HOw To BEEHIVE LOCATION PLANNING

I've spent the last few months, when weather allowed, clearing a couple of areas for the beehives.  We're going to start with two and maybe expand to four next year and six total the year after that.

It is said that beehives should face (the opening where the bees go in and out) to the Southeast or South.  It keeps the cold North wind from entering the hive and if you can get them SE facing, the morning sunrise wakes the colony and gets the bees up and doing stuff early in the day.  These face Southeast.

Beehive location

This will be the first area for bees and is my rough photoshopping attempt to show how we want it to look.  The brush here was all the way out, covering most of this picture.  It connects around to the driveway on the left side of the photo and a year ago it was impossible to walk through here and get to the driveway or the garden.  It is close to the garden and in a more open area.  This will be the first choice for location.  It allows for future expansion.  2nd Man calls this the 'park area' because, well, when it's green of course, it looks like a park with the grass and trees.  Again, a year or so ago, this was just overgrown brush and random mesquite tree saplings.

Beehive yard

Here is the beginning of the spot, an 8' x 4'.  I put the stands inside just to space it out, make sure they fit, etc.  Will put them on concrete pads and fill with mulch.  This is made using three 8' long landscape timbers, two for the long sides and then cutting one in half to gain two pieces, one for each end.  

There is another spot behind the garden that would be perfect for hives, it's big, and open and long and rectangular shaped.  But it is totally visible to anyone on the other side of the fence on the neighboring property.  In fact, it would be visible for several acres beyond that.  We've read that you shouldn't really make your hives that visible to just anyone roaming around...why?

Because bee rustling is an actual thing!  Who knew?

The location above is behind enough trees on the side that faces the other property so they will be discrete and out of view of anyone outside the property lines...as it should be.

We've been busy buying beekeeping supplies over the last few months, more on those in an upcoming post.  Will also show pictures of the painted hives.

Then all that will be left are the bees, and those come 4/17/2015...
...ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!