enough from and they have no problem with the idea.  Fortunately, the regulatory setback distances are not enforced here in Ontario UNLESS someone complains.  One problem I will probably be dealing with is that the nearest water is a swimming pool although I also have streams within 500 feet both East and West.  I will probably provide the bees with their very own water source beside the hives.

We pretty much have to assume that bear will turn up and there are lots of raccoons and skunks.  An up and coming predator runs on two legs and drives pickup trucks.  My beehouse housing strategy will at least slow most of them down if not repel them altogether.

The site I was asking about in this post is only about 20 minutes from my house.  One thing I forgot to mention, which is probably relevant, is that the owner reports a feral hive on the property.  Last time he looked, honey was oozing out and there were lots of bear claw marks on the tree trunk.

I probably have access to a nice chunk of land (40 acres) right here in town - five minutes away.  The owner is interested in bees and actually took a beginner's course but bought any bees.  He gave me all of his course literature to peruse.  He says he would just like to have a couple of hives to look at so that would leave room for at least five or six of mine to start.

My brothers farm, separately, about 40 miles west - one cash crop, one dairy.  They each could probably offer three or four potential bee yards.  These will be for a few years hence after I get to the point of knowing what probably needs doing before I get to the bee yard.  The cash cropper has been cutting back on his pesticide use, even on soybeans, as the cost/benefit does not seem to be there.  They are far away but there are certain other advantages to be considered.

Other sites . I have been offered are North of town - further out into the rocks and trees.  Some farming, but not much, going on between the rocks, trees and water up there.  I am a little curious as to how bees would do.  It is certainly remote with little overall pesticide use.

There are beekeepers in the area that would help out if needed.  I spoke with the Chair of our local association yesterday (I met him at a meeting a few months back) and he is genuinely helpful.  Our local bee supply house operator also seems very helpful but not sure he would be willing to go out to a bee yard.  There is lots of help around if I need it.

I am planning to setup remote monitoring at each beeyard  with at least a couple of cameras.  Being able to just check on activity at the front doors at any moment seems to me a valuable thing .  May be some temperature and humidity sensors as well and possibly mini weather stations.  I have been developing the coding and doing some preliminary test runs - I have to say, though, that going online to look at the side of a garden shed in my back yard seems a little weird.

Thanks again, folks.  Your input is very helpful.
Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Offline riverbee

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2014, 11:42:14 am »
"We pretty much have to assume that bear will turn up"........"One thing I forgot to mention, which is probably relevant, is that the owner reports a feral hive on the property.  Last time he looked, honey was oozing out and there were lots of bear claw marks on the tree trunk."

dm........bear fence first in place, then hives......
been there done that...lol!
i keep wild things in a box..........™
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Offline efmesch

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Re: How does this location rate as a potential bee yard.
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2014, 01:45:52 pm »
DM, your potential sounds almost limitless.  Your enthusiam looks to match that potential.  The problem I see is the investment that you're going to need to take full advantage of the potential.  Even if "money is no object", I would still recommend that you build up a little at a time.  After a year of two on hives, you'll be in a much better position to decide if you want to take full advantage of all your options for the long haul.