Things are shaping up.

[Yankee11]

I just got permission for 3 new out yards. These yards will be on thousands of acres of soybeans. They are in all different stages of growth. Some about a week or 2 from blooming to just being planted last week and some are just now burning off the winter wheat and will plant in the next few weeks.
Al these fields are irrigated. It should be a heavy flow from now into fall.

We have been moving hives from our wildflower (natural out yards) that are now starting to dry up.

We just harvested from these hives and got 38 gallons and these hives are loaded with bees.

We will set probably 12 to 14 hives on these fields. Best of all they are all within 12 miles of my house.




Looking out into the fields from behind the hives. This new yard is in  the middle of soybeans as far as these bees can fly.

[blueblood]

Looks great Yankee! Being close to home is a bonus too.  The bees are really flying around in the last pic.

[riverbee]

some of my best honey years are because of the soybean fields yankee, your bees should do well!

[LazyBkpr]

   Interested to know how it goes.   Last two years my bees have been surrounded by soybeans and I couldnt find them working the small blooms after spending quite a bit of time walking the fields.   I have been "hoping" it was because there were other things blooming they liked better.. Most of the fields are in corn this year so further checking will have to wait till next year.   

[apisbees]

do you have one spot that you could place the bees so they would have access to all the fields blooming at different times. Rather than having to move the hives to stay with the flow.

[Yankee11]

Yea Apis. Each one of these yards has multiple fields in multiple stages of growth within a mile of each yard. I will not have to move these hives after this week.

Only reason I am moving is that these hives were in areas where there are no crops (wildflower). Just harvested Honey from these hives and they are full of bees but the natural flow is ending.

My plan is to take some of the 16 swarms and splits I have at my house here that I have been building up all summer out to the natural Yards and let them build up for winter.

It's a double moved I know but I wanted to give the biggest hives a place to forage and these smaller hives would still have to build up if I moved them out to the crops. I am spreading the crop yards onto 4 different places with 4 different farmers. Now I have secured 4 crop yards for future growth. will have 4 to 6 hives in each yard for the rest of summer.

I had 3 hives in one crop yard last summer and I could not keep supers on these 3 hives once beans started blooming and they started flooding fields. They would fill a super in a week. We would add another super, a week later add a third, Then harvest and start over. The 3rd time we used the supers of honey to put on top of some of our weaker hives for winter.

 These 6 hives I moved last Tuesday have been flying non stop ever since they hit the ground out there.

[Yankee11]

My thinking is that I can have enough hives in the natural yards to catch and harvest the spring early summer wildflower flow and then have enough
hives on crops to catch the late summer fall flow. Without having to move hives from on place to another.

We are right at 40 so this should be doable next summer.

[apisbees]

Once you find a easy way of moving hives then the hassle of moving the hives doesn't need to influence your beekeeping practices and hives can be moved to the best forage. Even a hive that is still building up does better when placed in a location that has a good flow compared to hives placed in an area that is in a dearth.
I know finding a good winter yard with access to it in the winter where I am located is as important as having good summer yards. Once you have a good system to move hives It opens up a hole new facet of beekeeping. including pollination services if there is a need in your area.

[Yankee11]

I would be interested in hearing more about a good system for moving. It's still combersome for us at this point.

Currently we are doing it at night. We wait for the bees to all come in. Smoke them into the entrance. Staple a piece of hardware cloth over the entrance. Load them into a truck and take them to yard. Set them up and remove the screen.

I hate messing with bees in the dark. Hate it.

I do have a trailer with a gate that drops for a ramp. it's 6 by 12ft.

Maybe we should start another thread about ways to move hives. Use a 2 wheel dolly?

[apisbees]

Yes do that Yankee and iI will not post here. Waiting on you.

[riverbee]

"Maybe we should start another thread about ways to move hives. "

"Yes do that Yankee and iI will not post here. Waiting on you."

absolutely yankee, and a very good idea to toss around others thoughts, ways and ideas.  like apis said, waiting on you, you start!.....