sunny hive location

[gpr]

We had a local club meeting yesterday. All of us are beginners. Our lead person told us that a morning sunny location is best with the opportunity for shade in the afternoon so that the bees donot have to spend so much time cooling down the hive at midday. The temp in my area gets into the high 90s and low 100s in the middle of summer.

After we left the meeting, I thought to myself that I always see hives out in an open field with no shade at all. Some of these places get just as hot as my home area of Poway, CA.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks. Greg

[Konrad]

You might be a little more sheltered....out in the fields you normally have a little more breeze or air flow.

I'm sure, a little shade in afternoon is good.

Konrad

[EastSideBuzz]

Sun in the morning gets them out working better. Placing them in a position where they get heated up early is a good thing.

[sqkcrk]

Some shade is good. But there is nothing like direct sunlight when looking for eggs in dark comb.

[Tom G. Laury]

Some shade won't hurt but they don't really need it. More important is a good source of water.

[Cedar Hill]

Sun lighted area sheltered from high winds may be better with both top and bottom entrances along with open screened bottom board during the summer. The idea being to help them evaporate the water from the nectar as soon as possible - resulting in greater quantities of honey. OMHO

[Michael Bush]

No place is "perfect". But as far as sun I think "perfect" is full sun all day long.

The problem is there isn't a simple answer to what the perfect location is. But in a list of decreasing importance I would pick these criteria with a willingness to sacrifice the less important ones altogether if they don't work out:

Safety. It's essential to have the hive where they are not a threat to animals who are chained or penned up and can't flee if they are attacked, or where they are likely to be a threat to passerbys who don't know there are hives there. If the hive is going to be close to a path that people walk you need to have a fence or something to get the bees up over the people's heads. For the safety of the bees they should be where cattle won't rub on them and knock them over, horses won't knock them over and bears can't get to them. I would sacrifice any other aspect for this.

Convenient access. It's essential to have the hive where you can drive right up to it. Carrying full supers that could weigh from 90 pounds (deep) down to 48 pounds (eight frame medium) any distance is too much work. The same for bringing equipment and feed to the hives. You may have to feed as much as 50 pounds or more of syrup to each hive and carrying it any distance is not practical. Also you will learn a lot more about bees with a hive in your backyard than a hive 20 miles away at a friend's house. Also a yard a mile or two from home will get much better care than one 60 miles from home. I would sacrifice any other aspect except safety for this.

Good forage. If you have a lot of options, then go for a place with lots of forage. Sweet clover, alfalfa being grown for seed, tulip poplars etc. can make the difference between bumper crops of 200 pounds or more of honey per hive and barely scraping a living. But keep in mind the bees will not only be foraging the space you own, they will be foraging the 8,000 acres around the hives. No point keeping bees where they can barely make a living.

Not in your way. I think it's important the hive does not interfere with anyone's life much. In other words, don't put it right next to a well used path where, in a dearth and in a bad mood, the bees may harass or sting someone or anywhere else where you are likely to wish they weren't there.

Full sun. I find hives in full sun have fewer problems with diseases and pests and make more honey. All things being equal, I'd go for full sun. The only advantage to putting them in the shade is that you get to work them in the shade.

Out of the wind. It's nice to have them where the cold winter wind doesn't blow on them so hard and the wind is less likely to blow them over or blow off the lids. This isn't my number one requirement, but if a place is available that has a windbreak it's nice. This usually precludes putting them at the very top of a hill.

Not in a low-lying area. I don't care if they are somewhere in the middle, but I'd rather not have them where the dew and the fog and the cold settle and I really don't want them where I have to move them if there's a threat of a flood.

If you live in a VERY hot climate (like a desert in the far South), mid afternoon shade might be a nice to have, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Dee Lusby's bees are all out in full sun in the desert in Arizona and doing well.

In the end, bees are very adaptable. They really don't care, so make sure it's convenient for you, and if it's not too hard to provide, try to meet some of the other criteria. It's doubtful you'll have a place that meets all of the criteria listed above.

[gpr]

I appreciate each of the comments and suggestions. Thanks.

[ctbees]

As far as using fences to get the bees to fly over head, do bees usually fly out straight from the entrance?

[clarkfarm]

ctbees -

Two of my hives the bees fly straight out. The 3rd hive, the bees cut a right angle as soon as then get out the entrance.

[mgmoore7]

Regarding shade. If you are in a small hive beetle area, full sun is a huge help. The more shade, the more the SHB like the hive.

[tct1w]

Yeah I have a problem with SHB and the hives that are in the sun more of the time have much less problem keeping them down. Early sun gets the girls moving guicker in the morning also. My vote is for sun with late shade in afternoon with a good wind block. Your afternoon shade CU Dave