Hello there! I am very interested in beekeeping, and I've gotten books on it and looked at videos on how to build hives, etc. but I wanted to ask the very knowledgeable folks on here a question: what is the ideal location for a beehive, if there even is one? I live in the ponderosa pine forests of the Black Hills, but we do have some glades on the property which are surrounded (but not covered) by trees. We also have some valleys, small open prairies, and a pond. Please let me know if you need pictures.

Thank you very much, and I might have more questions soon!

We chose a place that the morning sun would hit early in the day at the edge of a pasture/field
bees need a bit of a runway , about 6 foot to be most comfortable coming and going.

Thanks, Cinda. And what about snow, or very strong winds? Are you ever concerned of wind knocking down your hives? Over here, we get some pretty fierce wins certain days (most we've gotten is 75MPH, but some Fall days will be 50MPH).

https://www.facebook.com/group...

https://bhbeekeeper.wordpress....

https://danr.sd.gov/Conservati...

Thanks for the links, Rj! I actually had the BH Beekeeper bookmarked to look at later; that reminds me to give it a look now!

as you can see behind me there is a single 8 foot privacy fence , we did that to protect from harsh winter winds
I am sure trees or bushes would work also.

Thanks again, Cinda. I think I know of an area similar to what you have explained, so I'll go check it out later today.

Another question:
I'm a DIY type of guy, so I wanted to make my own hive, but is this something not recommended for beginners? I saw various tutorials and plans online for building hives, but a bunch of them kept mentioning "an experienced beekeeper".

Well we(my son) did make some boxes but purchased the frames
we also got an unused set of boxes from some friends that gave up keeping
there are kits out there you might want to start with a kit and then decide if you want to make your own after that
It is a bit tricky to get the boxes to fit the frames just right so you don't have a hard time getting the frames in & out.

We built our boxes and frames from kits that we bought from Mannlake. The assembly and painting was still a fair amount of work. I'm happy we went with that level of effort.

I am still a new beek, but I see that bees seem to like:
A place where it won't be too inconvenient to drive up and do hive checks/work every 2 weeks
A place where they can live for years without being too much in the way
Morning sun
Afternoon shade from a deciduous tree/trees that will be bare in winter to allow winter warmth
Some space around the hive, free of big weeds- like the edge of a field or in a glade
Water source within a quarter mile (my estimate) like a creek, pond, moist spot etc
A sheltered spot where they will be a little protected from cold winter winds

Johannian, those winds sound nuts! You would want a good rock on your hive top. The rock is mostly to keep mammals out of the honey supers, but it protects with wind too. The boxes and frames are pretty heavy, especially when full, and the bees seal things together with propolis, so maybe they would be fine.

Bees are magical and they are more work than I had imagined. It's like having kids: once you have them, you are committed for the long haul.

Thanks so much guys for your info! I'll keep you updated on what I do.

!!!

Hembrain said:

Bees are magical and they are more work than I had imagined. It's like having kids: once you have them, you are committed for the long haul.

I've been keeping bees for 6 years now. I have always Built My Own boxes, bottom boards, inner covers and outer covers it is easier to just buy the frames. You don't have to be experienced beekeeper to build your own boxes you just got to know how to read a measuring tape. I just finished a run of seven six deep boxes and one medium I always use wood that I find in dumpsters shelving boards and 1x12 tongue and groove work really good I'll include some pictures one of them is the instructions that I go off of.

That's some really awesome info, Heath, you have no idea how much it is appreciated. I kept looking online for some beehive building plans, but they always seemed very extravagant, and I was just looking for something simple. Your plans look like the ones I need. I was planning on having a Langstroth hive and a Kenya Top Bar hive (to attract the native bees), so when I build the Langstroth, I'll probably be following the measurements in your screenshot.

I'm glad it helped one thing to remember with the langstroth is it the bee space. Which is the inside dimensions. If you change your journey from a finger joint to Rabbit joint you're inside dimensions is going to change it has to stay the same. Steve Ramsey on YouTube has a real easy to follow video for making finger joints. I have also made a top bar hive and a horizontal hive I got the dimensions for the horizontal Hive off of Dr Leo's website

Looks like you got some really nice combs from your Kenya Top Bar. The thing which really made me want a KTB was the fact that it naturally attracts bees, and it's one of the few hives which comes closest to replicating a natural hive, so the honey one gets from it is supposedly great due to the bees not being stressed very often.

I do like the top bar hive I don't work it very often I prefer a langstroth.. I guess that top bar has been running for about 5 years. I usually end up installing a swarm in it every year. That's one of the hives that I never treat with Mite treatments or feed with anything so the bees don't last very long in it.

Very impressive, @plantcollector! We have joined our local beekeepers association and are learning a lot, including the value of attending the winter annual regional bee expo for discounted bee stuff- like frames as low as $1 apiece!

Mites are a real decider when it comes to hive survival, and the ability to treat them sounds like a biggie. The local beek newsletter referenced how poorly bees are managing in the wild because of mites. And I guess the wild bee genetics that persist are from those hives who swarm easily and often, which is unfortunate for beekeepers who catch and try to keep those bees. @gardengus the tendencies that refresh a hive- swarms can't take the infected brood with them- are the same that break beek hearts by swarming.

That's interesting about the mites, because another one of the reasons I had chosen the KTB hive as my #1 option is that the Beekeeping for Dummies book by Howard Blackiston said that the Kenya Top Bar hives will produce some of the healthiest colonies. The reason being that since the hive is in as natural a state as any hive can be, the colonies are thus usually healthier and more well-equipped to defend against varroa and tracheal mites, as well other as other pests like wax moths.

@Johannian I just borrowed that book and am looking forward to reading it! I wonder if it's harder to treat a KTB hive and if treatment is more important than basic hive vigor.