[Michael Bush]

>1) How much room do I need for keeping 2 hives?? I have a small backyard, and would need to keep my hives on one end (I have about 12' by 12' area that I could try and use in the eastern corner of my backyard). It is shaded in the early morning, and gets full sun for most of the day.

You need 8 square feet for two hives.

> 2) the rest of our backyard is taken up by a swimming pool and a Falconry Mews. How much trouble would having 2 beehives 6-10 feet away from the swimming pool be?? We enjoy using our pool every summer, and don't really want to impact that with kamikaze bees. The pool sits in the middle of the backyard.

If the hives face the pool you will not like hives 10 feet away... It probably won't be bad if they face the other way... but every hive is different. I've had hives right by my door that never bothered anyone and hives 100 yards from my door that would harass people...

> PS–which books do you recommend for my apiculture library??

I'm fond of my book... but anything by Doolittle, Miller, Smith, Hopkins, Langstroth, Taylor, Huber or Killion.

>Would it be better to place hives in the open area near green grass on the south-east side of the house, or in a narrow spot on the west side of the house?

Worry about what is safe and convenient for you. Especially if your choices are limited.

http://bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#locating

 

[Michael Bush]

As far as pools:

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeswater.htm

To have water more attractive than your pool you need to understand that bees are attracted to water because of several things:
• Smell. They can recruit bees to a source that has odor. Chlorine has odor. So does sewage.
• Warmth. Warm water can be taken on even moderately chilly days. Cold water cannot because when the bees get chilled they can’t fly home.
• Reliability. Bees prefer a reliable source.
• Accessibility. Bees need to be able to get to the water without falling in. A horse tank or bucket with no floats does not work well. A creek bank provides such access as they can land on the bank and walk up to the water. A barrel or bucket does not unless you provide ladders or floats or both. I use a bucket of water full of old sticks. The bees can land on the stick and climb down to the water.

 

[Michael Bush]

Bees have no interest whatsoever in meat. Yellow jackets love meat... the two are not at all the same thing...

 

[Michael Bush]

I wouldn't count on vinegar to discourage them. When I tried it in syrup it set off a feeding frenzy...