Building a bee yard

Igotadose

Do you have recommendations on how to lay out an area for bees?

I have an area in our 1 acre yard that's never been cleared (unlike the bulk of the yard which is just a field of grass with a house planted in it, with a few trees and shrubs around the edges.) There's a berm running the 'depth' of the yard that separates the wild area from the main area proper. The hives will be about 50 feet from the edge of the house.

I have cleared a small area in the undeveloped part - which fills with blackberries, weeds, etc. spring->fall and dies back in the winter.. I am planting willows for a windbreak, and am slowly building up a 'wall' around where the hives'll grow, to keep down the wind.

Suggestions? I could get further away from the house, but now we're getting closer to the road, and lack the berm nearby which will help keep down the wind.

bpmurray

Until your willows grow high enough, put a 6ft fence of some sort between the bees and the house - that'll force them up and overhead. They fly pretty fast so they will hit folk in the head otherwise and that'll almost certainly result in stings. If the road side has pedestrian traffic, you'll probably have to think of doing something similar there too.

Also, it's better for the bees if the plants don't grow up into the hives, so clear and level where you'll have the hives, and perhaps cover it in gravel or weed fabric to restrict growth.

Igotadose

bpmurray wrote: »

Until your willows grow high enough, put a 6ft fence of some sort between the bees and the house - that'll force them up and overhead. They fly pretty fast so they will hit folk in the head otherwise and that'll almost certainly result in stings. If the road side has pedestrian traffic, you'll probably have to think of doing something similar there too.

Also, it's better for the bees if the plants don't grow up into the hives, so clear and level where you'll have the hives, and perhaps cover it in gravel or weed fabric to restrict growth.

Thanks - one side, the berm's, over 6 feet, and I'm working on a wall around the other 3 made from rocks I'm scrounging here and there.