How close should beehives be to each other?

Here's a rule of thumb when considering whether you can keep a beehive in your garden: A typical beehive is about 22 inches by 16 inches. You need at least five feet of space in every direction around the hive. If you plan to have multiple beehives, they should be at least three feet apart.

How close can beehives be placed together?

You can space a pair of hives as close to six inches from each other, but you need several feet of space around one or two sides in order to move equipment around as you're working the hives. Know what predators (man or beast) are in your area and what protection your bees will need.

Can you have 2 bee hives next to each other?

You can have two colonies right next to each other and get completely different outcomes. One might thrive and make lots of honey right away, while the other remains small and stagnant.

Can two bee hives live together?

As long as at least one of them has a queen, you can combine them. Or you can combine them and order a new queen and requeen the hive. If both weak hives have a queen, it's best to get rid of one before joining them. Combining weak hives may be necessary before winter if bees are light on honey stores.

When should I combine hives?

Here are some signs that help you know if you should combine hives: Your hive has struggled to build up wax or produce honey throughout the season. Your queen has not been very active in laying eggs and you can tell that your colony population has dwindled.

Hive Location and Setup

Is it OK to have just one bee hive?

It's okay to start out with just one beehive, especially if you're unsure if beekeeping is really for you. However, keep in mind that bee colonies can die even if you do everything right. With only one hive, your entire bee supply would be gone.

What direction should beehives face?

Face the hive entrance away from the prevailing winds. Ideally, face the entrance in a southerly direction if you're in the northern hemisphere and northerly direction for the southern hemisphere.

Should a beehive be in sun or shade?

The hive should be placed in early morning sun. This gets the bees out of their hive earlier in the day to forage. In the Northeast, hives can remain in the full sun for the entire season. However in places with warmer climates, hives should receive some afternoon shade.

How far away from your house should a beehive be?

What kind of foot traffic does that area of the yard get? It is equally as important to think about how your neighbors use their yard, so it is not a good idea to put a hive directly on a property line. Instead, place your hives ten feet or more from the property line.

When should you not open a beehive?

Where is the best place to site a beehive?

What should I put under my bee hives?

The ground under and hives should be kept weed free. Some people place the hives on mulch, wood chips and even carpet remnants. I added a layer of wood chips to the ground where the hives would be located. I placed two cinder blocks per hive on the ground, one in the front and one in the back.

How often should I check my hive?

How often do you get honey from a hive?

Most beekeepers harvest honey 2-3 times per year/season. Honey is normally harvested between mid June until mid September. How often you harvest depends on your local climate and plant life. Poor weather conditions, disease and pests infiltrating your hives will also affect your harvesting schedule.

How many entrances should a beehive have?

Observing the Beehive Entrance. There should only be one beehive entrance and it should have a landing pad or board for the bees for taking off and landing.

How many hives can you put on an acre?

Average bee hive densities (hives per acre) recommended for crops grown in the USA range from 1-7. Most crops that benefit from honey bees require 2-3. Recommended numbers have inched upwards in recent years because of a drop in wild honey bee densities.

How many acres of flowers do you need for a beehive?

How much land does it take to feed one colony of bees? Conventional wisdom suggests that to nourish one colony of honeybees it takes one acre of blossoming trees, shrubs, or flowers to thrive.

How many bees do you need to start a colony?

That is probably two or three cupfuls of bees. Some of the mini mating nucs people start with a cupful of bees. That's probably between 100 and 200 bees in a VERY small space.

Can I combine a swarm with a Queenless hive?

Yes, it is possible to combine your queen less hive with the small swarm using newspaper method. keep them altogether so that the swarm will not be likely to fly away again.

Do you have to split bee hives?

It's best to split the hive when it's getting very full. The bees will begin preparing to make another queen and you will know this by finding queen cells in your hive. To properly split a hive, you should add a frame with one of these queen cells to a new hive box.

How high off the ground should a beehive be?

How high should my hive stand be? A. While this is heavily dependant on your stature, an ideal height for a hive stand is approximately 18in off of the ground. Unless you are 6'5", this height will be ideal for working your hives without destroying your back.

Do bees know their keeper?

Bees DO NOT recognize their beekeepers!

Beekeepers are naturally calmer and more careful around bees, so bees just leave them alone.

How much honey should I leave for the bees?

The minimum amount of honey you should leave on your full-sized colony is equal to one full deep box, or about 90-100 pounds (this is the full weight of the box, frames, bees, and honey). If you are overwintering nucs, each nuc should have the equivalent of 8 deep frames full of honey.