bee yards

[mdunc]

What's everyone do for bee yards? I'm sure some are like me & don't own a farm or a lot of property.  Do you lease land? Do you just befriend people who let you set hives on their land? I was just wondering what everyone does.

[Yankee11]

I use other peoples land.

I give them a percentage of honey that comes from the hives off of their property. Usually 5%.

[Jen]

Hi Mdunc    Mine are right in my backyard

[apisbees]

There are lots of people thst like bees around, like honey but are not that crazy about actually keeping bees. But pick areas that are good for you and the bees. Not just because thet want bees on there land and dont hesittate to pull the hives out if the area is not good for bees. If you see a promising area pull in and ask most times the answer is yes or some one else already has bees on the guys property.

Sent from my LG-P500h using Tapatalk 2

[riverbee]

i have kept the majority of my bees on my land in the country, (80 acres), but also i will sneak and keep one or two  or three in my rural city suburb in the backyard, about 1/2 acre (not legal right now, just crazy, neighbors can keep chickens but no bees?!).  if i didn't have either of these options, i would probably find someone close that would let me keep bees on their property.  i already have a place or two lined up in the city suburb just in case i get 'busted' by the code police for keeping them in the rural city suburb.....

[barry42001]

This is our backyard in suburban Gainesville Florida,

[brooksbeefarm]

I keep mine on my own property, but have people offer there property (some beg me) to put bees on. I've been lucky so far, every place i have bee yards the neighbors are happy to see bees again and keep an eye on them for me. Jack

[Woody Roberts]

I have two yards that are on coworkers farms. Another was an ad on Craigslist wanting someone to put bees on their place in exchange for a couple jars of honey.
I started one last fall and two this spring with one single deep at each. I've split each once so far and will probably do it again.

Two of these I trade some honey, no set amount was agreed upon. One wants to start keeping bees so I took a hive there and we split him out a nuc.

If it don't work out I'll gather up my bees and come home.

[Bamabww]

I keep my hives on my own farm (35 acres) but have several offers from landowners to place a hive on their land.

[LazyBkpr]

   I currently have 26 here at home, thats about six too many.. 40 acres here  I dont like to go over the 20 mark in one spot..  I have hives at my fathers place, up on a hill away from his house, about 300 acres there..  I have hives about 2 miles from his house, which is about two miles from my house..  The farmer at that location had a hive of his own and asked if I would go through it for him...  He put it there last spring in a single deep, then never went back after getting stung..  That was quite a mess to get fixed, but has yielded a good spot for a few extra hives.. I have hives on another farmers land that I often help during harvest a few miles north of my fathers place, and I have hives in another spot about 35 miles away. Only a couple there, not sure how long they will stay that far away.
   Acquaintances, friends, and people I have met removing bees. Like most, I have been offered locations to keep hives. Unless I know the person well, I usually don't put hives on their land. Going to pull supers and finding wild comb in an empty super really makes you re think those offers.

   This year I could run 30 to 40 hives per yard. We have had ample rain and everything is in bloom..  Last year Ten hives per yard would have been too many by the first of July. We didnt get rain from the middle of June to the middle of September. The September rain and Goldenrod was all that allowed the bees to be prepared for winter.
   About the time fall arrives there will be a major reshuffling of hives to the outyards to take the most advantage of the goldenrod and other late plants. Having three or four locations.. even temporary ones are a great benefit. Permanent ones that are not a long ways away are a serious bonus..
   
   

[Woody Roberts]

Another thing I like about different yards is that while there doesn't seem to be much going on at one another is busting it. A month later it may be reversed. Diversity!

[Perry]

Over 60 hives now  , my biggest yards have 12 (too many, I like to keep them at 6 to 8 per yard if I can).
I like to drive into a yard and not have a whack of hives staring at me, just enough to work up a sweat and then take a break while I head to the next yard.
I was between yards last night and saw a feller settin on his porch so I stopped the truck, got out and introduced myself and came right out and asked if he would be open to bees on his land. We talked for a half hour and I left him with a card. After I explained the pay-off, his last words were "I do like honey"! so I have a good feeling about the possibility.

[riverbee]

"Another thing I like about different yards is that while there doesn't seem to be much going on at one another is busting it. A month later it may be reversed. Diversity!"

yep, good point woody, although i haven't moved mine around too much in the past, this is very true!

[Jen]

 Scott- That is a lot of hiving you have going there! do you tend to all those hive by yourself?

Perry- I was between yards last night and saw a feller settin on his porch so I stopped the truck, got out and introduced myself and came right out and asked if he would be open to bees on his land. We talked for a half hour and I left him with a card. After I explained the pay-off, his last words were "I do like honey"! so I have a good feeling about the possibility.

    So does this mean you will go more than 60 hives? And, I hope your good feeling pays off 

[LazyBkpr]

About 40 right now Jen.   Goal is 50 production hives, 20 - 25 Nuc's

[lazy shooter]

I have my six hives in two locations, and I am thinking about adding a third location to the list.  The idea of having bees in different locations, even though, they are only a few miles apart makes for a more diverse forage and honey.  One of our beekeepers keeps about 100 hives in south to north direction near Bryan/College Station Texas.  Our rains comes, as a general rule, come from the west, and by spreading ones bees perpendicular to the rain patterns it enhances the possibility of spring and summer rain at some of one's apiaries.

[Lburou]

.......an ad on Craigslist wanting someone to put bees on their place in exchange for a couple jars of honey.....

This was my thought.  That way, you could have multiple locations to choose from.  I've seen ads on craigslist asking for hives......Just place them where it will be hard to see them from the road so they won't be stolen.  HTH   

[tbonekel]

I've got six in on my 2.5 acres. Hoping to move a couple about 3 miles away. Don't really know how many I want total, but at one time I was thinking 20-25.

[barry42001]

Because of my method of beekeeping thinking no more then 10 hives.

[brooksbeefarm]

I can put 15 to 20 hives in all my bee yards, most places around them is farm land and woods with brush and wild flowers that are native to our area. There are rivers, creeks, and ponds close to all of them. Having them 30 to 60 miles from home helps also (except for the price of gas) because most of the time some yards get rain when others don't, and so far i've had have a good honey from some if not all. Jack